The Computer as an Educational

Tool: Productivity and Problem

Solving
Richard C. Forcier and Don E. Descy

Today
Introduction

Definition of terms

Finding the right WebQuest

Anatomy of a WebQuest
Evaluating a WebQuest
Examples

Why WebQuests? (1)

Infuse technology into the

classroom and curriculum

Match YOUR curriculum and your
needs
Match YOUR students and their
needs
Safe surfing for students

Why WebQuests? (2)

Use strategies to increase student

motivation
Ideal for cooperative learning
Develop thinking skills
Use many resources
Encourage students to explore new
ideas, ways to present these ideas

Definition of a WebQuest
An inquiry-oriented activity in
which some or all of the
information that students
interact with comes from
resources on the Internet.

A Typical WebQuest
Main Web Page

Supplemental
Web Pages

1. Introduction
2. Task
3. Process
4. Information/Resources
5. Evaluation
6. Conclusions

Supplemental
Web Pages

Filtered
Websites

Other Material
(books, film,
etc.)

Finding the Right WebQuest

Use one that someone else has

developed
Modify someone else's to your needs
Make your own WebQuest
Have students make them!

Use Someone Elses WebQuest

Check for examples at

http://webquest.sdsu.edu or other sites

Search the Web for WebQuests
Does it fit curriculum goals?
Does it contain all of the required
elements or information?
Dont forget to evaluate: As a WebQuest
and fitting your needs (pilot it!)

Modify Someone Elses WebQuest

Modify for your class:

Grade level, interest, ability...

Modify for your needs:
Goals, resources, alternative
outcomes, scenarios...
Modify for your location:
Region, history, geography,
weather, famous people/locations

Modify Someone Elses WebQuest

Ask permission to modify
Let original author use modifications
Give original author credit for idea

Make Your Own WebQuest

Yourself or with students

Do you have equipment/expertise?

Brainstorm ideas
Doable tasks

Decide on resources: Web/others

Diagram site (Use Inspiration!)
Get to work!

Have Your Students Make

Them
Groups work best
Give examples
Use templates

Give detailed directions

Use a filtered directory or give them

the sites
Resources can be print or nonprint

Helpful Hints for Future Reference

Become familiar with resources online

in your content area

Organize the resources into
categories like data bases, reference
materials, etc.
Identify topics that fit with the
curriculum and that have materials
online

Two Types of WebQuests

Shorter Term

Designed to be completed in one

to three class periods
Longer Term
Designed to take between one
week and one month

Shorter-term WebQuest
Instructional goal is...

knowledge acquisition and

integration
Learner deals with a significant
amount of new information and
makes sense of it

Longer-term WebQuest
Instructional goal is

extending and refining knowledge

Learner deeply analyzes a body
of knowledge, transforms it, and
demonstrates understanding by
presenting it in some way

Anatomy of a WebQuest
Developed in 1995 by Bernie Dodge

and Tom March

Excellent site located at San Diego
State University:

http://webquest.sdsu.edu

Six Elements of a WebQuest

1. Introduction
2. Task
3. Process
4. Information resources
5. Evaluation
6. Conclusion

#1: Introduction
Should orient the learner to what

is going to happen
Should grab learners and make
them want to continue
Express a need to continue

BatQuest (ele)
Stellaluna became lost from her mother when
she was a baby. She did not get a chance to
learn about who she was. Stellaluna feels
very sad because she is not like her bird
friends. Let's help Stellaluna learn more
about being a bat. Stellaluna is a very
unique mammal with special gifts. It will be
your quest to learn the facts about bats. You
can help teach Stellaluna and others about
the special qualities of being a bat.

Basque Country Journey (mid)

The French and Spanish level one students are
planning a spring break trip to the Basque
country. Discover good surf, great beaches, and
delicious cuisine that contribute to the well-known
reputation of the Basque country on either side of
the Pyrenees. Behind the touristy scene exists a
profound and economically orientated lifestyle
and a culture striving to be stronger. You and a
partner will research a Spanish or French city in
the Basque region. You will gather information on
its geographic location, history, tourism, and the
three languages that are part of everyday life.

Prison: Punishment or Party?

