THE USE OF WEBQUEST IN THE CLASSROOM

Profesor erban Aguria Dorinela

coala Gimnazial Nr. 2 Diaconu Coresi Braov
The Internet is interactive and accessible to a great deal of people at once. It has the ability to
provide amounts of information that can be used to motivate students to conduct
investigations on any given topic. As an interactive tool for learning, teachers can use the
Internet to stimulate creative thought and guide students to develop critical thinking in their
"quest" for knowledge. But, how does a teacher tame the nature of the Internet to provide
his/her students with a beneficial learning environment?
One model approach for this dilemma is called a WebQuest developed in 1995 by Bernie
Dodge of San Diego State University. Simply put, a WebQuest is an inquiry-based activity
where students are given a task and provided with access to on-line resources to help them
complete the task. It is an ideal way to deliver a lesson over the web. Web Quests are
discovery learning tools; they are usually used to either begin or finish a unit of study.
When creating a WebQuest, it is beneficial to be able to make your own web pages. But, it is
not necessary. Teachers have delivered fantastic WebQuests in hard copy format.
Over the last five years, the TeAch-nology.com staff has seen a great deal of Web Quests.
Some are good, some are great, and some are not worth the time it takes to download.
Six Reasons To Use WebQuests
1. To begin a unit as an anticipatory set;
2. To conclude a unit as a summation;
3. As a collaborative activity in which students create a product;
4. To teach students how to be independent thinkers since most of the problems encountered
in a WebQuest are real-world problems;
5. To increase competency in the use of technology;
6. As a motivational techniques to keep students on task.
Qualities of Effective Web Quests
The Beauty of WebQuests are their flexibility since they can be anything to anyone. This
makes it hard to identify a typically effective Web Quest. Nonetheless, we have found that
WebQuests that promote learning typically have 6 common attributes.
1. Introduction:
The introduction is a means of providing the students with background information that is
intended to be a springboard for them to begin the process of inquiry.
2. Task:
Formulating challenging questions is the difficult part of developing an effective WebQuest.
In most cases, a single question is posed that requires students to analyze a vast array of
information.
3. Process:
In this section, the teacher leads the student through the task. The teacher offers advice on
how to manage time, collect data, and provides strategies for working in group situations.
Teachers sometimes label this section: learning objectives or advice. In some cases the section
is replaced with a complete time line for the project.
4. Resources:

Students are provided with tools (usually web sites), or leads to tools that can help them
complete the task. In order for this to be valuable, a teacher must thoroughly review each
source.
5. Evaluation:
The outcome for Web Quests is usually a product, in most cases, in form of a written/oral
report or multimedia presentation. An effective assessment tool to evaluate a product of a
WebQuest is a rubric. Rubrics help make the teacher's expectations clear for students. Ideally,
rubrics can be created collaboratively with students' input.
6. Conclusion:
Effective WebQuests have a built in mechanism for student reflections. To receive feedback,
you can survey your students about their experience, or have the students send you an e-mail
sharing their thoughts.
Example of activity: Christmas Traditions
Introduction
In Romania, we refer to the man in a red and white suit as Mo Crciun. We offer the
greeting, Crciun fericit!" In other countries different terms are used. Your mission is to find
out how others say Crciun fericit" and how they refer to Mo Crciun.
The Task
You will visit websites to find out the answers to the "Holiday Fun" worksheet. After the sheet
is completed, you may do some fun holiday activities on the web.
The Process
Print out the Holiday Fun worksheet
At the computer:
Go to Christmas.com - Merry Christmas in Many Languages
Complete the Merry Christmas Words.
Go to Christmas.com - Names for Santa
Complete Names for Santa.
Go to Mrs. Claus's Kitchen to complete the "favorites" questions
Go to Christmas.com's World Famous Countdown 'Til Christmas and list the number of days
left until Christmas.
Resources
Merry Christmas
Merry ChristmasChristmas.com - Names for Santa
Other Site with Global Santa Names:
Who is Santa?
Other Sites with Global Merry Christmas words:
Merry Christmas
Mrs. Claus's Kitchen
Christmas.com's World Famous Countdown 'Til Christmas
Evaluation
Completion of Holiday Fun Sheet
Teacher Observation
Conclusions
Teacher notes
Advantages & Disadvantages of WebQuest
A. Advantages
I. Students:
1. Similar structure across WebQuests - Ease of use.
2. Encourages readers to interact with information-based Internet resources.
3. Motivating (stimulates learners imagination)
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4. Students can create their own WebQuests (An engage with classmates' quest.)
5. Web Quests can be worked on at home/library
II. Teachers:
1. Similar structure in all WebQuests Easy to create.
2. Emphasis on teaching skills required to read WebQuests
3. Encourages effective and structured use of Internet time (inquiry based lessons/units are
designed so as to guide students meaningfully)
4. Accommodates learners' diverse learning needs (individual and group work)
B) Disadvantages:
I. Students:
1. Most Web Quests are not designed to meet your specific state/provincial educational
curriculum
2. Access (slow web connectivity and inadequate number of computers)
3. Resource links readability often too high
4. Creating own WebQuest requires time upgrading technical skills and information literacy
skills
5. Inflexible structure
II. Teachers:
1. Similar structure in all Web Quests Easy to create.
2. Emphasis on teaching skills required to read Web Quests
3. Encourages effective & structured use of Internet time (inquiry based lessons/units are
designed so as to guide students through educational/ meaningful learning experiences)
4. Accommodates learners' diverse learning needs (individual and group work)
III. Teachers and Students
1. Broken Links (Web Quests are taken off the internet)
2. Creating your own Web Quest takes time (especially on your first few)
3. Content often focused on Web resources, ignoring other library resources
BIBLIOGRAPHY:
www.internet4classrooms.com
www.teach-nology.com
www.webquestdirect.com.au
www.thirteen.org
webquest.weebly.com/why-use-webquests.html