Recently, I have heard the term “generationdot.com,” being used to describe today's students.  For better or for worse, technology has affected and forever changed the way children grow up.  Technology is present in every facet of our lives, starting with the international news coverage we receive to the numerous e-mails we depend on.  This technology might be new to some of us and viewed as a luxury, however the students today were born into this technology.  It is as natural for grade six students to use technology, as it is for university students to use vehicles; these tools have became standards in society.  As educators this creates two main options.  We can try to ignore the impact technology has on our students, and subsequently increase the division between classroom learning and the outside world. Yet I would rather acknowledge the gains in technology, and use these gains to make my classroom more productive for my students and myself.

    I do not believe a teacher today has not heard of the Internet, and the numerous advantages associated with it.  Yet, many teachers are still hesitant to use the Internet in their classrooms, why?  It partly has to due with the misconception that the Internet merely is a large, computer based encyclopedia (March).  Its true that the Internet in its simplest form could be used as a reference source the same way an encyclopedia could be.  An encyclopedia is a very organized base of information that only includes proven and accepted material.  Subjects also organize the Internet, but due to the vast amount of material on the Internet its organization is greatly hampered.  The major difference between the two sources, and the one that might intimidate educators, is the fact that the information on the Web can be posted by anyone and does not have to proven.  However I agree with March, that these passions and real life ideas expressed on the Web contribute to its effectiveness.  I know my students would rather read passionate stories and opinions, than only statistics.  Outside the classroom information is not strictly filtered, so why does it have to be in the classroom?  The key is to balance fact orientated material (that can be a little dry) with current, exciting, and real life material supplied via the Internet.

    Throughout my education, I have heard students and teachers discuss methods to help students become critical thinkers, active learners, and problem solvers.  What exactly would this student be able to do?  My belief is that he could break a large assignment down into small and workable chunks, research the question and topic, determine valuable and related information, and combine this information into a succinct solution.  His answer would be based upon the most current and accurate information available.  This is exactly what the Internet encourages and enables our students to do! A general search on one particular subject can turn up literally thousands of semi related sites; therefore the student is required to do two things.  First, he must redefine his search, which in turn would help him narrow his topic and focus his idea.  Second, he will need to wade through numerous sites of unrelated material until he finds the resources that precisely state his idea.  This is critical thinking and active learning.  The student is scrutinizing every site for its validity, and is actively involved in the hunt and gathering of information.  When I see students on the Internet, I see students taking charge of their own learning and efficiently completing their assignments.

    Using the Internet is the same as using any other learning tool; its benefits and outcomes are dependent upon how it isused.  For example, a classroom of students mindlessly surfing the Web is not going to produce critical thinkers and active learners.  Teachers need to know how to use the Internet in productive and curriculum related manners.  That is exactly what WebQuests are!  WebQuests provide a model for linking Web based research and learning outcomes in a practical and engaging fashion.  Bernie Dodge, an educational technology professor at San Diego State University, developed the WebQuest concept.  He defines a WebQuest as an inquiry orientated activity in which some or all of the information that learners interact with comes from resources on the Internet.

    There are two basic types of WebQuests; the short or the long format (Dodge).  The short term WebQuest, which mine is, concentrates on the students integrating and acquiring knowledge.  Through completing a short-term WebQuest, the student will be exposed to a large amount of information and will have to form connections within the information and him self.  This WebQuest can be completed within one to three class periods, however the post computer time might require more time.  The longer term WebQuest aims at extending and refining the students’ knowledge.  Dodge states that the longer term WebQuest requires the student to deeply analyze a body of knowledge, transform it in some way, and demonstrate an understanding of the material by creating something others can respond to on or off-line.  This WebQuest would require a week to a month of classroom time.