(HS)
Prison reform is a hot issue today and there is a
great deal of conflict over what prisoners' rights
should be. In this project, you will be exploring
the opposing viewpoints on this topic, evaluating
statistics, and reading about life in American
prisons. As a team, you will be working to create
a handbook of "Prisoners' Rights" in a fabled
prison. Team members will take the following
roles: victim, prison warden, politician, taxpayer,
or prisoner. Though you may have strong feelings
based upon the research you do, your team must
reach consensus on the handbook.

#2: Task
Tells what the learner will have

completed at the end of the

quest
May be a product or a
presentation (PowerPoint,
speech, play, artwork, game,
movie, anything assessable...)

BatQuest
After reading the book, work alone or with a partner
to find out more information about bats. You will
investigate:
*The different types of bats
*How bat mothers care for their babies
*Echolocation
*Unique bat characteristics
*Why bats are important to the world

Basque Country Journey

1. Decide on which city (according to the language you are
studying) you would like to visit and describe the geographic
location, history, and language.
2. Depending on your city, find out the unit of currency and its
current exchange rate against the U.S. dollar.
3. Find out typical spring weather conditions.
4. Search for two hotels in the city you would like to stay at.
Include information such as address, phone number, price
range, and services they offer.
5. Find three restaurants for Spanish, French, and Basque
cuisine. Include information such as price range, address,
and several menu items.
6. Find three activities to do while at the city. Include a brief
description of each place and the cost if any.

Prison: Punishment or Party?

Students will research prisoners rights today from
a specific perspective as they assume one of the
following roles: victim, prison warden, politician,
taxpayer, or prisoner. Students will write
individual proposals for the handbook and then
debate the issues until consensus is reached.

Task-onomy (1)
Re-telling tasks: Most common,

least challenging
Compilation tasks: Familiarizes
student with content, then
enables them to transform the
information acquired

Task-onomy (2)
Mystery tasks: Find information

from multiple sources, infer, and

predict
Journalistic tasks: Broaden
understanding by using multiple
accounts/inputs and outputs

Task-onomy (3)
Design tasks: Anything goes;

encourages creativity
Creative product tasks: Openended creativity with guidelines;
a product needed by an
individual

Task-onomy (4)
Persuasion tasks: Combined

with consensus building;

trying to convince others of a
particular viewpoint

Task-onomy (5)
Self-knowledge tasks:

Compel learner to answer

questions about themselves
Analytical tasks: Analysis of
the implications of task

Task-onomy (6)
Judgement tasks: Learners

must create own criteria for

evaluation
Scientific tasks: Learners
make and test hypotheses

#3: Process
Clearly described steps

Lets the learner know the

process to go through to
accomplish task
Can also provide help,
comments, advice

BatQuest (1)
1. Stellaluna is one type of bat, a megabat. Bats can be first
classified into two groups, megabats and microbats. Then
there are several different types of bats within these two
groups. Choose who will investigate the megabats and who
will investigate the mircrobats. Click on the paper for your
task sheets and click on the megabat and mircrobat
buttons for more information.
2. Stellaluna had a loving mother. You will work with your
partner and complete the assignment together. Your job is
to find out how bat mothers care for their babies until they
are able to be on their own. Click on the mother bat for
information and the baby bat for the task sheet.

BatQuest (2)
3. Bats can fly at night and not get hurt. Investigate their
special gift called echolocation. Your job is to discover how
echolocation works. Could you use echolocation to see in
the dark like bats do? Click on the bat to find out. Click on
the paper for your task sheet.
4. Bats are unique mammals. Discover all about their special
traits and how they help our world.
*After you become a "Bat Master", investigate why people
are afraid of bats. How could you change the minds of
people who are afraid of bats so they might like bats?
5. Write a letter to Stellaluna and explain to her why she is so
special. This is your opportunity to show that you are a bat
expert!

Basque Country WebQuest

1. Go to the sites above to find the required
information.
2. Design a travel brochure using the target
language that represents the city and the places
you chose to visit. Include pictures and brief
information that would entice the reader to visit
the location. The brochures will be shared with
the rest of the class.
3. Create a detailed plan including all your
information, prices, and web page addresses that
you used to gather your information.

