WebQuests

The question is what is a WebQuest? In all honesty, I have never even heard of such a thing until I was introduced to it the other night during class. Bernie Dodge, founder and developer of WebQuest.org (http://webquest.org/) defines a WebQuest as follows: “WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web.” Basically, it is web-based lesson/activity for students to engage with in order to learn. There are both short and long WebQuets; however, either one always contains the following components: an introduction, task, process, evaluation, conclusion, and credits if anything additional was used.

Though I prefer staying off the computers and delving into art content with physical examples for my students, I could see myself setting up a WebQuest as a progressive homework assignment for my students. They could go home, access the WebQuest, gather the information asked of them, and then bring it back into school to receive the appropriate homework credit. The thought of doing this is actually growing on me the more I think/type about it.

My WebQuest could focus around a particular genre or period of Art history that most students are not excited about. I could set the scene where my students are Art historians and they are on a mission to discover the secrets of the infamous and ancient Stonehenge. I could ask them to “excavate the site and mingle with the locals” (use the online resources I provide) to extract particular information about Stonehenge. And so on and so forth the quest would go.

Pros and cons to using WebQuests. Two pros are that WebQuests are paperless and are accessible straight from the web; however, that also poses a con--what if the student(s) or teacher cannot access the web? This could be a problem. A pro would be the option of making a WebQuest short of long. That’s always a plus; to have your options open. Lastly, WebQuests could be really fun and adventures for students (pro); however, they may be miserable for other students (con). I suppose it’s all about knowing what type of class/students you, as the teacher, are working with and being able to make the best judgment if a WebQuest is the right way to go in teaching/learning.