By: Rheanna Painter Plemons

The WebQuest: What is it and Where did it come from?

• Bernie Dodge’s Definition: "an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the Internet”

• Created to encourage critical thinking among student teachers

WebQuest Advantages in the Classroom:

• Provides Creative Use of Computer Technology

• Promotes Critical Reading

• Promotes Authentic Communication

• Increases Student Motivation

(Brozo & Simpson, 2003)

Parts of the WebQuest:

• Introduction

• Tasks

• Resources

• Process

• Evaluation

• Conclusion

The Introduction:

• Set the stage for the Quest

• Provide background information

• Motivate the student

The Tasks:

• Doable and Interesting!

• Higher-Order Thinking

• Engage Students

The Resources:

• Web Documents

• Emails

• Hard Copies of Text

• Real-time conferencing

• Searchable databases

The Process:

• How am I supposed to do that?

• Now what?

The Evaluation:

•Rubrics, Rubrics, Rubrics

The Conclusion:

• Summarize

• Tell them their achievement

• Encourage to extend

(Lockard & Abrams, 2003)

Examples of WebQuests:

The Modern Period and Ernest Hemingway

http://www.wku.edu/~rheanna.plemons/webquest/

Learning about Photography

http://www.wku.edu/~rheanna.plemons/photography/

A Legendary Superhero: Beowulf

http://www.wku.edu/~rheanna.plemons/beowulf/

Which Road Did You Take, Robert Frost?

http://kathyschrock.net/webquests/GILL/index.htm

Templates and Other Helpful Links:

• http://www.spa3.k12.sc.us/WebQuestTemplate/webquesttemp.htm

• http://www.macomb.k12.mi.us/wq/wqdmain.htm

Do students enjoy WebQuests?

Quotes from Cannons Elementary 5th Graders, Spartanburg, SC

Daniel: I liked the WebQuest very much. It was way more fun then textbooks.

Quatez: WebQuest(s) are fun to do. You should try it yourself.

Lacie: I loved the WebQuest. I would love to do many more. Thank you for letting us do WebQuest.

The Evolving Classroom:Plemons’ Hypothesis: If more students are allowed to communicate and learn through a computer, then we have greater chance of establishing a Global Society in the classroom.

Sources:Brozo, W.G. & Simpson, M.L. (2003). Readers, Teachers, Learners:

Expanding Literacy Across the Content Areas (4th ed.). New Jersey: Merrill Prentice Hall.

Lockard, J. & Abrams, P.D. (2004). Computers For Twenty-First Century Educators (6th ed.). Boston: Pearson.

What Do Students Say About WebQuests. (n.d.). Retrieved February 2, 2004, from http://www.spa3.k12.sc.us/wqstdts.htm

Meet Bernie Dodge -- the Frank Lloyd Wright of Learning Environments! (2000). Retrieved February 2, 2004, from http://www.education-world.com/a_tech/tech020.shtml