WebQuests are a fun way to incorporate technology into a lesson. They engage students in searching for information while answering a question or solving a problem that requires critical thinking. There are two ways to work with a WebQuest; use one that already exists or create a new one.
What is a WebQuest?
A WebQuest is an assignment or lesson that engages students through technology and the World Wide Web. It involves a realistic problem or situation that requires students to search for information to solve. Since their introduction in 1995 by Bernie Dodge and Tom March, WebQuests have become a structured activity that can enhance current lessons and provide a way to include more rigor and authentic assessments in the curriculum.
Using a Prewritten WebQuest
There are several sites dedicated to collecting and making available WebQuests. Teachers will also place their own or student created WebQuests on their school’s web site or on an external host site. In either case, these WebQuests are available and free for other educators to use. When they meet the requirements of the lesson, these WebQuests are easy to use as is and incorporate as an activity.
Sometimes the existing WebQuest does not meet the needs of the lesson or contain broken links. In these situations there are two options: run the lesson online and notify students of the changes, or take pages of the WebQuest and turn them into hardcopies containing the corrections. Students can still do the WebQuest and follow the links to find the necessary information to complete the assignment, but the initial design and use of the web site will be a little different.
Using a Newly Created WebQuest
To make sure the WebQuest is exactly what is needed it is sometimes necessary to create one from scratch. After planning, designing and creating the WebQuest, the teacher needs to decide whether it will be available on the web or only within the classroom. If the school’s available technology can support it, ask the school’s web master or technology director to assist with making it available. Another option is to find an external site to host it. If it is only to be used in the classroom, the site’s pages can be saved on the students’ computers and they can open these in a web browser and still use the links provided to search for the information.
Whether using an existing WebQuest or creating a new one, remember to read through the site and follow every link to make sure they all work before presenting it to the class. If the site worked well the year before, check it again, since not all sites are static and sometimes web pages are moved or deleted. However the WebQuest is presented, whether online, in the classroom or on paper, students have a valuable opportunity to think critically about a problem and use technology to discover answers.
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