WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which
most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web.
WebQuest is a model developed and designed in early 1995 by Dr.
Bernie Dodge, Professor of Educational Technology at San Diego State
University, and Tom
March. WebQuests are designed to use learners' time well, to focus
on using information rather than looking for it, and to support learners'
thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. The model
is outlined in Some
Thoughts About WebQuests. Using the available template
to guide the students/teachers through the process of creating a short-term,
single discipline WebQuest, the EDU506 graduate students designed webpages
that could be used immediately in their classrooms. These samples are available
for viewing and comment, as well as thorough instructions for creating
your own interactive webpages for students and parents. Instructions
for both Windows-PC
and Macintosh
operating systems are provided for Netscape Communicator's Composer. Many
of these Interactive WebQuests are featured below and others are featured
at the EDU
330 undergraduate site.
Resources for Teachers:
Rainy
Day Activities for Elementary Children: It's going to rain!
It's inevitable, but your sanity does not have to get soggy with restlessness
that children may exhibit when their normal outdoor activity is interrupted.
Dennis Bills has designed a webpage for teachers who find themselves in
situations to entertain children with fun activities. His page is
not only designed for rainy days, but for any other inclement weather or
school activity that may prevent the usual P. E. time.
Parental
and Community Involvement in Schools:
Parental and community involvement are vital to the implementation of successful
educational programs, according to Nzinga Teamer and Annette Cornelius.
This webquest will provide classroom teachers with suggestions for increasing
parental and community involvement in their schools and possible funding
sources.
Integrating
Technology in the Classroom:
Your school administrator, Ms. Lizzie Temple, has eliminated the computer
lab from your school, but there are enough computers to have one computer
in each classroom. You begin to panic because you have relied on the technology
person to provide the necessary computer curriculum skills to your students.
What are you to do now?!!
Warning!!!
Dedicated Educators Only!!! -- Dedication is a prerequisite for
fully understanding the trends in education today as the roles and responsibilities
of educators in America are constantly changing. Over the past 40 years,
many trends have become void and been replaced with innovative ways to
reach all students. Cynthia M. Alexander suggests that "Dedication is the
key component to the success of our students and our schools."
Roles
of an Elementary Guidance Counselor: This site, designed
by Juanita Rockett-Gill, is a quest for knowledge and insight into the
world of an elementary guidance counselor. She discusses what has worked
for other counselors and identifies motivational skills and techniques
in general use by other counselors. The main focus of her site is in acquiring
as much information as possible in order to become an effective elementary
guidance counselor.
Success
For All: Positive Classroom Discipline -- According to Melanie
Newton, as many as eight out of every ten teachers do not return after
their first year of teaching because they are unable to control their pupils
in the classroom. Webster defines discipline as "training that corrects,
molds, or perfects the mental faculties or moral character." There
are techniques and tips that will help you achieve effective group management,
positive classroom discipline, and orderly control so that all can be successful!
Safety Zone
is Doris Keller's interactive and informative WebQuest for children and
adults. Children are quizzed on their safety IQ and work their way through
a maze of games and activities as they learn about safety. Parents, students,
teachers, law enforcement officials, principals, and community members
learn specific things they can do to help prevent school violence.
New
Teacher Workshop at the Academy for Individual Excellence:
Overwhelming is often a word used to describe the task of the first-year
teacher, according to John Savage. The following material is designed to
help you enjoy the life of a teacher.
Ms.
Beshires Great 6th Graders:
Ms. Betsy Beshires, Sixth Grade Teacher, created this webpage for her students
at Chester
County Middle School as part of an independent project. She includes
homework notes and hints for her students.
WebQuest Projects
Additional Technology Projects in
EDU506:
Project
One -- Electronic Mail: Hotmail, 
,
the world's largest provider of free Web-based email, is the program selected
for EDU506's email projects. Hotmail provides email access that is easy
and possible from any computer connected to the World Wide Web.
Project
Two -- Finding Information on the World Wide Web: Because
the Web is not indexed in any standard manner, finding information can
seem difficult. Without a clear search strategy, using a search engine
is like wandering aimlessly in the stacks of a library trying to find a
particular book. A "Finding
It Online" Tutorial is available.
Project
Three -- Powerpoint Presentations: These PowerPoint Presentations
have been built by the EDU 506 graduate students to illustrate the capabilities
of Microsoft Office 2000's PowerPoint software program. A PowerPoint
97 Tutorial by ChalkSoft is available.
Project
Four -- SpreadSheet Exercises: These SpreadSheet Exercises
have been designed for the EDU 506 graduate students to illustrate the
capabilities of Microsoft Office 2000's Excel software program. An Excel
97 Tutorial by ChalkSoft is available.
Project
Five -- WebQuests: WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in
which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the
Web. WebQuest is a model developed and designed in early 1995 by Dr.
Bernie Dodge, Professor of Educational Technology at San Diego State
University, and Tom
March. WebQuests are designed to use learners' time well, to focus
on using information rather than looking for it, and to support learners'
thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis and evaluation. The model
is outlined in Some
Thoughts About WebQuests. Using the available template
to guide the students/teachers through the process of creating a short-term,
single discipline WebQuest, the EDU506 graduate students designed webpages
that could be used immediately in their classrooms. Some samples
are available for viewing and comment, as well as thorough instructions
for creating your own interactive webpages for students and parents. Instructions
for both Windows-PC
and Macintosh
operating systems are provided for Netscape Communicator's Composer. An
HTML
Tutorial by ChalkSoft is available.
Contact Dr. R.
Bruce Lewis for further information or to make suggestions.
Last updated March 5, 2001, @ 8:10 AM (CST).
