Page- 1 What WebQuests Are (…really!)

A well-designed WebQuest uses the power of the Internet and a scaffolded learning process to turn research-based theories into dependable learning-centered practices. In February 1995, my mentor at San Diego State University, Professor Bernie Dodge, came up with an idea for integrating this new thing called the World Wide Web into classroom activities. Bernie’s early and oft-quoted definition states, “A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the internet… ” (Dodge, 1995). Since then WebQuests have become one of the key buzzwords heard when educators discuss the Web and education. In fact, current Web statistics from The WebQuest Page record well over 100,000 page views per month, two new submissions to its database per day and 900 daily searches of the same1. What is a WebQuest? A stereotypical “WebQuest ” sees a team of students accessing Web sites in order to produce a technology-enhanced group product. Example “WebQuests ” are: • Students working as a team plan a trip across the US and present their itinerary on PowerPoint slides. One student might be responsible for budgeting, one for locating tourist attractions along the way, and one for booking accommodations and organizing meals. • Learners collect facts and images of endangered species and create a poster to share what they have learned. • Students create a brochure, diorama and audio guide for a new exhibit on an exotic animal being introduced to a zoo. Although the above activities may involve some reasonable learning, they are not WebQuests because in each case the information can go from the browser to product without altering (even entering?) the learner’s understanding. What is a (real) WebQuest? In the early days, Bernie Dodge and I spent hours a week for over two years discussing, debating, questioning and concretizing notions of a WebQuest’s critical attributes. During one session, Bernie drew a graphic depicting learning inputs and outcomes with a box in the middle. This box was where newly acquired information underwent a transformation into new understanding