This website by Juliet Szyprowski, at Montgomery College, goes through the following ideas [using slides - so great for any Professional Development (PD)]
a. An Introduction to Using WebQuests in your Classroom
b. What is a WebQuest?
c. WebQuests are focused activities in which students utilize Web-based resources to perform an interesting task.
d. In a WebQuest...
e. What are the benefits of WebQuests?
f. The 6 Components of a WebQuest
i. Introduction
ii. The Task
iii. The Process
iv. Resources
v. Evaluation
vi. Conclusion
g. Example WebQuests:
i. Who will you vote for?
ii. On the Cutting Edge
iii. Tuskegee Tragedy
What do you think?
The WebQuest Page
Comment: These slides give an excellent overview of "What is a WebQuest?" and would be a good way to introduce the topic of WebQuests at a staff meeting as these slides are simple and direct.
I would suggest that you have an interactive activity after these slides of other WebQuests teachers could to go to (particularly ones that would suit their curriculum needs), discuss/debate, and, see what needed to be changed to be used in their classroom. Don't forget to tell them about how they can use SWAT (IT'S FREE) to adapt a WebQuest to their classroom [always acknowledging the original author].
The examples given provide you with some ideas about the style, design, and content, however, they are not the best WebQuests (although the Tuskegee Tragedy is excellent and built by Tom March, the Co-Creator of the concept of WebQuests). To give you an idea of the quality, here is WebQuest Direct's Review of "On the Cutting Edge":
 |
Rating:  |
| Key Learning Areas: Professional Development; Technology & Design |
| Key Competencies: Collecting, analysing and organising information; Using technology; Working in a team |
| Tasks: Analytical; Compilation; Design; Research |
| Grade Levels: Secondary / High School; Teacher; Community; Business Training |
Country: U.S.A.  |
| Language: English |
Author: David Young |
Description:
Designed for participants undertaking training with T-spider.net but also suitable for students in Years 10 - 12 studying Technology, Computer Studies or Graphic Design students. Students are to investigate for the critical characteristics and examples of a perfect website. This would be a good activity to use when planning for or designing a school website (or designing a website) or teaching students to critically analyse websites. Students have to produce a "design grid," after investigating websites from the perspective of: an Information Architect, Graphics Designer, Programmer, and Content Manager. They are to come to an agreement (concensus) about their grid. Resources: adequate although many more could be provided especially new Web 2.0 tools. Evaluation: No evaluation rubric is given. Conclusion is a wrap up along with asking participants to complete an online survey; and, write a brief reflection paper describing what they learnt about web site design and about the concept of WebQuest itself. No Teacher's Guide, Curriculum Standards, Duration or Implementation Advice is provided. Design and Layout: basic. Last updated 2006.
Also at: http://ouray.cudenver.edu/~dl0young/cutting_edge/files/index.html
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