It took me a while to figure out exactly what a webquest is. I read all the tutorials, looked at examples from former students, and even searched the net to find some more science and high school examples.
Once I figured out the direction I needed to go, it was difficult getting started and choosing a topic. I was having a difficult time coming up with a new concept so I decided to look at things I taught this previous school year and thought about how I could modify them to fit into this new form of technology. I have had my students in previous years research genetic disorders but my guidelines & expectations were printed out on worksheets. I figured that research project could be given a new facelift and perhaps draw in more student interest if I turned it into a WebQuest. I think students would enjoy completing the assignment in the form of a webquest and it definitely saves paper and solves the problem for students who tend to misplace handouts.
I am looking forward to trying this out this year and getting some student feedback. I have even thought about changing the assignment from a written paper and presentation to having the students create their own brochures or powerpoints and present the topics that way. I am still deciding about that but right now I have lots of ideas.
Also, I found that I had an advantage with this assignment because I am already familiar with making webpages. As a result, the hardest part of the assignment was coming up with the actual Quest sections (intro, task, process, resources, and evaluation).
Overall, I am very pleased with the way it came out. I am still unsure as to whether I should have included graphics or other factors, but I think as I see more examples and experiment more with WebQuests these things will come more naturally to me.
To see my webquest: visit http://www.missabrams.com/Webquest_Intro.html
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