Week 6: What I've Learned

Week 6 has proved to be challenging once again.  Before this week, I had no knowledge of WebQuests.  In fact, if I had been asked to define such a thing, I would’ve responded that it was what you do on the web…quest!  And in fact, I suppose that definition would’ve been close to correct.  A WebQuest is defined as an on-line inquiry model, first established in 1995 by Bernie Doge and Tom March.  These WebQuests are established to break a large project down into smaller tasks.  It aids the student with the learning process and allows the learner to work individually or collectively.

So…of course…we had to create one!  I was all about starting the process.  Signing up for an on-line account through Quest Garden was simple!  But then…the hard part began.  I reviewed numerous WebQuests on various sites.  There were some that were juvenile and many that were much more advanced. The topics varied from researching corn and its properties to examining human body systems from an alien perspective.  These WebQuests were set-up to educate students in a creative and interactive way.  What could I do?

As I am still not teaching, I have to use my imagination and once again, my daughter’s science class information to try and create lessons for this class.  While that sounds like it should be easier because the world is your classroom, it’s also the reason it’s so tough…the world is your classroom!  I decided to stay in the Science world and look for a different angle to approach this task.  I didn’t want to just do a hunt and report type of WebQuest.  While they are informative, they are also quite dull for the student.  How could I make a science based WebQuest and make it creative?  How do you make something entertaining and informative?  This was my biggest dilemma.

As I researched, I decided to use the weather as the topic for my WebQuest.  While it is not always the most exciting of topics for students, it is very accessible.  Weather is something that is talked about at school, on the news, and over the dinner table.  So, how do you take something that is normal to the student and make it exciting?  Once again, I turned to my daughter.  Do something ‘different she says…make if ‘fun’ she says…make a video she says!  Well, I took the idea and went with that!

In order to make the quest something a little different, I took the idea of researching weather topics and gave it a twist.  My WebQuest is set-up as the task of interviewing for a meteorologist job for a local news channel.  The student must research one of three weather topics:  hurricanes, tornadoes, or thunderstorms.  After picking a topic, the student must research the important facts of their topic.  Then, the student will organize the data and create a ‘report’ of the weather.  The student has the option of submitting a script of a weather forecast or submitting a video of the forecast.  The forecast should be a mock weather forecast as you would see on the local news.  My hopes are that the student will not only learn about the weather topics being covered, but they will be able to creatively design a report to include the information and entertain.  This is a skill that will be essential in job interviews:  taking the information you have and presenting it in an effective and efficient way.  And the video presentation can be fun! You can be the forecaster and say all the crazy things that the meteorologists tell us and know the data behind them.  To view my WebQuest, go to http://questgarden.com/118/64/0/110213134654/ and take a look around.

I think the WebQuests can be great tools.  One fact that I enjoy is that they can be edited for future use after you see what works and what doesn’t.  Besides deciding what topic to use, I did encounter some difficulty in designing and setting up the WebQuest.  I found some of the graphics dull and cumbersome.  In addition, I had difficulty importing photographs.  I didn’t think my images were too large, but each time I tired, the application would tell me it was not able to upload the photographs. 

I am totally ready to try again however.  I think many of my ‘issues’ will subside with additional use.  And of course by continuing to review other WebQuests, hopefully I’ll be able to incorporate some of the great ideas that others are sharing!  Until the next time!