WebQuest...

Hi all,

I wish I had the opportunity to be involved in a WebQuest in my schooling days.

This YouTube clip gives you a tutorial on a WebQuest template site that you might find useful to use to create your first WebQuest for your class.



Possible benefits to learners:
· Engage and motivate students with real world topics
· Opportunity for students to achieve goals in a group
· Challenges student to complete tasks and to be accurate in learning
· Refines students research skills, helps with IT skills

The advantages that WebQuest lessons have over your typical instruction text lesson are:
· Student-centred learning rather than teacher instructional learning
· The opportunity for students to interact more socially and learn more through diversity
· WebQuest promote real world problem solving skills
(Encyclopaedia of Education Institute, n.d.).

From a constructivism prospective: “knowledge is constructed through perception and action” (Hendry, 1996, cited in McInerney & McInerney, 2006. P.5). Hendry (1996, cited in McInerney & McInerney, 2006) also points out, students are more motivated to take part in learning when they are challenged with a task that involve a social context.

In conclusion, WebQuest seems to have a vast number of active learning traits that promote positive learning. Time would be an issue in developing a class WebQuest, however the benefits heavily outweigh this issue. When Students are engaged and motivated with classroom topics, behavioural management issues become minimal, thus giving educators more time to support learning (Ashman & Elkins, 2008).

So can we afford not to use WebQuest as an active learning tool? I think not!

Thanks for listening

Jim Price

Ashman, A., & Elkins, J. (2008). Education for Inclusion and Diversity. Frenchs Forest: Pearson Education Australia.

Encyclopaedia of Education Institute. (n.d.). The instructional use of WebQuest. Retrieved August 13, 2009, from http://coe.sdsu.edu/eet/Articles/webquest/index.htm

Mclnerney, D. M, & Mclnerney, V. (2006). Educational psychology constructing learning. Frenchs Forest, NSW, Australia: Pearsons Education Australia.

Smith, S. (2007). WebQuest tutorial. Retrieved August 13, 2009, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnJ2moNmbdk&feature=related