This year I’ve been experimenting with WebQuests, mostly using them in instances where I had previously used a lecture / quiz format. There are a lot of things that I like about the WebQuest format: student independence, the structured use of online resources, and the expectation that students work with information to produce something else.
This week I used a Smart Surfing WebQuest with both my Grade 9 (Applied) and Grade 11/12 (Multiple Exceptionality) students. It wasn’t brilliant, but it wasn’t worth trashing, either.
What I liked
- Students seem to focus more with a WebQuest than with a similar assignment handed out on paper. I don’t know why exactly. Perhaps it’s the fact that they have to read through it a page at a time, which reinforces the process for them. Perhaps it’s just the cool computer factor.
- For some students, the opportunity to work entirely online was clearly liberating. They produced their best work and were the most excited about learning that they’ve been this semester.
- The WebQuest allowed for more student independence, which meant that I was able to spend more time in one-on-one conferencing with students and other important tasks. I really like being able to minimize hand-holding on assignments, and this seemed to do it.
What needs work
- I need to preface this with a more structured introduction to WebQuests. Some students seemed to freeze at first because the term “WebQuest” was unfamiliar. Spending part of a period explaining the characteristics of one might help. (Of course, this will be easier to put into practice when I’m able to go online in the classroom and actually walk them through it.)
- Even more importantly, I need to somehow teach online reading skills. As before, I noticed students clicking away and ending up lost, not knowing why they were on a particular page and what they could do about that. I really am not sure how to go about this in an environment where computers and lab time are both scarce.
- And what to do with students who declare their intention to create a PowerPoint presentation (hooray!) and then ask me to walk them through each detail, from scanning images in for them to animating their slides. (I don’t, but they still ask.) Does this mean that I should be prefacing the lesson with presentation how-tos? Should I have resource pages on my website with screenshots that walk students through creating different media texts? Maybe links to online tutorials? Or should I just point them to the great big world online and tell them to figure it out? I really struggle with the neediness that some students display and finding a response that I’m consistently comfortable with.
Bottom line: I’ll use this again in the future, but not without a better lead-in and more support. (Somehow.)
