week 5
This week, i found to be the best week so far, as i had no idea that WebQuests even existed, let alone how to use one and incorporate them into a classroom situation. In observing other people’s WebQuests i was able to determine for and against points present in each WebQuest and why they were positive and negitive. The use of the rubric as a form of evaulating the WebQuests, was a great idea as learners such as myself were able to determine what is required to produce an effective and informitive WebQuest. The Study guide was also a very effective tool for me in understanding the idea of WebQuests, i found that in looking up some of the WebQuests listed i was able to further my understanding of what a ‘good’ WebQuest is.
By having the resources supplied by the teacher or WebQuest designer, compared to having students find resources for themselves creates many advantages and disadvantages for students and teachers.
Positive points:
- allows teacher to evaluate students method of locating information
- allows students to sort out relevant information from non important
- can easly determine if students are plagiarising
- provides the same information to all students and thus all are on an equal, this is of great use for students in particular who don’t have access to the internet at home.
- teachers can control what sites are avaliable to students and thus students are unlikely to locate inappropriate information
- objectives and outcomes are very easy to comprehend
Negitive points:
- Students are unable to improve on their researching techniques and exploration of the Web
- Teachers are unable to assess outcomes concerning the use of the internet, in terms of effective research, as the websites are already provided
As seen the postives for webQuests far out-way the negitives for their use as an eduational resource.
WebQuests are suitable for most types of learning situations and scenarios, however not all learning can be done via WebQuests. A concept or idea must first be taught and explained by a teacher in order for a child to succeed in this type of learning. Learning is an ongoing process after birth and young children are also not always suited to computer based learning, as many are too young and inexperienced.
WebQuests are very effective resources for a constructivist approach to learning, as they provide an interactive environment for which children can be apart of their own learning. The two particular WebQuests i studied, were very effective in this area, as they assigned students specific roles within a group and as a result students are not only interactive with the WebQuest, but also with other students.
Lev Vygotsky’s idea of scaffolding, is very evident within the process or task page, this page is often a summary or outline of what the students need to do. This is very effective for children, as it allows them to easily understand what is is they need to do to achieve a satisfactory mark.
Overall i found both WebQuests very valuable in terms of resources, and WebQuests in gerneral to be very effective and interactive for both students and teachers.
Two webQuests i studied on Ancient Egypt:
PORTFOLIO ITEM: 3
