Tech Module: WebQuest in the English Classroom

Introduction

Today’s students are engaging in technological practices at unsurpassed rates. Therefore, the need for student-centered activities which challenge and increace student proficiency in the field of techonolgy are increasing. WebQuest, an inquiry-based learning process, is designed to lead students through a web-based lesson that can range from one class period to one month in depth and duration. However, WebQuest is more than simply exploring information related to one’s content area on the internet. According to Tom March, a true WebQuest requires more than students exploring the internet in relation to a class related topic. A WebQuest requires that students complete a thoughtful and thourough exploration of internet-based content in order to increase their understanding of a topic. This exploration can be used on multiple instructional levels, either allowing for students to work collaboratively or individually.

A WebQuest is a scaffolded learning structure that uses links to essential resources on the World Wide Web and an authentic task to motivate students’ investigation of a central, open-ended question, development of individual expertise and participation in a final group process that attempts to transform newly acquired information into a more sophisticated understanding” (March 2003).

WebQuest is a desirable tool for English teachers, especially concerning the teaching of literature. English teachers can use WebQuest for formalistic analyses, such as the exploration of character, theme, and setting. This type of an exploration can be completed at the beginning of the unit. This exploration will allow for students to activate and expand upon their prior knowledge about a topic and to prepare students for the teacher's coverage of a text. However, WebQuest can also be used to explore more in-depth or controversial issues in a novel. This type of WebQuest can be introduced at the beginning of a unit and continued throughout the coverage of a text. This type of WebQuest would be more in-depth because students are exploring more complex questions that are not easily answered.

WebQuest 101

WebQuest was invented and introduced by Bernie Dodge and Tom March at San Diego State University in 1995. Their instructional purpose for the Webquest was to “use learner’s time will, to focus on using information rather than looking for it, and to support learners’ thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation” (Dodge 1997). According to Dodge, “Teachers have embraced WebQuests as a way to make good use of the internet while engaging their students in the kinds of thinking that the 21st century requires” (Dodge 1997).

Dodge describes two different uses for WebQuest: long term and short term.

Short term WebQuests are designed to help students acquire “knowledge acquisition and integration” (Dodge 1997). According to Dodge, “at the end of a short term WebQuest, a learner will have grappled with a significant amount of new information and made sense of it. A short-term WebQuest is designed to be completed in one to three class periods” (Dodge 1997).

The long term WebQuest is designed to expand and extend student knowledge about a topic. According to Dodge, “after completing a longer term WebQuest, a learner would have analyzed a body of knowledge deeply, transformed it in some way, and demonstrated an understanding of the material by creating something that others can respond to, on-line or off-line” (Dodge 1997).

A WebQuest is designed to help students make the best use of their time (Dodge 1997). A WebQuest should always contain the following six parts: 1) Introduction, 2) Task, 3) Information sources, 4) Process, 5) Guidance, and 6) Conclusion.

1) Introduction- The introduction should give students any background information that is essential for their understanding of the WebQuest.

2) Task- The task that you ask students to complete should be “doable and interesting” (Dodge 1997).

3) Information Sources- Might include “web documents, experts available via e-mail, real-time conferencing, searchable databases on the net, and books and other documents physically available in the learner’s setting” (Dodge 1997).

4) Process- The WebQuest should be “broken down into clearly defined steps” (Dodge 1997).

5) Guidance- There should be some form of directions of guiding questions on how to organize the acquired information (Dodge 1997).

6) Conclusion- There should be some closure at the end of the quest to “remind learners about what they’ve learned, and perhaps encourages them to extend the experience into other domains.” (Dodge 1997).

Using a WebQuest in your classroom: This website provides educators with the five components that they need to know in order to create a WebQuest. The explanation includes the basic components of the five key categories which need to be included in a WebQuest (Introduction, task, process, evaluation, and conclussion).

http://www.internet4classrooms.com/using_quest.htm

WebQuest design: This website provides educators with a template for creating a WebQuest. This is a helpful website for teachers who have not used a WebQuest before and need to know how to set one up.

http://webquest.sdsu.edu/designsteps/index.html

Rubric for evaluating WebQuests: This website provides educators with information that can be used to evaluate WebQuests. Teachers can use this website to grade student performace on a WebQuest.

