TTN, ©2000-06: WebQuests

How many times have you wanted to give your students a research assignment using the Internet as a primary reference tool, then changed your mind? Maybe it was because you were worried about your students accidently arriving on questionable content sites. Maybe you were worried about the time constraints or lack of computer resources. Perhaps you wanted more teacher guidance/input as to what direction you wished the lesson to go, rather than sending your students off on a random search for knowledge.

WebQuests may very well be the answer to your problems! When I began laying out this website in my head, I wanted to add the different research activities I've had my classes participate in throughout the year. I just wasn't sure about the format--how to best present what I was doing in my own classroom. While discussing this with a teacher friend (Thanks, Mary!) on the net, she shared with me the website for WebQuests. All I could say was "WOW, this is exactly what I was looking for!"

WebQuest arranges lessons in an easy to search format, by subject areas. The lessons themselves are more than just fact-finding searches for info on the web. They are set up using the elements of Bloom's Taxonomy, and go through several levels of learning, processing, and problem solving. Teachers may download templates to help them set up their own webquests for a particular subject or unit they are working on within their own classrooms. The site guides the teacher through the steps of setting up a WebQuest, the format, etc. But the best part is that teachers are encouraged to share their Webquests with others, by adding them to the already huge database of quests on this site. This is an amazing resource that I know you will be excited to use in your classrooms.

To visit the WebQuests site, please click here: WEBQUESTS.

Don't forget to come back to the Texas Teacher Network. If you have any questions regarding WebQuests, please feel free to email TTN.