A WebQuest is a popular kind of inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web. The activity is placed on a web site that follows a prescribed format, developed by Bernie Dodge and Tom March at San Diego State University. Generally speaking, WebQuests present a realistic role-playing scenario in which students engage in deep processing of information that is new to them in order to solve a complex problem or design something.
Many teachers have developed WebQuests of their own. The best way to understand what WebQuests are is to examine several of them closely. You will see that they come in all shapes and sizes, as well as a huge range of quality!
Activity
Working in pairs, examine at least two of the WebQuests listed below in some detail. What all of these have in common is that the "task" pretty much hits the nail on the head in terms of its authenticity and depth of processing required of students.
Some WebQuests take a considerable length of time to work through, so don't actually try to complete all the tasks that are described yourself -- just get a sense of what the tasks demand of students, and move on.
After reviewing two of these, find at least one more WebQuest to review in detail.You can search a large number of examples on Dr. Bernie Dodge's web site. The "Curriculum x Grade level matrix" (close to the bottom of the page) is helpful for locating WebQuests prepared for children of particular ages, and in particular subject-matter areas.