Webquests are interactive projects in which a learner must use critical thinking skills, problem analysis and communication skills. They also require a great deal of creative thinking and analytical skills to complete. They are highly adaptable teaching tools that can be used with young children or adults with the right combination of tasks and sources and give learners an opportunity to practice English doing authentic tasks. In this project, you will complete a webquest about webquests. You should acquire the background knowledge about this exciting educational tool, and begin to develop a list of sources to develop your own webquests. You need to work with a group of other teachers to complete this project. To find other ESL/CivicsLink teachers to work with on this activity, post a message in the Unit Discussion. You can also work with teachers in your own locality.

Before you begin, read through all the parts of a webquest below. Print out this page for easy reference.

Introduction br> You are an adult education ESL teacher in a medium-sized city. Your adult education provider has just received a generous grant to be used in revitalizing the region's ESL program. Since outfitting a brand new computer lab will be part of the funding for the grant, you have been given the job of designing and presenting a Webquest for use in your multi-level ESL classroom. This sounds like a great idea, but you've never even heard of Webquest and you have no idea how to design or use one. You gather together a group of three other ESL instructors who will help you navigate the worldwide maze of information available to you on the Web.

Task
In order to complete your project, you will have to find information on the following:

• You will investigate the philosophy and use of Webquests.
• Discover the variety of ways that Webquests can be used.
• Examine several available Webquests and evaluate their usefulness in your own classroom.
• Look at a template for designing your own Webquest.
• Compile a list of subjects for Webquests you might design in the future.
• Compile a list of resources and templates that might help you create your own Webquest.

Process
Step 1 Assign Roles to Team Members
There is so much ground to cover here that you must first brainstorm with your group to determine what roles each of you may play to help facilitate this process. Because there is a time limit, you need to assign team members the following roles:

1. History and Philosophy Researcher: This person is in charge of investigating the origin of and philosophy behind Webquests. Follow these links if this is your role.
   "Some Thoughts About Webquests"
   By Bernie Dodge
   "What is a Webquest?"
   By Alice Christie, PhD.
   The Disney Learning Partnership Webquest Workshop


2. Design Researcher: This person is responsible for investigating the design of Webquests, and also for helping to give the group a list of URL's which will help in the construction of a new Webquest. Follow these links if this is your role. San Diego City School's Building Blocks of a Webquest
   "Searching with Savvy"
   By Cara Bafile
   Ozline.com's The Idea Machine
   SBC Pacific Bell's Filamentality
   Bernie Dodge's Webquest Templates
   


3. Process Researcher: This person is assigned to research project-based learning and ideas about process teaching, both of which are important in the design and development of Webquests. San Mateo County Office of Education's Project Based Learning with Multimedia
   San Diego City School's Process Guides
   Bernie Dodge's A Strategy for Scaffolding Higher Learning
   San Diego State University's Webquest Taxonomy
   


4. Evaluation Researcher. This person is assigned to research the evaluation rubric used in Webquests, and to make recommendations for establishing the evaluation to be used in this Webquest. These links will help you investigate the evaluation rubric.
   San Diego State University's Rubrics for Evaluating Student Performance
   San Diego State University's Rubric(see especially the Fine Points Checklist)

Step 2 Evaluate three Webquests
Present your findings to the rest of your group. Next, work together to evaluate three Webquests that are available online. This evaluation should be done with the role still in place. In other words, the History and Philosophy Researcher is going to evaluate the Webquests with the philosophical ideals of Webquests in mind. The Design Researcher will pay special attention to matters of design and construction. The Process Researcher will evaluate the Webquest with special attention to the process of the quest and the validity of the task.

Creative Problem Solving

Oh No! The Internet!

Sadako and the Thousand Paper Cranes

Step 3 List possible Webquest topics
Together, brainstorm ideas for Webquests that could function in your classrooms. For example, for civics content, you might want to create a webquest about a particular period of history. If you are working on a life skills unit on employment, you might want to assemble a Webquest on the career options available in your geographic area. Compile a list of subjects that you think would work well as Webquests.

Step 4 Choose one topic and compile a list of appropriate Websites
Choose one of the topics from your list and work together to research to compile a list of Websites and potential sources for a Webquest.

Step 5 Prepare an outline for your Webquest topic
Prepare an outline for your chosen webquest topic and complete the Ozline.com's webquest prewriting exercise.

Evaluation
As a group, decide on the kind of evaluation to be used in this project. Design a rubric that can be used to evaluate the performance of the instructors in this Webquest. Remember that you will be evaluated as an individual, and as a group, with the completed outline for your Webquest being the final product. This site has evaluation rubrics: The San Diego State University Webquest page

Conclusion
By the time this Webquest ends you should feel that you have gained familiarity with this inquiry-based educational tool, and set of resources to use in designing Webquests for later classroom use. The obvious conclusion would be for each teacher to construct a Webquest that could be shared with other members of the group.

Advice for members of the group if this must be done via email
If you will be communicating using email, make sure you agree on dates and times work will be accomplished. Make every attempt to be thorough in the summaries of information and listing of helpful URL's. Check your email frequently.

Credits
This Webquest was designed and created by the ESL/CivicsLink partners: Jefferson County Public Schools Adult and Continuing Education, PBS LiteracyLink, and the National Center for Adult Literacy (NCAL) at the University of Pennsylvania.