WebQuests were designed to bring together a variety of instructional practices into an integrated student activity which will emphasize critical thinking, constructivism, cooperative learning, authentic assessment and technology integration.
A real webquest is based on an interesting task. It requires higher level thinking, not simply summarizing. It makes good use of the web. While books and other media can be used within a webquest, the web is the heart of the lesson. A typical webquest will include an introduction, a presentation of the assigned task, a list of on-line and text resources, a step-by-step description of the process, a rubric for evaluation and a conclusion that summarizes what students have learned.
A webquest can be incorporated into any curricular area. Elementary students would enjoy researching animals. Second and third grade science standards would be met with webquests designed to learn about frogs or butterflies. Reading and writing standards would be met with the webquest task found at http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/brooklyn/cinderella/ "Cinderella, Cinderella, Cinderella". Older students might enjoy http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/balboa/coyotetrick/ where they must complete the task of creating and filming a commercial to complete the webquest "Coyote, The Trickster".
Perhaps the biggest stumbling blocks in implementing a webquest are the time and computer accessibility factors. In many elementary schools computer access may be limited to one or two hours a week in the computer lab and one or two student computers with internet access in the classroom. Many students do not have computers or internet access in their homes. A webquest involves a dedicated period of time to an integrated unit of study. Some elementary teachers are currently monitored for strict compliance with district schedules for particular instructional goals. This make this makes the scheduling of integrated units more difficult than it has been in the past.
If educators can integrate the different subject areas into the assigned tasks, webquests can be great motivators for student learning and can produce the higher level thinking skills and academic success that schools are hoping to achieve.
References:
Dodge, B. (n.d.). QuestGarden. [Website]. Retrieved from http://questgarden.com/
Grades 3-4 WebQuests. ( 2007). [Website]. Retrieved from http://www.literacy.uconn.edu/34webqu.htm
Roche, R. and Ryan, L. ( 2001). Cinderella, Cinderella, Cinderella. [Website] Retrieved from http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/brooklyn/cinderella/
Smith-Rios, D., (1999). Coyote The Trickster. [Website]. Retrieved from http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/balboa/coyotetrick/
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