L530

Overview

You'll create a WebQuest lesson that you can use in your classroom. The lesson should involve learners in interacting with and using Web- and non-Web based information. Thus, activities should be designed so that students locate, analyze, evaluate, and transform the information in ways that are meaningful to them. The lesson can be designed for one subject or it can be interdisciplinary, and should cover a period of one to two weeks in a class. You will work on this project with your team.

Instructions:

1) Create in Word, a detailed outline of up to 2 pages in which you:

A. Give your WebQuest title, describe the grade level, language, subject matter area(s), the specific thinking skills (see Dodge, p. 2, for a list) that constitute your inquiry goals, and other contextual information; and

B. Outline your ideas for the following short term WebQuest components (see Building Blocks for details on each): Introduction, Task, Process, Guidance, Evaluation, Conclusion, & Teacher Notes.

C. Note requirements for the Assessment Assignment, which will be integrated into your WebQuest. Check the class schedule for due date.

3) Provide feedback to your classmates' outlines.

1) Create a computer-generated initial draft of your Webquest. Please do not feel that you have to submit anything fancy. You can create your own Webquest on Netscape Composer or download a Webquest template. You can then upload your work to your website (http://mypage.iu.edu/~username) or any other Web space that you need to use.

Instructions for creating WebQuests: Your Quest should be designed to be completed by your students in from five to ten one-hour class periods. It should have the following components (see Building Blocks for details on each component):

Introduction -- sets the stage and provides background information
Task -- authentic, doable, and motivating
Information sources -- Web and non-Web based sources
Process -- a very detailed description of the steps through which learners will accomplish the task
Evaluation -- by what exact criteria and process students' work will be assessed
Conclusion -- how closure of the inquiry will be completed
Sources acknowledgment page (ALL sources must be cited. This means that if you use text, images, or ideas from another source you must cite them. This page provides a single area where you can do this without interupting the flow of the WebQuest. You can also acknowledge those people or other resources that helped you out the WebQuest)
Notes to Teachers page (see the teacher pages in the example WebQuests)

3) Provide feedback to classmates' initial drafts.
 

Instructions:

The original requirement for Part Three required you to contact an "expert" to review your WebQuest. However, this would be difficult (in the manner previously required) to carry out during a summer session. Not only is there little time to contact an expert and give feedback from them, but also experts will be difficult to get in touch with during the summer.

The revised requirements are below:

1. At the same time you post your WebQuest for peer review (see schedule), post a link to your WebQuest in the "New WebQuests and Works in Progress" Topic in the WebQuest Portal.


• You will have to register before posting to the forum (click here to register). You can also click on the "register" link in the discussion forum.


• In the posting, request constructive feedback (I would not mention that it is for a class, I think that you're less likely to get feedback).


• Consider all feedback thoughtfully (note, that doesn't mean that you have to make those changes).


• This Topic is just for people to post their new WebQuests in order to get feedback on them. It is not a very active thread, thus I question the likelihood of you getting any feedback in time to make changes. However, I hope that the end of this class is not the end of you experience with the WebQuest, so even late feedback is good feedback.
  
   

Part Four: Revising your Webquests

Once you have received and looked over the suggestions made by your reviewer(s), make the changes that you feel are needed on your WebQuest. Post the final draft in Oncourse in the appropriate folder and by the due date listed on the schedule.

At this point, breathe easy!

Evaluation: Your WebQuest Web site is due on the date noted in the schedule (post the URL to Oncourse by the due date). Each part of this assignment will be graded on inclusion and quality of the required components detailed above and the skillfulness/quality of their implementation in the WebQuest framework. Bernie Dodge's Grading Rubric gives ideas about qualities of good WebQuests. The following grading criteria will be used to assign the 60 points (10 points for each criteria):

• quality, authenticity, and appropriateness of the content, topic, and task
• specificity in developing the components
• degree to which thinking skill goals would be fostered
• creativity used in building the activity
• extent and usefulness of Web and non-Web resources used
• Web design skill:
consistency
simplicity
navigation
use of images
professionalism

All materials on the WebQuest site should have professional polish. This means they should be visually appealing and carefully proofread, preferably by someone other than yourself, with misspellings and grammatical errors corrected. Sites with these kinds of mistakes cannot earn the highest possible marks -- remember that other teachers may use your Quest, and you are models for your and others' language students.

Everything you need to know about Quests can be found linked to this page: http://webquest.org, including sections that you can cut and paste.

WebQuest Templates and Examples

Templates for WebQuest teacher and student Web sites exist on Bernie Dodge's Web site, and their formats can be used as extensively as desired. They should not be viewed as constraining the WebQuest site design, but are perfectly acceptable frameworks within which to develop the WebQuests.

Samples of WebQuests exist on two Web sites ("Examples" and "Collections") and should be reviewed for design as well as content ideas. Some of these examples will be presented and critiqued in class. Ideas from the work of others can be incorporated into this assignment, but the source of such ideas should be cited in the "Sources" page of the final product. However, you are expected to create and implement your own original ideas in your WebQuests, and not simply copy ideas from others'.

Indiana University, School of Education
Created by L. Ehman, modified by F.Pawan, July  2001
modified again by Dan Craig, July 2005

Computer Assisted Language Learning
L530 Section #2292
Summer Session II 2005
Instructor: Dan Craig