WebQuest Peer Review

For more information about EDIT 4160 (offered fall semester) and the undergraduate certificate in instructional technology - go to this link.

Peer Review:
Now is the time to take a few minutes to provide feedback on a classmate's webquest. This is not the time to say "It looks great!" or "I can't think of anything I'd change". Your task is to give specific feedback that will assist your classmate in improving his or her webquest.

Working with a partner, take 5 minutes to share the basic ideas behind your webquests. Then, use the feedback form provided in class to give comments. Make sure that you are giving more than yes or no responses. When you have completed your feedback, give the completed form to your partner. You will turn in these completed forms with your WebQuest on Friday, April 7.

After you have completed the peer review, continue working on your project. Make sure to review the project description and to incorporate some of the suggestions from the peer feedback section. You may also want to use these two checklists to improve your webquest even more:

Fine Points - Little Things Make a Big Difference
Process Checklist

Remember that your final WebQuest is not due until Friday, April 7. However, you will not be given time in class to work on it next week -- we will be starting a new project.

Friday's class - March 31:
You will be given class time on Friday to work on your WebQuest. Class will not meet. Please feel free to email me should you have questions about your WebQuest: gbthomas@uga.edu Make sure to attach your webquest file to the email so that I am able to give more specific assistance with your questions.

WebQuest Work Day

What ideas do you have for your WebQuest? How do you hook students with your introduction? What clip art could help make the introduction even more interesting? What questions do you have?

Last week we looked at the major components of the student portion of the WebQuest. Today, we'll spend a few minutes looking at the teacher portion.

Today you'll work on the first half of your WebQuest -- by Wednesday's class it is expected that you will have a good portion of your WebQuest completed. We will be working in pairs on Wednesday to conduct peer reviews of your WebQuests.

Don't forget that you have many resources available to help you to complete your WebQuest.

• WebQuest Project Description - what's due when?
  
• WebQuest Taxonomy of Tasks - what types of tasks can you assign to students?
  
• The Building Blocks of a WebQuest - what are the specific parts of a WebQuest?
• The WebQuest Design Process - what is a good way to put together a WebQuest?
• Sample WebQuests
  

Tech Tip:
If you have created other Word documents that you would like to link to your webquest page -- do the following:
1. Save the document as a web page in your portfolio folder
2. Open your webquest page
3. Highlight the text on your webquest page that you want to serve as the link to your new document
4. Go to File>Insert Hyperlink
5. In the window that opens up - select the "Document" tab
6. Click the "Select" button and browse for your document.

WebQuest Design Patterns

How do you ensure that students will be engaged in your WebQuest activity? Your WebQuest is asking your students to accomplish a task. View the WebQuest Taxonomy of Tasks to determine in what category your original WebQuest will fall. Share with the class your idea for a "hook" or introduction and your WebQuest category.

Now that you have an idea for your WebQuest, how will you design the entire process section for your learners? What are the major components of a WebQuest and what is the role of each in the learning activity? The Building Blocks of a WebQuest page will help you to better understand the purpose of each.

So, how do you get started writing your own WebQuest? The WebQuest Design Process flowchart created by Tom March is a great way to keep track of what you are doing.

Now that you have an idea for content flow how do you put it all together into a web-based learning activity?

Bernie Dodge has put together a large list of templates you can use to create your activity.

1. Choose the appropriate template from the WebQuest Design Patterns page. You should download the student page only. You can access the template for the teacher page here.
2. Save the template to your portfolio folder in your key driver before you begin work--leave the student's page file name as it is (WebQuest.htm), and rename the teacher's page file name to teachpage.htm
3. Open your student page (WebQuest.htm) in Word. You may need to choose "all files" in the Open Files window in order for Word to know to open an .htm file.
4. Spend some time working on your WebQuest, making sure to check the project description and rubric to ensure you are including all required elements.
5. You can review the actual project assignment here.

Don't forget that you have many resources available to help you to complete your WebQuest.

WebQuest Taxonomy of Tasks - what types of tasks can you assign to students?

The Building Blocks of a WebQuest - what are the specific parts of a WebQuest?

The WebQuest Design Process - what is a good way to put together a WebQuest?

The WebQuest Search Matrix

What is a WebQuest?

Mattahias Wong
March 11, 2006






What exactly is a WebQuest? What are its main characteristics? What are your initial reactions to WebQuests in terms of teaching and learning? What advantages and disadvantages do you see in teaching with WebQuests? What standards in your content area lend themselves to WebQuests?

Viewing exemplary webquests is a good way to get started on your own. Go to the main WebQuest page and click the words "Find WebQuests" on the left navigation bar. Using the Curriculum/Grade Level Matrix (in the middle of the page), spend a few minutes viewing 2 or 3 WebQuests in your content area. You can also see interviews with teachers who have used WebQuests here.

Hopefully, you're beginning to formulate an idea for a "hook" for your own WebQuest. It may be related to work you have already done in our class or work you are currently completing in other courses. It could even be something completely new in your content area. After you have some ideas together, review the WebQuest assignment so that you are clear on what is expected. Your WebQuest will be due on Friday, April 7. Before Friday's class, you'll want to identify your WebQuest topic. Use this website to help you in the selection process.

Generally, a good WebQuest topic should have some inherent complexity, such as controversial issues, multiple perspectives, unknowns, etc. The topic needs to have your students take information in and transform it, using their own judgement and creative problem-solving techniques -- a LoTi level 4 or higher -- the learning should be authentic. Certain topics tend to lend themselves more to the WebQuest format than others.

For Friday, March 24: Choose a topic for your WebQuest and determine the teaching standards that will be addressed by your WebQuest.