Emerging Technologies

WebQuest



According to Wiggins 1990 a well-designed WebQuest combines research-supported theories with effective use of the Internet to promote dependable instructional practices. A WebQuest is also assignment students complete using the Internet to research a specific topic. A WebQuest can be printed on paper, presented in a PowerPoint, or on the Internet itself.A task that is drawn from the introduction and sets out the goal is the most important aspect of the WebQuest. There is often a Focus Question that defines the task. The task needs to be based on Problem-Based Learning (PBL) and contain a problem to solve.

Some Uses of  WebQuest in Education 


  •  It allows students to work at their own pace either individually or in a team where they must accomplish the task.
  • WebQuest is a fun, research based tool is used to help students learn more detailed information about a specific topic being studied.
  •  Students are able to solve the presented problem rather than just cutting and pasting material on an assignment or project.
  • WebQuest increase student motivation. When students are motivated, they are likely to put in more effort, and their minds are more alert and ready to make connections.
  • WebQuest also prompts higher learning thus students are expected to think outside the box, and make reasonable judgements.
  •    It provides excellent opportunity for students to explore and learn new things on their own through discovery learning.





WebQuest Applicability to Classroom Practices

As stated by Blakey & Spence 1990 WebQuest allows students to work at their own pace either individually or in a team where they must accomplish the task. When the teacher gives students different task to complete she will either put them in groups or so that they can grasp the context and be able show some form of mastery at the end of the lesson. Students contribute to the real world of learning through innovative applications of authentic assessment which increases the value of WebQuest. They are expected to achieve a certain goal at the end of the lesson. It will also be about a specific subject as part of a greater framework and must have a “hook”, or something that interests students and is age appropriate. Students are expected to contribute to an authentic task involving challenges and roles which help students rehearse for the complex ambiguities of their professional life, which makes sense to encourage learners to test their newly constructed knowledge with real-world feedback. When students have been involved in an authentic task involving challenges and roles it help students rehearse for the complex ambiguities of their professional life, which makes sense to encourage learners to test their newly constructed knowledge with real-world feedback.

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Skype

As stated by A. Tomlinson (200) skype is a free piece of VOiP software, that can connects computers together to allow free telephone calls over the Internet. Calls to other users within the Skype service are free, while calls to both traditional landline telephones and mobile phones can be made for a fee using a debit-based user account system. One of Skype’s benefits is its high voice quality, despite VoIP’s prior reputation for having poor voice quality. It is a free program that allows for text, audio and video chats between users. It allows users to talk to each other by text, voice and video if your computer has a camera.



Some Uses of  Skype in Education 
  • Skype in the classroom is a free community to help teachers everywhere use Skype to help their students learn. 
  •  It’s a place for students to connect with each other, find partner classes and share inspiration and views on different lessons
  • Once teachers create a profile that sets out their interests, specialties and location, they can have their students create projects with other students from all over the world.  
  • Provide additional support for students needing extra attention or unable to come to class.
  • Collaborate with classrooms, businesses and more in multi-disciplinary projects where students get to explore what other students are doing while communicating with them at the same time.
  •  Teachers are able to open up their classroom and their students to a world way beyond their campus so they can get feedback and also learn new experiences from different persons all over the globe.



    Kara from Missouri, speaks about finding teachers to connect with on Skype in the classroom from Skype in the classroom on Vimeo.

    Skype's Applicability to Classroom Practices

    Skype in the classroom is a free community to help teachers everywhere use Skype to help their students learn. It’s a place for students to connect with each other, find partner classes and share inspiration and views on different lessons. This is a global initiative that was created in response to the growing number of teachers using Skype in their classrooms.
    Once teachers create a profile that sets out their interests, specialties and location, they can have their students create projects with other students from all over the world. Projects are a way for teachers to find partner classes, partner teachers or guest speakers for a specific learning activity. You can browse through projects or even search by keyword, which makes it easy for teachers to share expertise and collaborate on projects even when they don’t already know each other. Skype in the classroom was created in response to and in consultation with the growing number of teachers using Skype to help their students learn. It's designed to help like-minded teachers find each other, collaborate on projects and share inspiration and resources. Skype is a huge supporter of educational initiatives both inside and outside the classroom.


    References:


    Blakey, E., & Spence, S. (1990). Developing Metacognition. Syracuse, NY: ERIC Clearinghouse on Information Resources. (ERIC Digest Reproduction Service No. ED 327 218)

    Tomlinson, C. A. (2000). Differentiation of instruction in the elementary grades. ERIC Digest. (Eric Document Reproduction Service No. ED 443 572)



    Wiggins, G. (1990). The case for authentic assessment. ERIC Digest. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED 328 611)






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