(image is a screen shot of the Webquest)
Webquests can be an excellent resource used to encourage students to "dig deeper" with a topic. When a well-crafted Webquest is used effectively, students are challenged and engaged in their learning.
In a Webquest that I found about Ancient Greece to be used with elementary school students, I made multiple observations about the instructions, tasks, content, and overall visual appearance of the Webquest.
The instructions direct students to take on the authentic role of a "tour guide" while creating a "tour" presentation for visitors to Greece and Sparta. In addition to the tour guide role, students would adopt sub-roles of individuals in Greek and Spartan societies with specific tour stops where the student would be expected to show expertise. Students would work in a small group and are ultimately learning about not only their sub-role but all important aspects of Ancient Greece and Sparta. Also, students have access to worksheets for their sub-roles which further guide their research. Finally, students are expected to create posters for their tour stops using pre-approved graphics. At the conclusion of the Webquest, students are to be evaluated using group and individual rubrics.
The Webquest content is comprised of the research divided into sub-role subheadings for organization and ease of access. Most of the websites linked is simply text in paragraph forms about different topics related to Ancient Greece and Sparta. There are few to no interactive or authentically engaging resources listed. I found the content to be very basic and, somewhat, leaving something to be desired. Finally, there were a few "broken" links leading to dead ends which could potentially ensnare students.
The visual appearance of the Webquest is very important in that it could encourage usability or deter interest in the content. This Webquest appears to be a little dated with some formatting discrepancies, especially with the border interfering with the readability of the text. The text looks to me to be well organized and quite consistent in formatting which helps with navigation.
In conclusion, I like the authentic tasks for the students and I believe that the activity could be applied effectively. However, the content is somewhat lackluster and the formatting is a little hard on the eyes. My final grade for this Webquest is a C+. I could see myself doing a Webquest like this one with my students but, no, I cannot say that this one would be my first choice.
See for yourself at Greece Webquest.