http://webquest.sdsu.edu/webquestrubric.html

Rubric for student WebQuests: This website provides educators with information about authentic assessment and how to evaluate student work completed on the internet.

http://webquest.sdsu.edu/rubrics/weblessons.htm

Template for creating your own WebQuest: This template provides a step-by-step process for teachers to use to create a WebQuest. This website is a good resource for teachers who have not used a WebQuest before.

http://www.internet4classrooms.com/lesson-template.htm

WebQuest links and resources: This website has aditional resources and links for teachers who want further information about WebQuests.

http://www.bestwebquests.com/links.asp

WebQuest in the English Classroom

Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice

http://homepages.wmich.edu/~j2burke/prideindex.html

This WebQuest is a notable example, because it clearly lays out the six steps of a WebQuest, and allows for students to interact with the process easily. Students are asked to explore seven of the main character and their importance to the text. I really like this particular WebQuest because it gives students different options for character analyses. This would be an effective WebQuest to use in a jigsaw fashion, because all students can participate in the learning process and bring a unique perspective and knowledge to group discussion. This WebQuest is easy to navigate and would be effective for an upper-level English teacher who wants their students to construct a more in-depth understanding of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

F.Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby

http://www.granbyhs.nps.k12.va.us/intranet/teachers/butowicz/webquest/indexchanges.htm

I really liked this WebQuest because it helped students to understand The Great Gatsby in the greater historical context on the 1920’s. Like the Jane Austen WebQuest, different groups are given different tasks and asked to participate in collaborative learning activities such as group presentations. The other reason I picked this particular WebQuest is because it give students choice in how the want to present their findings. By giving students choice in how they present their work, teachers can allow for students with different abilities to best show their strengths. The theme of “editorial groups” is also very effective, because it gets students into character to study the 1920’s!

Arthur Miller’s “The Cruicible”

http://tttc.org/projects/AMoore/Crucible.htm

There are a lot of things that I love about this WebQuest. I enjoy placing literature in the context of history and the concept of exploring how literature relates to the lives of my students. This WebQuest combines these two essential ideas to give students a better understanding of historical examples of innocent people being tortured and killed and how these examples work together. This specific WebQuest also gets students to think about larger issues related to humanity and morality. Furthermore, this WebQuest uses multidisciplinary examples such as pictures and poetry to enhance student learning and understanding of the themes in “The Crucible.”

William Shakespeare’s “Romeo and Juliet” WebQuest

http://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/education/projects/webquests/shakespeare/

I thought that this WebQuest was very interesting and unique because it asked students to synthesis the knowledge that they had about “Romeo and Juliet,” and to create something new. Students are asked to rewrite a scene of “Romeo and Juliet” in the context of the Wild West, 1920’s Chicago, 1950’s suburbia, or 1960’s counterculture. I like how students are given choice of which era they want to base their interpretation of the play. This allows for students to be creative and to have fun learning how to synthesize the information of the play. Students are also asked use their command of language to change Elizabethan English to modern English. This WebQuest allows students to increase their understanding, not only of the play, but of Shakespearian language.

Limitations and Values of using WebQuest in the classroom

The biggest issues that I found with WebQuests online was that many teachers simply put together a list of interesting links and call it a WebQuest. It is important for teachers who are considering the use of WebQuest in their classroom to explore the six essential steps for creating a WebQuest and to give students a focused and clear task to complete.

Teachers must be critical and diligent when selecting web-sites and online resources to use for their websites. There are many unreliable sources on the web that teachers need to be sure to avoid.

It is also essential to keep students on task when they are doing any sort of group activity or an activity that includes the use of the internet. Therefore, teachers need to make sure that the WebQuest is well paced and designed to keep students on task.

I would suggest that teachers try at least one WebQuest into their class, because it is a great opportunity to encourage student centered learning. A WebQuest allows for students to participate in collaborative learning and to explore and internalize information on their own, making it more valuable and more likely to stick with the student.

Furthermore, the WebQuest is a great tool to provide background knowledge as an entrance to a text, for students to explore issues throughout the novel as an exploration of a text, or for students to synthesize their learning as an expansion of their knowledge of the text.

Tips for Teachers

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This work is licensed by Kelly Woodard under a Creative Commons Attribution License (CC-BY 2.0), and is an Open Educational Resource.

Last edited by Kelly Woodard on Dec 7, 2008 7:13 pm -0600.