How To Create A Webquest For Free

Process

At the conference, the presenter identified 3 phases in the development of a WebQuest.

Phase 1: Identifying Objectives and Activities & Aligning to Standards

The presenter said this was perhaps the hardest part of creating a WebQuest - coming up with and refining an idea to be something meaningful and relevant to students, and aligned with the standards for your grade level/subject.

The presenter also reminded you that WebQuests are inquiry-based activities which require learners to be active in their learning. In a WebQuest, the learner should be asking questions and generating answers...actively exploring, researching, investigating, analyzing, etc. The learning task should also be as authentic as possible; that is, the task should framed in a realistic scenario perhaps involving a real-world issue or question. You remember that the presenter referenced a website and video related to inquiry-based learning, so you find your notes to review them again:

http://www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/inquiry/index.html

https://sites.google.com/site/thewebquestmodel/inquiry-based-learning

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RtBZpH2Bk-U (link to video in YouTube)
*You also remember thinking that the video was really cool and that you'd like to learn how to create one. You wrote in your notes that the video was created with XtraNormal, a free online tool for creating animated videos. You're definitely going to check that out and perhaps even include one in your own WebQuest!

As you begin thinking about your WebQuest, you might want to start by exploring other WebQuests, examining the Common Core standards for your grade level/subject, and/or brainstorming with colleagues.

In this phase you need to:

Decide on the objectives for your WebQuest - what will the students be able to do or know about by the time they are finished with the WebQuest? What is the central problem or question they are seeking to solve?
Decide what activities the students will be doing during this WebQuest in order to meet these objectives.
Align your objectives and activities to the Common Core Standards for your grade level/subject.

Below are some resources that may be helpful to you in this phase:

http://webquest.sdsu.edu/about_webquests.html
http://webquest.org/index-resources.php
http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/staffdev/tpss99/processguides/index.htm
http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/staffdev/tpss99/processchecker.html

Phase 2: Developing Your WebQuest in QuestGarden

Now that you have your idea, you need to get an account in QuestGarden so you can start building your WebQuest.

1. Visit the QuestGarden website to sign up for your free QuestGarden space: http://www.questgarden.com

Click "About Questgarden" to read more about WebQuests and what QuestGarden is all about.

2. Click the " Register for a Free Trial" link to sign up for a 30-day free trial subscription (after the 30 days are up, anything you have posted will remain but you will not be able to edit or create new WebQuests until you pay the fee, a reasonable $20 for 2 years of service). Provide all requested information accurately. Where it asks for a Group Code, enter IN1210PUC . When you are finished you will be able to access your new WebQuest space and get started. Be sure to write down your username and password for later use!!

3. When you're ready to begin, click " Create a WebQuest. " When entering the Title, be sure to also include the group code (IN1210PUC) where indicated.

The Introduction, Task, Process, Evaluation, and Conclusion are what makes a WebQuest a WebQuest. As you look through QuestGarden you notice that each part of the WebQuest already has some helpful hints written into the template for you (Be sure to click the Advice tab on each page!) . You remember that the presenter at the conference said the hints and advice in QuestGarden are very helpful, so you will be sure to read them carefully. The presenter also suggested that you follow through the different parts of the WebQuest creation in order, from top to bottom along the left-hand side of the page.

As you begin working your way through the different parts, you review your notes from the conference presentation where the presenter gave some helpful tips for creating each section of a WebQuest:

Introduction: Gives some background and basic overview of the task. The introduction should capture the target audience's attention and "invite" them to participate in the WebQuest. The introduction, task, process, evaluation, and conclusion sections should all be written for students (i.e., in second person...it should read "You will write a letter to the editor..." instead of "Students will write a letter to the editor...").

Task: Outline a task that is interesting and possible for students in an average classroom to complete. Provide the time frame of the WebQuest as well as the basic objectives of the lesson in this section. The specific steps students take to achieve those objectives come later, in the Process - the Task serves more as an overview of what will happen during the WebQuest, and what problem or question the students are being asked to solve. Also, note that while many WebQuests are collaborative or group projects, this does not necessarily have to be the case if groupwork does not fit into your overall scheme.

Process and Resources: The specific procedural steps students should follow, including collaborative group roles, will be detailed in this section. Ideally, students should be asked not only to find information, but also to analyze and draw conclusions about the data they have gathered and/or the problem they have been asked to solve. Detailed descriptions of the products students are expected to produce during the WebQuest should be provided here.
You also made a note about another video that has good information about developing the process section:

WebQuest 101: Part 4 - Process (link to video in YouTube)
Also, the Web-based resources (the minimum number of resources that you must include is 5) you want the students to use should be provided here as starting points for student research or referential examples.

