Web Quest Staff Development

 

Introduction:  Why have a Staff Development Workshop on Web Quests?

1.       It promotes the use of technology and creates an environment of engaged learning.

2.       Teachers want to involve students in learning and students not only like activity but tend to respond to it better

3.       It is the hottest thing going today for project-oriented learning.

4.       We have to infuse technology into the curriculum

      

 

Go to Staff Development Page

Choose link to Creating A Web Quest.  Assigned a part to read, pick out the descriptive words that define characteristics of a Web Quest

 

Read Why WebQuest?

Task oriented

Uses imagination

Project oriented

Problem solving

Discovery

Creative

Guided

Explore issues

Process information

Generates Interest

 

Read Well Planned Web Quest

1.       What makes a Web Quest a well planned one?  It is guided in a constructive, sequential manner. 

2.       What allows for flexibility in a Web Quest?  Student works independently.  Slower students might not reference all Web sources, brighter students might look for more but both are guided

3.       If you choose a Web Quest someone else has created and you think is well planned, why is it important to go through it yourself rather than just assigning it?  So you can check for relevancy of information and see if the links work.

4.       What makes the best Web Quests?  The ones specifically tailored to your curriculum and subject matter.  Match curriculum standards.

5.       What do you need to always do before considering making your own Web Quest?  Search for others and pick out a style of what you like and don’t like.

 

Read the Section on the Web Quest Formula

 

What are the six steps to creating a Web Quest and what is the order? 

 

Note:  Some Web Quests do not follow this order but generally follow a pattern similar to this order.

 

1.       Introduction

2.       Tasks

3.       Process

4.       Resources

5.       Evaluation

6.       Conclusion

 

Discuss how these steps correlate to how you are teaching now.  Could you use a Web quest with the concept you are teaching now?

 

Stop with “Web Quest Formula”

 

 

Reference for the following: 

http://www.davison.k12.mi.us/academic/hewitt14.htm

 

Or Reference High School Web Sites:

http://www.mediaworkshop.org/services/shortterm.html

 

Link to Web Quests for Teachers – Let’s get an idea of what a completed Web Quest looks like

 

Create a folder in your directory called Web Quest Examples

This is where we will save some examples of Web Quests you can go back to later.

 

Find Web Quests in your area you like from this Web site.  If it is not from your subject matter area, let me help you find some from your area through search engine requests.  Be ready to tell me what you liked about this Web Quest that made it engaging.

 

Show how to save a page in your Web Quest Examples folder for reference later.

 

 

Reference the following:  Web Quest for Web Quests

http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/webquestwebquest-hs.html

 

Analyzing Web Quests from different perspectives

1.       The Efficiency Expert – get to the point

2.       The Affiliator – working together

3.       The Altitudist – higher order thinking

4.       The Technophile – strong use of Internet

 

Divide into groups of 4 each.  Take on a role.  Go to each of the five sites on the reference site above.  Spend about 10 minutes on each site.  Identify strengths and weaknesses from your role.  When I call time, get back together and analyze which two you think should be nominated for the best and worst Web Quest.  Someone use Word to record notes for the group.  Be ready to support your decision as a group in group discussion.  Be ready to debate why you might want to defect.

 

Reference the following site:  Building Blocks for Web Quests

http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/bdodge/webquest/buildingblocks.html

 

Each group of two people look at three of the steps.  Identify what makes a good Introduction, Tasks, Process, Resources, Evaluation, Conclusion section.  Give some pointers on creating your own.

 

 

Reference the following site:  Web Quest Design

http://www.mediaworkshop.org/services/design.html

 

Study the flow charting process.  Determine what takes the most work.  Plan to research heavily in what parts?  Resources and possibly creating pages.  Allow students who are finished early and capable to create Web Quests for others.  Rewarding and they love it.

 

Reference the following Web Site:  Creating Tasks for the Web

http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/taskonomy.html

 

Each person takes a task:

 

After reading about the kind of task you have, identify a lesson concept you could use with one or more (many Web Quests combine these) could be used:

 

Example:  If I were teaching about how Paul Brainerd was the founding father of the Desktop Publishing Industry, I could use the Journalistic task approach as well as the Mystery Approach to chronicle his life and impact on the DTP industry.

Reference the following reference:  Web Quest Template

http://www.esc20.net/etprojects/templates/twebquests.html

 

This can be printed or referenced from our Web site.  Use this to “think through your design” before using Word to complete the file.

 

After saving your file in Word, Use Save As A Web Page and see how it looks to you.  Modify and adjust in Word.  Save As Web Page again.  Post it or have the Webmaster post it on the network.

 

Create Web Quests collaboratively to share.

 

 

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