This week (12) we were asked to find out what a webquest is, and what it is for, so let´s do it!!!!!
WebQuests were developed in 1995 by Bernie Dodge and Tom March at San Diego State University in response to a request from the Bell Telephone Company to come up with an idea to effectively engage and teach students using the Internet.
- WebQuests are used for using Internet resources, which encourage students to use higher order thinking skills to solve a real messy problem. WebQuests are a sub-set of Problem-Based Learning (PBL).
- ADVANTAGES
- Opportunities for cooperative and collaborative group work
- Highly motivational - authentic; inquiry-based
- Interdisciplinary
- Critical, creative, and higher order thinking skills - REQUIRED
- One of its disadvantages that I liked is that it can be used for people from all ages, and the teacher puts the limit in the webquest so that students cannot everything they want.
- Adaptable to fit your students' need
DISADVANTAGES- Webquests can take a considerable amount of class time, especially when students can’t get access from home.
- Can get easily distracted using the web
- Students can get bored doing the same thing with the content, reading it and then writing answers
Essential Components
There are six
essential components of a WebQuest that are used to structure the activity and
organise students. They are:
1. Introduction
2. Task
3. Resources
4. Process
5. Evaluation
6. Conclusion
This is my webquest´s link: http://www.radford.edu/~sbisset/natamericanswq.htm
This webquest is for an intermediate level of English because of the activities it has. Also, I consider that this webquest is very attractive for those people who are interested in learning about American culture.
Well, in my opinion webquests are an interesting way to teach and learn online as well because when teaching online and let students create their knowledge by themselves is better than when students follow the teacher. Also, when teaching using this wonderful form teachers work as a facilitator. Furthermore, a good webquest puts the power of the web behind your topic. You can show students or let them discover for themselves, not just tell them. Web sites can take your students anywhere in the world.
A webquest lets students explore selected areas in more depth, but within limits that you have selected. This makes webquests ideal for classes which combine students with different ability levels.
Webquests can also increase the "comfort level" of students using the Internet for learning activities. While your students are probably already computer literate, a properly designed webquest can help students become creative researchers rather than simply "surfing" from one site to another.
