Reading Assignment #4

Portfolio Activity #4A

Class Project 3

Portfolio Activity #4B

WebQuests have become an increasingly popular form of Internet use in classrooms. They were developed as an early step in answering the question, “How can Internet resources be effectively used in the classroom?” The basic design concept is simple: a question with links through which students can find the answers to a question(s). The role of WebQuests is to prevent students from wandering off on their own searches– in other words, preventing them from having to use search engines which could lead to students relying upon incomplete ir bogus information.

As task driven exercises, WebQuests not only challenge student’s critical thinking skills, but also create an engaging environment that students enjoy and are more likely to learn from. Additionally, non-critical elements built into most WebQuests, such as role-playing and working in co-operative learning groups promote motivation and enhance social skills.

Some Examples of WebQuests include:
Civil War Personal Journal
Arab-Israeli Conflict
Global Warming
A WebQuest About WebQuests

Reading Assignment #4:
Read the article by Sim et al on WebQuests and post a reponse to it on the class discussion board.

Portfolio Activity #4A - Finding WebQuests Online
Use the Internet to find WebQuests which are appropriate for the classes that you teach. Find three which you could use in your classes and post the link for each one on the class discussion board. Briefly describe each WebQuest.

From the resources that you and your colleagues gather, create links to five WebQuests in your Digital Portfolio, on your WebQuest page, along with a brief description of each one.