Web Quests can be great educational tools in any classroom. I had never really had the opportunity to view and learn about Web Quests until this year, and so far I am sold on the idea of them. While they may take a bit of time to develop, teachers will be able to use the Web Quest over and over again with their students. Web Quests are also not limited to any particular subjects. They may sometimes work better with particular subjects, but teachers can develop one about any subject they choose. Another great thing about them is that they can work well with almost any grade level. The other thing that may be an issue is if students are too young to not properly know how to use the computer. Either way, it is important for the teacher to be sure that the content within the Web Quest is on the appropriate grade level for the students.
One great website to get Web Quest ideas from is QuestGarden.com. The site contains a variety of different Web Quests in different core subjects as well as different grade levels. Most of them are free to use and alter by other teachers. I had the chance to explore the website a bit and to review one Web Quest. The title of it is "The Who and What of Oral Tradition" by Amanda Lloyd of Berrien Middle School. Overall, I am very pleased with how this English subject Web Quest would engage students. The students are given a clear sense of purpose in what they are doing. The instructions are clear and detailed under two different tabs in the Web Quest. The students also have an opportunity to be the "teacher" by the end of the Web Quest in which they will be teaching their peers about their particular topics. The Web Quest also includes a clear rubric in which the students will be graded on. With the rubric attached, the students should know what to expect. There are also questions attached in a conclusion tab in which the students should be able to answer upon completion of the assignment. The aspects of this Web Quest that I did not like were very minor. I am not a big fan of the color choice in this Web Quest. The pink background color is a no go. The color of the hyperlinks are also very hard to see and read. There was also a picture on the front page that did not load. Overall, the information and process included in the Web Quest is great. I would just change a few areas of the overall makeup of the Web Quest.
These are just my thoughts on it. Every teacher/potential teacher has their different opinions on the effectiveness of teaching methods. The website is definitely a worth a look though. It has TONS of example Web Quests for teachers of all subjects and grades!
More information and examples can be found about Web Quests at http://www.questgarden.com/
Thank you so much for sharing Quest Garden with us. This is a great resource for teachers to have when they don't have time to great Quests for themselves. I think that it's great they allow you to have a free trial for 30-days to see if you are even interested in their WebQuests before subscribing. I'd definitely be willing to pay the $20 to Quest Garden to have unlimited access to the WebQuests. I found many WebQuests that had the same problem as you found. Hyperlinks were hard to see, background color was way too bright, and pictures didn't load. You may come across a few of these but overall I agree, WebQuests are great tools for the classroom!
ReplyDeleteECraft,
ReplyDeleteYour post is refreshing in the sense that you were able to point out the things about the web quest that you would do differently therefore, showing your individual taste and preference as a teacher. It is very important for all teachers when viewing other teacher's shared work to keep in mind that everyone has their own style. I appreciate how you said that at the end of your post. The English quest that you discussed is a very interesting one. I too like that the students get the chance to be the teacher at the end. I always learn best when I teach someone else. Thanks for sharing your thoughts and for helping us all to remember to be open-minded and accepting of all personal preferences.
Ms. McKay
Mr. Craft,
ReplyDeleteI certainly agree with you in regards to the coloring of the WebQuest. Besides not being able to read sections of it, I could see males being turned off by the bright, feminine colors. WebQuests should be accessible for all students, not geared toward a specific type of student. I also noticed that this WebQuest did not have students complete specific tasks amidst their groups. The webquest I posted about was lacking the assigned roles as well. Do you know if this is typical of most WebQuests? I had a hard time finding any with assigned roles. What are your thoughts? Also, thank you for explaining how WebQuests can be a great tool for students, and how teachers can personalize them to work best for their specific students. It was certainly insightful to say how every teacher believes different things are effective teaching methods because many educators lose sight of that.
Miss McGrath
I'm glad you posted this website full of resources! As we are all seeing, as we begin our own webquests, they can be time consuming and its nice to see that there are resources out there for busy teachers. Like Ms.McKay states,all teachers have different styles and not all groups of students learn the same way, so while it may save time to use a webquest developed by another teacher, it is always important to reflect on the question of appropriateness and style. I think that I will use questgarden to further my research on webquests and get more ideas about how to make quests that are both visually pleasing and learner engaging.
ReplyDeleteMr. Craft,
ReplyDeleteI agree with all of your compliments and complaints about this WebQuest! I too, like the idea of students taking on the role of the teacher. Studies have shown that if a student is able to teach the material to a peer, they remember it better themselves! You are right about the color scheme; it is TERRIBLE! It hurt my eyes to look at the pink screen, and the light blue links are very hard to read! I agree with Miss McGrath's comment that male students might be turned off from the assignment due to its "pink" presentation. I also wondered if Thank you for sharing the "Quest Garden" resource. I will remember that information, and will refer back to it in the future.