Webquests: The Task
Task or Not
 
The Task
 
Lesson Goal: Since stating the task is clearly the most important part of a WebQuest, by the end of this lesson you should be able to distinguish the difference between a well stated task verses a statement which is not a task.

The task is:

Bernie Dodge  and Tom March , best known for their work on WebQuests say that the TASK is the single most important part of the process.  "....... It provides a goal and focus for student energies and it makes concrete the curricular intentions of the designer. A well-designed task is doable and engaging, and elicits thinking in learners that goes beyond rote comprehension."

When designing a well done WebQuest, it is vital to think about transforming information  into understanding.  That's why a well-constructed task is key to the goal of the entire WebQuest. 

Tasks are also seen as guiding questions.  e.g."What are some of the debilitating affects of space travel?   A question such as this makes students look beyond the facts .  They must decide how things relate, what is the truth, and/or how good or right something may be."   We are asking them to use higher ordered thinking skills and NOT just recall information.

The task is NOT:

 

Questions in a WebQuest should not ask students to just recall information, much the way fill-in-the blank worksheets ask of them.

Activity:
Read each task below.  Talk with the person next to you and decide if each is or is not a task for a WebQuest.  We will discuss your answers in 20 minutes.

You will travel back in time to the 1930's and experience what life was like for many types of people. Upon completion of your journey, you will write a letter to your pen-pal describing the life you have learned about.

Y
N
We are doing reports in class next week on famous people.  Select any famous person on the web and write a report about that person.  Make sure you include birth and death (if it applies), birthplace, occupation and why they are famous.

Y

N
Find information on the web about a country and tell its latitude, longitude and the size of its population. Draw a map of the country and label the information you have found.
Y
N

Join a team and take on one of the roles listed above. You and your teammates will work together to create a Special Report to the Mexican people describing how the items in these four mysterious packages are linked to the Aztecs and what influences of the Aztecs can be seen in today's Mexican civilization.

Y
N

Your job is to present to the Adventure Research Foundation Board a proposal for a trip to a natural disaster site. The proposal should be well researched and include a list of references, cost sheet and appendix including a map of the site and 2 other visual pieces of information.
Y
N

Students will end up with a vision statement to serve as a roadmap to guide them through school and life.

  • Who are three people I would like to model when I grow up?
  • What things did my hero do that I would like to accomplish?
  • What traits did my heroes have that I would like to have?
  • What do I have to learn to be like my heroes?
  • What are my skills now that I would like to get better at?
  • Write a personal vision statement for my life.
Y
N
You are an employee of a local radio station. Your boss, who grew up during the "Golden Age" of radio, has decided to add new programming to the station. He has assigned you and your co-workers the task of writing and producing a new radio drama. Your boss expects you and your coworkers to research the history of radio drama and use this knowledge to create a script for a new radio mystery/suspense series. He wants the script to contain references to sound effects as well as the actors' dialogue. In addition to the script, you and your team are to present a recorded demo-version of the play, complete with sound effects, that will be recorded on audiocassette.
Y
N
You are going to live on the moon.  Find out how much you would weigh on the moon.  Make a graph showing your actual weight and your weight on the moon.
Y
N

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Based on a module by Frada Boxer

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