Evaluation: This is where you provide details on how students will be evaluated upon completing the WebQuest. This information should be as specific as possible, as both the teacher using the WebQuest and the students should know how exactly work will be assessed. Given the task, how would you assess whether or not the student completed the task successfully? How will you measure whether students have met the learning objectives? Consult other WebQuests' evaluation rubrics and the resources/examples listed below to give you an idea of how such an evaluation rubric might be set up:

http://rubistar.4teachers.org (a GREAT site with examples and guidance in creating rubrics)

http://webquest.sdsu.edu/rubrics/rubrics.html (about rubrics)

Conclusion and Credits: These sections round out the WebQuest to form a complete package. The conclusion reminds learners about what they have learned, and often provides links to more information on the topic or related topics to encourage students to explore and expand their knowledge even further. The credits section is important for giving credit to resources including research sources and sites from where images were borrowed.

Finally, you remember that you have found very helpful information in the Teachers' sections of WebQuests, so you want to be sure you complete these sections completely.

Teachers Intro: In this section, you should introduce teachers to the lesson...let them know where the idea came from, what it hopes to accomplish, etc. Just as you need to "hook" the students in their Introduction, you should also work to "hook" the teachers and convince them of the value of your WebQuest.
The Teacher Intro should also include a list of behaviorally-stated learning objectives for the WebQuest (this means they should not include "understand" or "know"). Here are some Tips for Writing Learning Objectives.

Teacher Resources: For yourself and anyone else who might use your WebQuest, it would be beneficial to have a list of everything one needs to complete the activity. So be explicit and complete with your list of necessary and recommended resources. Some things you might want to address include access to books or other materials, access to experts or other resources outside the classroom, access to technology tools/software, etc. It would help to also be specific about when various resources might be needed during the project timeline (e.g., if students will need to type something on a computer, it may be helpful for the teacher to reserve the computer lab for part of that day).

Teacher Process: You've already written out a detailed process for the students to follow...the teacher process should not replicate that. Instead it should clarify and support the process laid out for students. This section should provide the teacher with specific information that might be useful in ensuring that students are able to complete the WebQuest as planned.
The Teacher Process should also provide information about differentiating instruction to meet the diverse needs of learners. In this section, you should provide specific strategies for accommodating learners in at least 2 of the four groups below:

students with disabilities

students who are at risk (due to poverty, homelessness, abuse, neglect, bullying, separation/divorce, single parent families, death of a parent, sexual orientation, gender identity)

students who are gifted

students who are culturally or linguistically different

Phase 3: Formatting & Editing your QuestGarden WebQuest

1. As the presenter informed you, QuestGarden was designed to make creating a WebQuest a simple process that requires minimal technical knowledge. In addition to simplifying the actual creation of the WebQuest webpages, QuestGarden also provides helpful tips and advice related to developing the content of the WebQuest. You will, therefore, want to read through the information and guidance in each section carefully.

As you go down the list of sections to add content, you notice both instructions and a text box where you can type your information. This box allows you to manipulate the colors and styles of your text, as well as create simple tables and hyperlinks. You can even upload small to medium sized pictures (nothing bigger than 500x500 pixels in size) to display on your WebQuest.

You again review your notes from the presentation for more helpful tips about working in QuestGarden:

The toolbar provides all of the tools you need to format your pages and make them interesting. Most of the tools are pretty easy to understand, as they are similar to toolbar icons seen in Microsoft Word and other programs you already know. And you can always mouse over a button in the toolbar to get a text description of what it does.

To insert a link: Click the "globe" icon in the top row of the toolbar.

You will see a new window where you provide the address of your hyperlink, the text that will be highlighted as a link onscreen, and how the link will act (whether it opens in the same window, a new window, etc.).

You can also use the hyperlink tool to share other files such as Word documents, PowerPoint presentations, and Inspiration concept maps.

To insert an image: Click the Insert Image button, located on the top row of the toolbar.

Click the Upload button and you will see a new window where you can Browse for the image on your computer that you want to upload (GIF, JPG,or PNG files only).

Note: You should include at least two images in your QuestGarden WebQuest that enhance the look of your WebQuest and/or support student learning.

2. When you completed your WebQuest and you have it the way you want it, you must publish it for it to be completed! To publish it, click the "Publish" link in the Tools section of the left-hand menu, and follow the directions there. You will receive a URL when publication is complete and you can access that URL any time in the Publish section of your QuestGarden WebQuest. If you need to make any edits after you have published your Webquest, you will need to republish it by again clicking the Publish link in the menu (the content will be updated, but the URL will remain the same).

When you submit the assignment in Blackboard and in TaskStream, please copy & paste the URL (Internet address) for your WebQuest in the Submission text box. If your WebQuest cannot be accessed due to spelling/typing errors in the URL, you will receive a 0 for the assignment. Remember also that you will submit this URL in TWO PLACES: in BlackBoard and in TaskStream. If you fail to submit your work through TaskStream as well as BlackBoard, you will receive a failing grade for the assignment and an incomplete in the course. Please see the video tutorial within the Blackboard course site for additional information on how to submit your work in TaskStream.