Strengths—Webquests have been great instructional tools. The following is a list of the strengths that I extracted from the readings and from personal experiences. A webquest:
• is motivating because it uses visual stimuli and the Web as a problem-solving tool, and the inquiry/discovery design is interesting to students.
• is time-efficient and focus more on obtaining information rather than spending time on dead-end searches.
• promotes higher order thinking skills and depth of knowledge (DOK).
• allows students to work at their own pace and freely explore the content.
• integrates technology into regular and special education curriculum.
• can be designed for individual use or as collaborative learning.
• is accessible from anywhere at any time.
Weaknesses—The Web is not always an accurate source of information, and Webquest designers may find it difficult to find age-appropriate content to use. As a teacher, it is sometimes difficult to find appropriate websites that aren’t blocked by school filters. Also, good Webquest design is important to ensure ease of use and understanding, but not all Webquests are designed well.
Concerns/Issues—The unequal distribution of technology can make it difficult for some to take full advantage of Webquests. Students and teachers must be trained to properly use and/or create effective Webquests. Webquests should be pre-tested on the same machines that the learners will use during the activity, to make sure that each link is working properly.
Implications in my area—As a 3rd grade teacher, I can see how valuable Webquests can be in my classroom. What I like about many Webquests that I have used or seen is that they often are accompanied by a printable graphic organizer. These graphic organizers act as a guide to direct student activity. As my students make discoveries, they become more interested in learning, thus, Webquests are springboards to further inquiry! The motivation to learn is abundant when using tools that appeal to young children, and the Internet is one of those tools.
I had this same concern about the unequal distribution of technology. A lot of my kids didn't have access to a computer outside of the school and couldn't get a ride to the local library. This made it very difficult for me to assign any homework that involved using a computer. I still assigned projects and required that they use some class time to do it. This made me stay on my game and plan projects that were meaningful and stayed right with the curriculum.
ReplyDelete