Project #5: Design A WebQuest for Your Elementary Classes

A Joint Project for EDU314, EDU374 & EDU375


Please refer to Week 9 WebQuest Class Schedule

This project is required to be made in Google Sites new

What?  

Design and publish a WebQuest for your future classes. Through teamwork you are expected to master both content/subject matter and the technical skills involved so that you can make good use of WebQuest in your own teaching.

This course project can be a a joint project with your Social Studies and/or Science Courses.

Your WebQuest's content can be based on the requirements of one of the following courses' projects:

Dr. Lin Lin's EDU375 Social Studies WebQuest Project

Dr. Susan Stratton's EDU374 Science Project Web Inquiry Assignment #4; Newly revised!!!

Dr. Beth Klein's EDU374 Sciece Project with Wolf Journal WebQuest Project and Dr. Klein's Mar.07 message to the class;

Or you can design a WebQuest based on your own innovative ideas.

How?  

  1. Form a group of 2-3 people (3 maximum). You should appoint one as the teamwork coordinator.

  2. Brainstorm project ideas by browsing the WebQuest Rationale on the resources page of the Rationale, by understanding the joint course project requirements, or by searching other resources from the internet and then deciding the content/title of your project; 

  3. Make a sketch of the design of your whole WebQuest website with pencil and paper.

  4. Phase I of the project: set up the frame for your WebQuest in your ePortfolio by creating each page - with a title on the page itself and the correct page title (Shown on the blue bar at the top of the window).
  5. Phase II of the project: add content to the webpages of your WebQuest project in accordance with the Social Studies and Science courses.
  6. Phase III Wrap it up and publish the whole WebQuest to your Cortland web account.

Technical Requirements 

Table and vertical navigation scheme skills are required.

Reminder: each team member needs to have all the files of the WebQuest in his or her own web folder. You will not get full credit if a person in your team only put a link to another member's webquest project.

Evaluation

1. Your WebQuest will be evaluated based on the following Rubric.

Item

Exemplary

Adequate

Inadequate

Total Points

Objectives

Has clear objectives that are relevant to the lesson

Has some clear objectives that are relevant to the lesson

May not have clear objectives or they may not be relevant to the lesson

2 point

Intended audience

Appropriate for the intended audience

Mostly appropriate for the intended audience

May not be entirely appropriate for the intended audience

2 point

WebQuest components

Includes all or most components at a high quality

Includes all or many components at an acceptable quality level

May include most or all components and some to a poor quality level

2 points
Technical elements Good Design using vertical navigation; all links (images included) work perfectly Some efforts in design. Links work well No efforts in design; broken links 2 points
Annotation Reflects your learning experince in addition to following the guidelines for annotation Some efforts in reflecting Superficial 2 point

Total

     

10 points

Acknowledgement: this rubric is adapted from Dr. Elizabeth Klein's WebQuest rubric.

2. Give Some Thoughts to Your WebQuest Project - Avoid Just Going Skin-Deep

"A WebQuest is a scaffolded learning structure that uses links to essential resources on the World Wide Web and an authentic task to motivate students' investigation of a central, open-ended question, development of individual expertise and participation in a final group process that attempts to transform newly acquired information into a more sophisticated understanding. The best WebQuests do this in a way that inspires students to see richer thematic relationships, facilitate a contribution to the real world of learning and reflect on their own metacognitive processes." (An extended definition of WebQuest by Tom Marsh).

When you develop your WebQuest project, keep the following expectations in mind:

  • What pedagogical strategies are employed in your WebQuest?

  • In what ways is the WebQuest taking advantage of technology?

  • In what ways is it "change without difference"?

  • Technically, does it work? Does it have bugs or flaws?

  • How would you improve your WebQuest project?

3. Surviving Aids:  

Visit your peers' work at the Showcase 2006 Spring: Seth's WebQuest Group Project

Dinae's Group even made their WebQuest Interactive (click the link at the bottom of the page)

Due date: In accordance with the joint course project due date.

Back to the WEEK

Back to Calendar

Back to Home

----------------------------------------------------------------------

This page was last updated on Jan. 15, 2009
For comments or questions contact
Dr. Shufang Shi
shis@cortland.edu