Implementing Your WebQuest in the Classroom
General Strategies
Access to Technology:
Do you have computers in your classroom? If so, how
many computers are there? Do you have access to a computer lab?
Do your students have computers at home? Do any of these have internet
access? What is the ratio of students to computers? The ratio
of students to computers with internet access?
Click here to evaluate your technology situation:
If you answered yes to a majority of the questions, you
most likely have enough access to technology in order to implement your
webquest. Strategies for implementing a WebQuest with varying degrees
of technology access can be found at WebQuests
for Learning.
Prior to WebQuest Implementation:
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Do a "dry run." Perform the WebQuest yourself.
Then, have someone else (a friend, colleague, family member) perform the
WebQuest. They will be able to tell you if the instructions are clear,
if there are any broken links, and how long the WebQuest took to perform.
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Poll your students to find out who has computer access at
home, and who has internet access at home (you may be surprised at how
many do). This will not only indicate a potential higher skill level
for those with at-home access, it will also save lab/computer time as the
students may be able to perform some of your WebQuest at home.
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If you answered no to a majority of the three questions at
the end of the worksheet (Student technology skill level), you will need
to technologically prepare your students for working with computers.
If students do not have the skills necessary to perform basic computer
functions, both they and you may get frustrated performing the WebQuest.
It will save time in a lab situation if you can go over the skills in the
classroom first and then partner the more technologically advanced students
with those who are less experienced.
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Determine how tech-savvy your students are. Ask the
following questions: Who knows how to turn on/shut down a computer?
How many of you know what a browser is? How do you save your work
to the hard drive, to a disk? How do you enter a URL for a website?
How do you cut and paste?
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Click on the following quiz links (from "Learning
Web") to take basic computer skills and technology quizzes that you
can then give to your students to assess their knowledge base prior to
implementing your WebQuest. Once you know what your students know
about computers and the internet, you can determine how much prep work
you will have to do before beginning your WebQuest, and thus save valuable
computer/computer lab time. (Use the "Back" button on the browser
to return to this page.)
If, after having your students take these (or
similar) quizzes, you discover that they have deficiencies, it will serve
you well to go over with them the skills they will need to effectively
follow your WebQuest. You can either instruct them in the skills
(such as saving to disk, typing URL's in to the location bar, etc...) or
perhaps a technology teacher or lab personnel can give them the necessary
tutorials. Either will be time well spent and possibly spare you
and your students frustration during your WebQuest. Finally, consider
giving the students a handout that outlines how to perform basic computer
functions to which they can refer when they are at the computer.
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Prior to allowing your students to begin on the WebQuest,
take the time in the classroom to prepare your students. Link the
WebQuest to previously covered material, their activities in other classes
and/or the world they know. Go over the expectations for the WebQuest
and their conduct during it. Discuss with them the timeframe and
what to do if they encounter difficulties with any aspect of the WebQuest
or its implementation.
Click here for some points to consider before starting your
students on your WebQuest.
During the WebQuest:
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Make sure that the students are paired or grouped as you
would like them.
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Make sure that the computers being used are working and that
the students are starting at the appropriate place
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When students are in need of assistance, in order to minimize
noise, try the following:
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Have students place a brightly colored cup on top of their
monitor
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Have students raise their hand
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Have students quietly ask their partner/neighbor for assistance
before trying to get your attention
Post-WebQuest Activities:
After your students have successfully performed your WebQuest,
consider the following ideas.
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Oral presentations. Students can present what they
learned to their classmates (especially useful if groups of students have
worked on different WebQuests), to their peers (in a History or Science
Fair setting), to their parents (at open houses), or to the community (for
Service Learning opportunities).
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Peer/Self Evaluations. Students should be able to say
whether or not they and their classmates have accomplished the goals defined
by the WebQuest. Consider using this form of evaluation as part of
their overall grade.
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WebQuest Evaluation. Have the students tell you what
they thought of the WebQuest. Give them an opportunity to offer feedback
and give suggestions as to how the WebQuest could be improved. They
may find errors, broken links, etc... that have been thus far overlooked.
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Encourage your students to make cross-curricular connections.
Find out what they have done in other classes that tie in with your WebQuest
and use this to reinforce your lesson.
Working Around Technical
Difficulties:
If one or more computers or the internet access are not working,
have these back-up plans ready.
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Have students work in centers. While one group is using
the computer, another can do library research, a third pre-writing and
a fourth group discussion. Rotate to each station on a schedule.
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Print out the required web pages ahead of time for students
to use.
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Plan an extended or extra visit to the computer lab.
If the sites to which the students are to go are not working,
the following strategies may be useful.
If you planned on getting into the computer lab, but cannot
do so, here are some ideas.
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Have a related back-up lesson plan ready to put into place
in the classroom. This can include necessary vocabulary work, KWL
(what I already know, what I want to know, what I learned) strategies,
preparation for the presentation of the results of the WebQuest once they
can perform it, etc...
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If you or your school have laptops available, consider having
them on hand for classroom use.
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Have some "traditional" sources of information about your
WebQuest topic available--books, magazine articles, a film, and/or pictures
can all be used to stimulate discussion and related activities.