I first heard about WebQuests in my Assessment course last Spring semester. Another student who had been using WebQuests for years did a very thorough Power Point presentation on the subject. My first impression was that it seemed like a lot of work for designing projects that were mediocre. It appeared to be time consuming for the teacher, and I couldn't see a student getting enthusiastic about having to complete such a long, drawn out, and complicated assignment.
I just finished investigating the websites listed in module 3. I took my time and read through all of the information about what WebQuests are, how to make them, and even how to complete one designed by someone else. I must admit I was bored. I was unimpressed with the objectives of the assignments, and I didn't think a student would benefit from completing the WebQuests enough to warrant the amount of time they would need to spend working on them.
I have not started working on designing my own WebQuest yet. I do think that using the QuestGarden website will make the process easier, as the site seemed to be well organized and user-friendly. I was shocked to find out that WebQuests have been around since the 90's! I'm sure when they first came out they were a hit with teachers and students because of the novelty of getting to use a computer to complete an entire project. Now students are so used to using computers that a WebQuest is just another assignment.
I'm trying to be open minded about designing my own WebQuest. I hope that as I research it further and continue working through module 3 I will come to appreciate WebQuests and be able to design one that is engaging and worthwhile for my students. If my students respond well to my WebQuest, and I can see that they truly benefitted from completing the project, my opinion of WebQuests will be changed.
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Maybe you are very computer literate and so are your students and that is why you find this type of assignment boring. I think of it as different. It will be a relief to be able to give a research assignment and not get the usual posters or power point that are nothing else than cut and paste!I am looking forward to have them do some real research and learn something on their own as a challenge.
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