For this week we've been studying and analyzing webquests using this site. We had to rank the five webquests on the site. The worst webquest was the one on waves and sound. It didn't have any roles. The questions posed by the webquest were mostly simple define or explain questions. It was a simple recition type thing, not a thought provoking question. There was a lot of questions! As a student, I would look at this site and then hop on Facebook and procrastinate for a couple hours or so.
The next best project was the one about foreign countries. This project also didn't have any roles. The project required that students basically just recount facts about their country and the trip there and back. Also I thought that the site was a bit boring.
Saving the Gorillas was the next best webquest. It supplied an intreguing question for which there is not definitive answer. Inspite of this it fell short. First, it didn't have roles for the students. Second what starts as an excelent question is restricted by the teacher's questions to a recounting of facts about various agenecies that are trying to protect the gorillas.
The Shakespeare webquest came next in my list. This webquest had good clear roles. The process was clearly defined. The "question" isn't a single clear question. It does require some degree of analytical thinking.
The best webquest was the one about earthquakes. This one had clear roles and good internet links. It required the students to gather information and then use it to make a building that would withstand an earthquake. This would require a good deal of higher level thinking.
This relates to standard 2. a. "design or adapt relevant learning experiences that incorporate digital tools and resources to promote student learning and creativity." We used a digital tool (the webquest) to learn about webquests and what goes into a good one.
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