Webquest... A well-planned project

I have to make a confession here. I regret so much that I didn't have discovered Webquest.org earlier.

What's this

Dudeney and Hockly(2007: 54) define webquests as 'mini-projects in which a large percentage of the input and material is supplied through the web'. From the same book and the classes we had in the ICT in ELT module I learnt that Bernie Dodge, a Professor of educational Technology at San Diego State University is the pioneer for this educational tool.

How it works?

There are specific guidelines, in order to design your own customised webquest. The under-pinning langugae learning theory is, in my opinion, Task-based learning. In Webquest design there are stages as exactly there are stages in a language learning task. However, Webquests are classified more as projects than tasks (Dudeney and Hockly 2007:57). In order to design a webquest you will need an authoring tool. QuestGarden is the one.

For extra help on how to do it check this out:


A tip: Bear in mind all the steps and the level of the students in order to create a successful WebQuest.

Benefits

• Learner develops  research skills.The learner is looking up information on the web in order to complete the task.
• Learner develops analytical skills. Questions are designed to stimulate analytical thinking.
• Learner develops word processing skills. Students need to write down the answers and edit  texts.
• It is virtually motivating as each webquest is tailored to students' interests.

Limitations

• It is not free (well it's pretty cheap-a two years subscription to QuestGarden is $20)
• The design of the quest is a bit poor and might be a bit blunt.
 

 References

Dudeney, G. and N. Hockly 2007 How to Teach English with Technology Harlow: Pearson Longman