(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.
Miss Wall,
ReplyDeleteYour blog gives great detail to this great site! I really like how this site provides approved graphics to use since in class we have discussed copyright issues. I also had not thought about the actual lay out of the WebQuest and regards to dating it. This is definitely important to maintain the interest of the student. I believe that feeling of something to be desired means the student wouldn't be getting the full understanding they should be. Overall, that is the goal of such an activity and I agree with your grading. Thanks for your insight!
Ms. Bianchi
Miss Wall,
ReplyDeleteI like that you said that since you did not like the content and formatting of the webquest, that you would like to do a WebQuest like this one but that this particular WebQuest would not be your first choice. I could certainly see how the formatting of it would be difficult for an elementary school student to work with. It was not overly exciting. What I enjoy about perusing these different WebQuests are the ideas that they provide. However, being educators, we are always looking for ways to improve the way that we present content material. I have seen many blog comments about WebQuests that discuss how teachers would like to use the idea, yet personalize the content and the formatting. I am excited to see this new technological tool that is a WebQuest progress in the future.
Miss McGrath
I agree with your analysis of the content of this Webquest. I too feel that the assigned roles are essential to help the students understand and work effectively. However, as I was navigating through all of the links, I began to think about how much lengthy reading there was. Although my 3rd graders studied Ancient Greece and Rome this Fall, I do not know if I would direct them to this Webquest. I do like the photographs found on the BBC Ancient Greece – Athens page and can see my students gaining great information from the pictures. I believe this Webquest encompasses a lot of rich information, but it could be a cumbersome task to read all of the text on the pages. If this Webquest incorporated a video or two, I think that my students would be more engaged and less frustrated if I decided to do this Webquest with them. Thank you for sharing this Webquest – there are lots of bits and pieces that make up a great Webquest and I agree with your review!
ReplyDeleteI also agree with how you assessed this Webquest. When I first read what the task was, I was excited about the challenge that it would give the students completing it. However, I agree that the formatting is dated and I got frustrated with the broken links as well. I can imagine that students would be frustrated with this while they were trying to complete their performance task.
ReplyDelete