WebQuest Introduction

A WebQuest is an effective tool for USING English. In the following two weeks, you will find out how it works, and you will discuss the design of your first WebQuest.


REMEMBER: A good WebQuest
- uses Internet resources (written in good authentic English)
- requires independent thinking, not mechanic copying from references
- is based on information processing: the students search for facts, evaluate, and come to their your own conclusions



WebQuest Home Page

TASK A
1. Explore the web to find out what a WebQuest is. What is the difference between a WebQuest and a LanguageQuest?
2. Identify an example of good practice - a WebQuest which you consider to be of a high quality - and enter its URL to tne comments of this blog.

Example: Greece or China?

A tool for making and publishing presentations online


WebQuest characteristic:
• information search
• information processing (THINKING, evaluating, comparing, choosing, combining, analysis, synthesis…)
• creativity
• autonomy
• fun
What is necessary:
• clear instructions
• clear description of the final product
• adequate choice of internet sources, with comments

WebQuest from the T’s point of view:
• choosing topic and task
• TIME – web search, detailing the process, clear and logical instructions
• focus on information processing – prevent plagiarism
• focus on authentic English resources

WebQuest from the Ss point of view:
• TASK
• instructions
• tips + web URLs
• final product
• autonomy + freedom of choice
• creativity


TASK B 
1. Make pairs.
2. Your project task will be to design a webquest for a class of eager 19-year old students (YOU!) at the first year of University studies.
First, choose a TOPIC - at best, use some cross-curricular content: do not focus on English, but on another subject matter, or use your experience from the subject you are studying.
3. Think about the outcomes of your WebQuest. Describe the final product and enter the WebQuest topic and the product description into the comments to this blog. (Sign with both names.)

Look at the WebQuest template to learn more about its structure.

Inspiration:
WebQuest 1 - Canterbury Tales
WebQuest 2 - Animals
WebQuest 3 - A Trip to Egypt
WebQuest 4 - A Diary of the Survivor


For the final design and publishing of your WebQuest, you may:

use questgarden or zunal:
http://questgarden.com/
http://www.zunal.com/
Read the registration and free use conditions first.

download a template and use it
http://www.educationaltechnology.ca/resources/webquest/templates.php
http://webquest.sdsu.edu/LessonTemplate.html

Presenting, explaining, remembering

1. Presenting
Can you present with Powerpoint?
An can you present WITHOUT it?
Sum up your opinion to Powerpoint into the comments to this blog.

Some links to improve your presentation skills:

http://gethelp.library.upenn.edu/workshops/biomed/ppt/dodont.html
http://www.trainsignal.com/blog/improve-your-powerpoint-presentation

Tired of Powerpoint? Try Prezi!
http://prezi.com/
Register and try to prepare a presentation on any (funny) topic. Publish the presentation at your website.

2. References and bibliography - hot tips
Do you know how to refer to the books you quote?
http://www.bibme.org/
http://www.citace.com/
Register and explore!

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3. A quick intro to the process of learning and remebering
- we remember through associating (connecting the new information to those items already stored)
- our brain constantly creates new connections (links), compares the info, drops unused or not reliable items
- the usual capacity of working memory  is about 10 items; connecting and associating the items always supports memorisation

understanding => remembering (passive knowledge) => independent use

VISUALS always help! (images, charts, graphs...)


In the class:

A Presentation
present the meaning of new items clearly, PREVENT any mistakes or misunderstanding

What makes a good presentation or explanation?   -  It is

*      clear

*      simple or simplified

*      brief

*      true

*      uses examples

*      applies various approaches

*      asks for feedback

How can you present vocabulary?

*      definition

*      description

*      examples - hyponyms

*      illustration

*      demonstration

*      context

*      synonyms

*      antonyms (opposites)

*      translation

*      collocations

B Practice

~        controlled activities  - focus on form (matching)

~        guided activities (multiple choice)

~        free activities - creative, high level of tolerance, autonomy, S centered (gap fill)

TASK:
Which piece of information from the lecture+the above presented summary did you remember? Why?
Enter your ideas into the blog comments.

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4. How to make a gallery

1. prepare the photos in full resolution (save them separately as a backup!) and record the audiofiles.
Be careful about filnames and folders! Be systematic!
2. Create two sets of images: web version (1600 pt the longer side) and thumb (icon) version - cca 20-30Kb
3. Create a new html file, name it Gallery. Insert a table 3x4. Insert the icons into the cells.
Link each icon to the web version of the same image.
Add audio to each image (e.g. "Click here to hear the comment" - link to the audio file.)