WebQuest 101 Part 1 -- What is a WebQuest? Zunal WebQuest Maker. WebQuest Maker. Readingwebquests - Strategies. Home. WebQuests: Explanation. What is a WebQuest? Search for the word "WebQuest" in any search engine, and you soon discover thousands of online lessons created by teachers around the world. What is a WebQuest? A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented online tool for learning, says workshop expert Bernie Dodge 1. This means it is a classroom-based lesson in which most or all of the information that students explore and evaluate comes from the World Wide Web. Can be as short as a single class period or as long as a month-long unit; usually (though not always) involve group work, with division of labor among students who take on specific roles or perspectives; are built around resources that are preselected by the teacher. Webquest 101 - What is a Webquest?
A webquest is an assignment which asks students to use the World Wide Web to learn about and/or synthesize their knowledge a specific topic. A “true” webquest, as originally designed by Bernie Dodge and Tom March, requires synthesis of the new knowledge by accomplishing a “task,” often to solve a hypothetical problem or address a real-world issue. Simpler web activities designed for students to investigate and collect new knowledge from web-based sources can also be a more engaging and effective replacement for read-the-chapter-and-complete-the-review-questions. This tutorial will walk you through the basics to create a simple or more elaborate activity. The assignment can be given on paper, certainly the simplest and most portable option. For an example, click here to print out a simple "on paper" webquest on Laura Ingalls Wilder.
(You'll need Adobe's Acrobat Reader, which is available from the TeachersFirst Toolbox.