Designing
a WebQuest
Assignment-
Alone or in a team of 2-3, your assignment is to
design a five
(5) page
(minimum) site for a WebQuest for your students to complete (details
below &
discussed in
class). The WebQuest is to be interesting and challenging to
students and pedagogically solid. The students should also be
encouraged to present their findings to their class in an interesting
and creative way(s).
Introduction-
A WebQuest is a journey, usually done by a small
group of students, to seek the answer to a comprehensive question
(quest), or perhaps a
series of related questions (quests). For example one may ask, How can I eat better? To find
out the answer one may need to ask, What
do
I eat? How many calories do I eat in a day? How does it
affect my body? How can I make a healthy change in my diet and
still enjoy my meals? One may also simply ask, What was the cause of the Civil War?
A WebQuest is not
to review or learn a concept which is taught in a textbook such as The Water Cycle. It is also
not to find and list the six causes of the Civil War included in the
text or online. It is to be much more, a quest!
Details-
- Watch the demonstration in class & read through this entire
assignment before starting, including the links.
- The WebQuest is written for
students to use so remember, you are
talking to them.
- There must be a rationale (why it is important for
students to learn about this topic), included in the introduction.
- You must have at least 5 tasks for your students to do
on
their quest.
- You must include 5 Web sites to go to for information
(early
elementary)
to 5 search engines (high school) for your students to use to
find
information or a combination (later elementary or middle school).
- When including a search engine, make it the kid's version. For example,
use
rather
than 
.
- The WebQuest should have the critical attributes
described here.
- The WebQuest may not be a retelling (see WebQuest Taskonomy).
- You must create at least 5 pages with at least one
graphic/page
- Suggestion: Start with a WebQuest folder [WQ] + inside 5
images related to your WebQuest + 5-6 blank pages named
- intro.html
- tasks.html
- process.html
- resources.html
- eval.html
- con.html
- These pages may contain (all in student terms)-
- Introduction- Get them interested & include a rationale
- Task- The quest they must accomplish or the question
they
must answer
- Process- Format for gathering & presenting the results
(be creative, hands-on, active)
- Resources- Five (5) resource sites &/or search engines (see
above)
- Evaluation- Rubric or guide to success or for credit
- Conclusion- Wrap it up briefly & with gusto
Be sure to use the Style
Guide for
designing
your Web pages.
It is highly recommended to use
SeaMonkey
or Netscape on either a Mac or on a
PC. The Composer part is a
simple editing tool to
use
(available at SeaMonkey
or Netscape).
Do not use-
the
QuestGarden template or any other which
creates frames.
Do not use a Web page template without getting the OK from me.
A .com site or any other site without getting permission from me.
Read an article from ISTE in Learning & Leading with Technology
Review the model from Biopoems!
Near-perfect examples from former students-
Other Examples-
Social Studies Master's Projects
Before you bring your
WebQuest up to the instructor station at the front of the room to have
it evaluated, try it on another
computer to check out the links!
Grading Guide-
Design a WebQuest which is pedagogically sound +1-10
points
The WebQuest is grade appropriate and one can easily see the
complete
picture +5 points
Design a Web site with your WebQuest +5 points
Including at least 5 different graphics on 5 different pages +5
points
The above with no broken & easy to follow links +5 points