 The six basic elements of a WebQuests are:

•  An introduction, which provides background information to entice students.
•  A task that is interesting and peaks students’ interest.
•  Process or steps that is clear and broken down into small doable steps, that needs to be executed to complete the task.
•  Resources usually embedded in the WebQuest.  Can also contain books, journals, email addresses, and conference links.
•  Guidance regarding how to organize information and complete task.
•  A conclusion that summarizes what has been learned and provides information on how to deepen their understanding.

•  Usually involve group work or discussions.
•  Motivational aspects, like having students take on specific roles (sports reporter or entertainment reporter).
•  A challenging task, like returning to ancient Greece as a sports reporter to provide the world with valuable information regarding ancient Greek athletics.
•  Can be single disciplinary or multi-disciplinary.

    One of the misconceptions of technology is that it forces students to work alone without any chances for social interaction.  However, when used appropriately the computer can create a classroom where cooperation skills are imperative!  For example, in many classrooms the ratio of students to computers is greater; this can work as a plus.  Have students work in partners, with one student responsible for navigation and the other responsible for recording or printing the material.  Especially with WebQuests, cooperation and the reliance of students on one another to effectively complete the task is essential.  Regarding my own WebQuest, it is necessary to have students work in pairs to be able to organize the vast amounts of information in three classes periods.  Once the scheduled time at the computer is finished the need for cooperation between the pairs of students becomes extremely obvious, and required for the task to be completed.  In order to assemble the newspaper on ancient Greece the students have to work as a team to determine the positioning and editing of the articles. Also the different roles chosen by the students enables them to became the class experts.  Through using WebQuests students will realize their own work greatly impacts the classes progress and final product.

    The third quality that contributes to a WebQuest’s success as a learning tool, is the scaffolding process that occurs.   Many times I have heard students tell me that they have not started an assignment because they did not know where to begin.  For example, comparing Greece and Canada is an enormous task; entire books have been devoted to the topic!  Therefore, many grade six students do not know where to even start researching this subject. Yet the WebQuest concept provides students with specific tasks, roles to fulfill, and related material.  It leads them through a series of steps that an advanced researcher would take; thus modeling successful research and problem solving techniques.

    Through creating my own WebQuest I have realized several important things about web designing, technology in the classroom, and the combination of the two.  Initially I was concerned about actually designing the web pages, which editors to use, HTML, etc.  Once I realized I could handle the computer portion, the next challenge was to find a concept that lent itself to the WebQuest format.  Since technology should always be used as tool, I looked for a subject that could be debated, discussed, analyzed, and/or viewed from many different perspectives.  During the final stages I used the students as my main feedback resource.  This seemed appropriate since they are going to be the main users of my WebQuest, like my customers in a sense.  The idea the students responded to most positively, was the concept of posting their finished projects on the Web or sending them to experts to evaluate.  It was even the students who told me that their effort level would greatly increase if they knew that numerous Web surfers could view their work.  So post students’ work on the Web or send it through e-mail to experts in the field, and see what happens to the students’ self esteem and work level.

Here are some great sites to check out:

The WebQuest Page
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/webquest.html

Some Thoughts about WebQuests Overview by Bernie Dodge
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec596/about_webquests.html

Building Blocks of a WebQuest
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/bdodge/webquest/buildingblocks.html

A Rubric for Evaluating WebQuests
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/webquestrubric.html

Some Thought about WebQuests
B. Dodge. May 5, 1997
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/courses/edtec596/about_webquests.html

WebQuests: A Strategy for Scaffolding Higher Level Learning
B. Dodge. June 22, 1998
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/necc98.html

A Matrix of Examples
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/matrix.html

A Rubric for Evaluating WebQuests
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/webquestrubric.html

Building Blocks of a WebQuest
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/people/bdodge/webquest/buildingblocks.html

Searching for China Evaluation Rubric
T. March. December 28, 1997
http://www.kn.pacbell.com/wired/China/rubric.html

Template for Teachers Page
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/TeacherLessonTemplate/html

The WebQuest Page
http://edweb.sdsu.webquest/webquest.html

WebQuests for Learning
http://www.ozline.com/webquests/intro.html