WebQuest+Intro

===**6. Webquest Introduction** === 
 * Now that we've used a WebQuest to research schools, over the next two weeks your students will actually design and write their own original webquest. They are a different type of lesson, but one that allows teachers to pre-select Internet resources for students and design inquiry-oriented learning to immerse students in the learning process and the content in a meaningful manner. If designed and implemented correctly, WebQuests should 1) promote higher-order thinking, 2) encourage collaborative learning, and 3) provide only the most appropriate Internet resources for your students. Remember that yes, it's an inquiry-oriented lesson, and yes, it promotes collaborative learning but it was actually developed as a way to scaffold Internet-based information for students, so when my students design their WebQuests, I pay special attention to the quality and appropriateness of the resources that they've chosen.

Much of this week will be devoted to analyzing existing WebQuests - good and bad ones. Here is an example of a webquest on mythology:__ [|http://www.yorkville.k12.il.us/webquests/webqmadding/webqsmadding.html] __ Consider whether you would prefer doing this lesson in class or doing the usual: read the chapter on mythology in your text book and answer the questions at the end of the chapter? Other good examples:

You may want to let your students work on this week's assignments in class, so you can provide feedback on the content that they are planning to cover, the appropriateness of the links that they've selected etc.
 * __ Geometry in Real Life __
 * __ Chocolate Chip Cookies: To Eat or Not To Eat __

Make sure you go through WebQuest Taskonomy (see under Resources below). A good exercise is to have students go through several WebQuests and discuss what type of task(s) was used and align them with Bloom's taxonomy.

**Assignments**

> > **Finding WebQuests. Provide the link to each WebQuest and a description of why and how you would this WebQuest in your teaching.** Find 3 WebQuests that you would use in your own teaching and evaluate them in a > > **WebQuest Content.** This week you'll begin by designing the content for your webquest. The document should consist of the all WebQuest components: Introduction, Tasks, Process, Resources, Evaluation, Conclusion, and Teacher Page. Include all the text, images, and links that you are planning to use in your WebQuest. Type the document in __ Google Docs __, name it "Assignment 15" and share it to your instructor for grading.

**Resources**
 * Video: __ WebQuests and Cooperative Learning __ (Myeducationkit)
 * Introduction to Webquests: __ [|http://webquest.org/index.php] __
 * A Taskonomy of Webquest Tasks: __ [|http://webquest.sdsu.edu/taskonomy.html] __
 * Other Resources for Presenting Webquests: __ [|http://webquest.org/index-resources.php] __
 * Webquest Search Engine: __ [|http://www.webquest.org/search/index.php] __
 * The Webquest Design Process: __ [|http://webquest.sdsu.edu/designsteps/index.html] __
 * Short video of Dr. Curry explaining Webquests: __ [|http://got.im/PdN] __ ||