Prison: Punishment or Party? (1)

1. Within your group, either choose a role or draw for
your role.
2. Examine the Web-based and print resources to
discover what the issues are from your unique point
of view. Use the set of Questions for exploration to
help you get started (but don't limit yourselves!)
3. Create an outline of rights prisoners should have in
the newly created prison. Write a statement
summarizing your point of view. Use HyperStudio.
Be sure to include a bibliography of the resources
used. These should be in a variety of formats:
websites, magazines, newspaper articles, books, etc.

Prison: Punishment or Party? (2)

4. Present your "demands" to your group using
HyperStudio. Take notes while the other members
of your group present their outlines.
5. Debate the issues within your group.
6. After reaching consensus, create a presentation
of the group's Prisoners Rights Handbook to the
class at-large using PowerPoint, HyperStudio,
Posters, or another format approved by the
teacher.
7. Use the rubric to grade your individual work and
the group's performance.

#4: Information Resources

List of teacher-selected websites

for learner
May use external or internal links
May include non-Web resources:
books, worksheet, video, etc.

Basque Country WebQuest

Go to the Pays Basque page (in French) to find out
more information on the Region.
Click here for language information.
Links to different activities in Basque Country.
Go to TourAdour.com to find information on history,
hotels, and leisure activities.
Go to City.net to find information in Spanish about
the Pais Vasco.
Go to Buber's Basque page for lots of information in
French and Spanish.

Prison: Punishment or Party?

1. Use Inspire to find newspaper or magazine
articles on prisons in the United States.
2. On-line articles
(six sites listed)
3. Print resources - Please consult at least one print
resource.
(three books listed)

#5: Evaluation
Needed to measure results

Must fit goals and objectives

Evaluation rubrics often best for

authentic assessment
Is it the Quest, the question, or
the student?

All Sites
All had detailed rubrics for group and
individual assessment

#6: Conclusion
Brings closure to the Quest
Reviews learning

Reflection, review, rethinking

Ideas for future study

BatQuest
Now that you have become a bat expert, visit these
fun and exciting sites. You can learn even more
about bats or play bat games and make bat art.
Maybe you would like to build a bat house in your
backyard!
*Crossword
*Stellaluna Online
*Bat Quiz
*Build a Bat House
*Bat Games

Basque Country WebQuest

By researching the city of your choice you will
come in contact with the Basque culture before
our spring break trip. This project will sharpen
your Internet research skills and will help you
learn different cultures.

Prison: Punishment or Party?

As the number of prisoners increases yearly and the number of new
prisons does not increase to meet the overflow of prisoners in the
United States criminal justice system, more and more individuals are
placed into potentially explosive places. Prisoners' rights are
sometimes abused in this fragile system. At the same time, prisoners
are known to abuse the system themselves by filing ludicrous
lawsuits and demanding unreasonable accommodations for someone
who has committed a crime. Some people believe that prison life is
too easy and thus not a deterrent to crime. Others point to the recent
case in Jasper, Texas, where a man who did not grow up to hold racist
beliefs learned racial hatred in prison and ended up brutally
murdering a black man, causing an outraged nation to wonder, "How
bad is prison life that prisoners leave more violent and prone to crime
than when they entered the system?" These are all valid, powerful
viewpoints that deserve to be explored and evaluated. Ultimately,
some consensus must be reached in for change to be made.

Noncritical Attributes
May be group or individual

activities
May include role-playing
Single subject or
interdisciplinary

Evaluating WebQuests
Is the information accurate?

Does the page look inviting and

appealing?
Is it easy to use?
Is it a good use of class/student/your
time?
Is it a good use of Web/technology?

Examples
San Diego State WebQuest Page:

http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/webquest.html
WebQuest World:

http://www.ci.swt.edu/faculty/
peterson/webquestworld2/WebQuestWorld
Home.html

WebQuest Workshop Resources:

http://mciunix.mciu.k12.pa.us/~spjvweb/w
ebquests.html

Sites
BatQuest: http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/

chavez/batquest/navigator.html
Basque Country WebQuest:
http://www.geocities.com/Athens/
Olympus/6360/basque.html
Prison: Punishment or Party?:
http://www.plainfield.k12.in.us/hschool/
webq/webq63/

Questions?
PowerPoint available at:
descy.net