I realize that I came across as a complete hater of webquests this evening, but I do not think they are useless. I did say that I quite liked one of the webquests that my group encountered, although it would be far too time consuming. This specific webquest wanted students to search the web and compile information about the Roaring 20's in America and put it all together. It involved art, music, social movements, presidents, you name it. I think that a webquest like this could be useful, and can really help to connect some different ideas and create some relatedness in the material.
I know I was tearing up the intolerance webquest this evening, mostly because the links were dead and the "task" was so hokey, i.e., creating a panacea for intolerance. I do not think that this webquest is without use; I'm sure if the links worked, it would contain some good information. I also like that the webquest offered, potentially, information about intolerance aimed at different groups, including religious groups. This lesson is an important one, as I believe that many people are fooled and think that only a handful of groups faced prejudice in their existence.
All in all, I think these quests can be useful, although it seems many of them need to be trimmed down so they can be completed in a day or two. Looking at different information regarding the Roaring 20's can be great, informative fun, but it would not be able to hold students', or necessarily teachers', attention for more than a few days.
Truly, if public schools were structured and equipped for project-based learning (student-centered, inquiry-based learning), then WebQuests would be a viable and vital instructional mode that WOULD hold students' and teachers' attention. If every child had access to a computer and a reliable Internet connection (in the same way they have ready access to textbooks which they tote around in backpacks), you could reasonably expect them to do a big WebQuest over a period of several days or even weeks.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately, we are often confined to the boundaries of arbitrary bell schedules, limited computer availability, and unpredictable Internet filters that may even block the content we want our students to access. This is why I am a bit guarded about the application of WebQuests in the current public school context.
I hope you can see, though, that there is infinite variety and potential for integrating Web content into instruction. Maybe you can even "steal" some ideas for the Internet-based lesson plan we will be authoring in class this week!