Subject+Guide+Webquest

=__ Subject Guide Webquest __ =

Information is not knowledge. --Albert Einstein

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Webquests are inquiry-based lessons in which students use information from the web. Webquests can be used for almost any topic, and the final product produced by a student can be a paper, a project, a presentation, or anything else you want. Webquests help make students active participants in their own learning, while providing a structure and a framework to help keep them on task. Webquests allow students to focus on quality information, rather than on the search process. The content and scope of a webquest is entirely up to you; you can adapt an existing webquest (you can [|search for existing webquests] here), turn an existing lesson/unit into a webquest, or create something entirely new!

__Task__
The goals of this webquest are to introduce you to the basic format of webquests while creating subject guides to be used by students and teachers. These guides will be put on the library webpage Students turn to the Internet for information but, as you know, the quality of the information available can vary widely. In this webquest you will be looking at websites in your subject area and deciding if they are useful resources--either for students in completing assignments, or as professional resources for teachers. These websites will then be compiled into subject guides which will be made available on the library's website. Like webquests, subject guides provide students with quality resources and information, limiting the amount of time spent on fruitless searching--and making it easier to avoid bad information.

__Process/Resources__
1) If you're not familiar (or are only vaguely familiar) with webquests, read this [|article about webquests] from Education World. Focus on the sections called "Why Webquests?" and "The Design Process". More information about (and lots of great resources for) webquests can be found at Bernie Dodge's [|Main Webquest page], including a page dedicated to [|types of webquests and design patterns].

2) In this webquest, you will be exploring and reviewing web resources in your subject area. I have gathered links to a variety of websites that have been recommended to me and placed them on the pages below:

Math Links

Science Links

English Links

History Links

Look at these links and review them using this chart: Focus on resources specific to your subject area

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What are you looking for when you review these sites?
 * Is the site relevant to the subject/topics you teach?
 * Is the site easy to navigate?
 * Does the site contain useful information?
 * Is the site written for students, or on a level that students will be able to understand?

4) If you know of a good resource that I have not included, please add it to your chart. Make use of the search sites linked to on each page to find resources specific to your needs.

5) Once you have reviewed the sources and made your recommendations, please send me your completed chart. I will compile the resources into subject guides.

__Evaluation__
The evaluation of this project will be ongoing, as will the creation of the subject guides. I want to hear from you (and know what you hear from students) about what resources are most useful--what's being used the most, what isn't as student-friendly as we might have hoped, and what types of resources still need to be added.

__Conclusion__
Having just completed a webquest, you are hopefully now a bit more familiar with the structure and use of webquests. I'm counting on you to help me promote the subject guides we created today. An important part of teaching students to make effective use of information is showing them what quality information looks like. These subject guides will not only help students in their classwork, but will help them learn how to become savvy information users.