WebQuests were something I knew nothing about before entering Technology class last week. So, if you, like me, feel inarticulate about WebQuests, I have got news for you. These are some of the easiest and coolest sites for helpful teaching tools!
AWebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet. So, basically it is a sight where teachers can direct their students to for information, project guidelines and research tools on a broad variety of subjects. WebQuests are designed to promote higher order thinking rather than just a regurgitation of facts that students should know for a test. They are designed to promote deep understanding in a classroom setting. Since these sites are being used by a variety of learners, they should be very easy to read and understand. They should lead to accurate information-filled, working websites for research on a topic. They should outline a task to help learners engage fully and get to know a topic.
I do question a little how practical WebQuests are for the classroom. I can forsee many issues with these. As we observed a few of these sites in class today, I learned that it could be easy to create a inefficient site. Also, most classrooms do not have access for each child to be at a computer, so if they are constantly referring to directions for a task, it isn't practical to not have it written down instead. The research I can see the pros for, but easily links can be disabled or lead to irrelevant sites. And there are definitely issues with internet, like the one we ran into today. The internet on campus was not working very well and we weren't able to proceed with class as planned.
Just a few thoughts!
AWebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet. So, basically it is a sight where teachers can direct their students to for information, project guidelines and research tools on a broad variety of subjects. WebQuests are designed to promote higher order thinking rather than just a regurgitation of facts that students should know for a test. They are designed to promote deep understanding in a classroom setting. Since these sites are being used by a variety of learners, they should be very easy to read and understand. They should lead to accurate information-filled, working websites for research on a topic. They should outline a task to help learners engage fully and get to know a topic.
I do question a little how practical WebQuests are for the classroom. I can forsee many issues with these. As we observed a few of these sites in class today, I learned that it could be easy to create a inefficient site. Also, most classrooms do not have access for each child to be at a computer, so if they are constantly referring to directions for a task, it isn't practical to not have it written down instead. The research I can see the pros for, but easily links can be disabled or lead to irrelevant sites. And there are definitely issues with internet, like the one we ran into today. The internet on campus was not working very well and we weren't able to proceed with class as planned.
Just a few thoughts!
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