Using WebQuests to Meet the Needs of All Learners

1. Using WebQuests to Meet the Needs of All Learners Laila J. Richman lrichman@ku.edu

2. What Is a WebQuest? • Inquiry-oriented activity in which most of the information is drawn from the web. • Designed to: • Use learners’ time well. • Focus on using information rather than looking for it. • Support learners’ thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis, and evaluation. (Dodge, 2001).

3. WebQuest: History • Developed in mid 1990s by Bernie Dodge and Tom March • Based on Constructivism • Stemming from Universal Design for Learning (UDL)

4. Constructivism: Theory focused on students’ acquisition of knowledge through discovery and evaluation of information and the formulation of their own meaning (Dede & Sprague, 1999). Universal Design for Learning (UDL): The generation of learning materials that are accessible to everyone. WebQuest: History

5. WebQuest and Students with Special Needs: • Allows teachers to provide multiple levels of assistance • Meets two IDEA requirements: • accommodating for special learners • providing access to the general education curriculum

6. Parts of a WebQuest • Introduction • Task • Process • Resources • Evaluation • Conclusion

7. The Introduction: • Orient the learner as to what is coming. • Raise interest by making the topic... • relevant • visually interesting • important • urgent • fun

8. Example: Your expertise is needed immediately! KW, a young killer whale, has been transferred to Aqualand Marine Aquarium and is showing signs of distress. Aqualand has hired your team of experts to evaluate the conditions at KW's new home to determine which factors may be causing the symptoms. After analyzing the situation, your team will present a final report based on your findings to the board of directors of Aqualand. This report will include recommendations which may help improve KW's condition.

9. Parts of a WebQuest • Introduction • Task

10. The Task: • Description of what the learner will have done at the end of the exercise. • product • verbal act • Important aspect of the Task • Allow student input • Provide options

11. WebQuest Taskonomy: From WebQuest Page

12. Parts of a WebQuest • Introduction • Task • Process

13. Process: • Teacher suggests steps of discovery including: • strategies for dividing the task • descriptions of roles to be played or perspectives to be taken by each learner

14. Example Process Section: The Process • Choose a group of four students to work with. • Decide upon the roles for the members of your group. • Identify an area of ocean pollution that is troubling to your group. • Conduct a preliminary internet search. • If search yields adequate information go to step 7; If search does not yield adequate information go to step 6. • Modify original area and proceed from step 4. • Conduct an in depth internet search. • Print out and complete the answer sheet. • Use a map to show geographic location of your selected polluted area. 10. Bookmark any sites you find to be especially useful. From WebQuest Page

15. Process: • Teacher suggests steps of discovery including: • strategies for dividing the task • descriptions of roles to be played or perspectives to be taken by each learner • Learning Advice: • use to provide learning advice and interpersonal process advice

16. Example Process Section: The Process • Choose a group of four students to work with. • Decide upon the roles for the members of your group. • Identify an area of ocean pollution that is troubling to your group. • Conduct a preliminary internet search. • If search yields adequate information go to step 7; If search does not yield adequate information go to step 6. • Modify original area and proceed from step 4. • Conduct an in depth internet search. • Print out and complete the answer sheet. • Use a map to show geographic location of your selected polluted area. 10. Bookmark any sites you find to be especially useful. Learning Advice:Help everyone remember their group roles. Keep a good record of the sites you have located which contain useful information. You may want to visit these again and much time can be spent relocating sites. Keep focused on the key questions and write down your answers completely and clearly. This information will be used when you write your newsletter articles. From WebQuest Page

17. Process Checklist: Adapted from WebQuest Page Return

18. Parts of a WebQuest • Introduction • Task • Process • Resources

19. Resources: • Pre-selected web pages which the teacher has located that will help the learner accomplish the task. • Other resources • Books • Interviews • Video

20. Parts of a WebQuest • Introduction • Task • Process • Resources • Evaluation

21. Evaluation: • We need to be able to measure results. • An evaluation rubric is well suited for the task. • Students should be made aware of the assessment process from the very beginning.

22. Parts of a WebQuest • Introduction • Task • Process • Resources • Evaluation • Conclusion

23. Conclusion: • The Conclusion section provides an opportunity to: • summarize the experience • encourage reflection about the process, and/or • extend and generalize what was learned • It provides the students with a sense of closure and can often open a path into the next lesson.

24. Aesthetics: larger font size dark background w/ light text more pictures reduced amounts of text Appropriate reading levels Guided notes Guided research Use of authentic documents Cooperative groups Multiple means of presenting information Multiple representations of materials How WebQuest Accommodates to all Learners:

25. WebQuest Design Process: Dodge & March

26. Resources: • The WebQuest Page • http://webquest.sdsu.edu/ • Dodge, B. (2001). FOCUS: Five Rules for Writing Great WebQuests. Learning & Leading with Technology, 28 (8). • Dede C., & Sprague, D. (1999). If I Teach this Way, am I doing My Job? Constructivism in the Classroom. Learning and Leading with Technology, 27 (1). • Kelley, R. (2000). Working with WebQuests: Making the Web Accessible to Students with Disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 32(6), 4-13.

27. Cool Tool  • This tool allows you to create an online WebQuest without having any web creation experience or server space. • http://www.specialconnections.ku.edu/cgi-bin/cgiwrap/specconn/webquest/index.php