Focus: Five Rules for Writing a Great WebQuest

This article, by Bernie Dodge, was a very beneficial guide in finding out how to make an effective WebQuest (as it is explained in the title). The title, “FOCUS”, is described by the following;

1. Find Great Sites – Be comfortable with the sources you use, as well as narrow down and master a particular search engine that works for you. Keep in mind to save what you find.

2. Orchestrate Learners and Resources – Use people from the community and around you that can help you to master a lesson or topic to be taught to the class. Decide how computers in the classroom will be used as well as using time efficiently in the computer lab.

3. Challenge Your Learners to Think – “The first impulse of many teachers is to treat the Web as an extension of the school library and to assign the same kind of research report” (p. 9). ALLOW THE STUDENTS TO BE CREATIVE AND PROVIDE USEFUL STRATEGIES FOR RESEARCHING.

4. Use the Medium – Allow for conversation; using your personal WebQuest to initiate students’ comments and suggestions. Also, don’t allow your creations to be overstimulating and distracting – get right to the point.

5. Scaffold High Expectations – “Scaffolding is a temporary structure used to help learners act more skilled than they really are” (p. 58). Allow the students to be able to explain what they have done with their projects and web pages.

I found this article to be very beneficial when bringing the WebQuests to the classroom and to individualized students. It is helpful knowing how something can be effectively used for a large class of students!