Designing Effective WebQuests for School Personnel Training

1. Module 7 • Looking at WebQuests

2. WebQuest • What is a WebQuest, its theoretical basis, components and resources. • Using a team approach, each group will produce a WebQuest designed to train school personal to develop technology based lessons to enhance the attainment of school and curricular objectives. See the description in the syllabus under

3. Theory • Use the following URL’s, read the essays and explore the theoretical bases of webquests.http://www.alicechristie.org/edtech/wq/http://www.alicechristie.orgClick on “What is a WebQuest?” Both of these sites are excellent introductions to the basic principles of WebQuests. b quest?

4. Step One • Use the following URL’s, read the essays and explore the theoretical bases of webquests. • http://www.alicechristie.org/edtech/wq/ • http://www.alicechristie.org • Click on “What is a WebQuest?” Both of these sites are excellent introductions to the basic principles of WebQuests.

5. What is a webquest • http://bestwebquests.com/ • This is a matrix of many good WebQuest examples.http://bestwebquests.com/This is a matrix of many good WebQuest examples

6. Step 2 • Here is an opportunity to review some webquest sites. In your teams, explore these sites and evaluate how you might use these in a classroom. What would be advantages or disadvantages to using webquests? Choose the teaching levels you are most interested in.

7. areas • elementaryhttp://www.station05.qc.ca/css/ecoles/stmarg/als/memphrequest/index.htmmiddle schoolhttp://oncampus.richmond.edu/academics/as/education/projects/webquests/lewisclark/(This site has many, many WebQuests available)high schoolhttp://www.geocities.com/Paris/LeftBank/9806/belleville.htmladult educationhttp://www.altn.org/webquests/downloads

8. Step 3 • How to develop a WebQuest. Here are three sites with essentially the same information in different formats. Choose one or two and come up with the steps for building a WebQuest.http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/staffdev/buildingblocks/p-index.htmhttp://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/necc98.htm

9. Step 4 • Look at these URLs and begin thinking of a topic and the resources for developing your quest. These sites have essentially the same information in different formats. Use what is most useful to you and your group.http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/Process/WebQuestDesignProcess.htmlhttp://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/taskonomy.htmlhttp://projects.edtech.sandi.net/staffdev/tpss99/tasksimap

10. Questions • What is a webquest? • On what theory is it based? • How could a teacher use this technique in a classroom? • What are the advantages and disadvantages of this technique? • How might an administrator or curriculum specialist use the webquest?

11. ????? • How might a school use the WebQuest concept even with limited technology? • What do you think about student motivation when using a WebQuest? • How can a WebQuest be used in ESE classes? • How might a WebQuest be used to assist teachers to attain Florida Certification?

12. Your task • Develop a WebQuest with your group that teaches your school personnel how to develop technology-based lesson plans. • The following are suggestions ONLY – you are not limited to these topics but think in terms of training school personnel – do not limit your topics to a single classroom.

13. task • Your sample WebQuest might be how teachers or other school staff could use a WebQuest to: • Help struggling readers. • Build community in the ESE classroom • Teach strategies for handling diversity in the classroom • Strategies for Parent Conferences

14. Task • Plan an evaluation to determine compliance with Florida statutes (class management, discipline, subject matter knowledge, for example). • Look at syllabus