Welcome to Adobe GoLive 6

Introduction

Charles K. Kinzer
Department Editor

One benefit of technology is how it can facilitate students' research around customized topics of interest. Using the Internet, teachers can guide their students in research projects, with the results being enhanced motivation on the part of students and an excitement in the classroom as students share and discus what they are learning. Often, this is done using Internet projects or activities. Web-based searches can build general, background knowledge before, after, and during reading, or they can to facilitate deep understanding of a particular book. It's the second area that is shown in Norma Boswell's most interesting and valuable WebQuest for the book Because of Winn-Dixie.

Norma Boswell's piece provides thought-provoking and relevant Web-based activities for children to enhance their learning of the novel by Kate DiCamillo, and is a wonderful demonstration of the possibilities of WebQuests and Web-based searches in general. This article will be of interest to teachers and parents interested in using the Internet to study the novel Because of Winn Dixie, as well as to those who are interested in the Internet more broadly.

WebQuests were developed by Bernie Dodge, who provides and maintains a site devoted to information about WebQuests and links to resources for teachers who wish to learn about this tool. Built around Marzano's (1992) work, WebQuests can be of short (one to three class periods) or long (up to one month) duration. WebQuests serve to guide students to resources and focus their work on the Web. For teachers who seek to design a WebQuest, Dodge provides the following as critical components. A WebQuest should contain:

1. An introduction that sets the stage and provides some background information.

2. A task that is doable and interesting.

3. A set of information sources needed to complete the task. Many (though not necessarily all) of the resources are embedded in the WebQuest document itself as anchors pointing to information on the World Wide Web. Information sources might include Web documents, experts available via e-mail or real-time conferencing, searchable databases on the Net, and books and other documents physically available in the learner's setting. Because pointers to resources are included, the learner is not left to wander through cyberspace completely adrift.

4. A description of the process the learners should go through in accomplishing the task. The process should be broken out into clearly described steps.

5. Some guidance on how to organize the information acquired. This can take the form of guiding questions, or directions to complete organizational frameworks such as timelines, concept maps, or cause-and-effect diagrams as described by Marzano (1992) and Clarke (1990).

6. A conclusion that brings closure to the quest, reminds the learners about what they've learned, and perhaps encourages them to extend the experience into other domains.

Additional resources for developing WebQuests, along with samples, can be found at Kathy Schrock's Guide for Educators and at Lake Forest School District's WebQuests page.

Of course, the central prerequisite for designing WebQuests is a knowledgeable teacher who is aware of the resources and possibilities provided by the Internet. As you will see in Norma Boswell's article, she has provided links to appropriate sites that are embedded in her WebQuest, and has used her extensive knowledge about instructional practice to enhance her students' learning within the WebQuest activity.

The WebQuest that Norma Boswell presents includes vocabulary activities, and tasks such as Story Frames, Story Pyramids, and Questioning the Author. She has also used the capabilities of the technology to motivate her students. As you read Norma Boswell's article, consider the design of the WebQuest she presents, as well as the learning that will occur as students complete each activity. You may find the J.F.K. (Just for Kicks) activities of special interest, as they extend the WebQuest from required into optional items.

Once you have read (and perhaps completed) this WebQuest, I encourage you to design your own WebQuest for narrative as well as content area material. I also urge you to share your WebQuests with others. I hope to read about the WebQuests that you design and your experiences with WebQuests in your classroom, in our Online Communities.

References

Clarke, J.H. (1990). Patterns of thinking: Integrating learning skills in content teaching. Needham Heights, MA: Allyn & Bacon.

Marzano, R.J. (1992). A different kind of classroom: Teaching with dimensions of learning. Alexandria, VA: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development.

Return to main article text

From "A WebQuest for Because of Winn-Dixie" by Norma Boswell.
Reading Online, www.readingonline.org
Posted February 2003

1.		An introduction that sets the stage and provides some background information.
2.		A task that is doable and interesting.
3.		A set of information sources needed to complete the task. Many (though not necessarily all) of the resources are embedded in the WebQuest document itself as anchors pointing to information on the World Wide Web. Information sources might include Web documents, experts available via e-mail or real-time conferencing, searchable databases on the Net, and books and other documents physically available in the learner's setting. Because pointers to resources are included, the learner is not left to wander through cyberspace completely adrift.
4.		A description of the process the learners should go through in accomplishing the task. The process should be broken out into clearly described steps.
5.		Some guidance on how to organize the information acquired. This can take the form of guiding questions, or directions to complete organizational frameworks such as timelines, concept maps, or cause-and-effect diagrams as described by Marzano (1992) and Clarke (1990).
6.		A conclusion that brings closure to the quest, reminds the learners about what they've learned, and perhaps encourages them to extend the experience into other domains.