WebQuest

I was just searching through some social sciences WebQuests and I came across one I really liked. This particular WebQuest focuses on the Civil War for an 11th grade American history class. This was great because I am going into secondary education. What was unique was that it was directed at a higher grade level. Most WebQuests that I was looking at were more directed towards middle school age or younger.
The American Civil War WebQuest was really nicely laid out and put together. The first thing that attracted my attention was its cover page. It was neat and had a great picture, the title was big and legible, specifically told what grade level it was directed towards and it also gave the names and dates of the creators and the names and dates for when it was updated. It gave it more of a professional aspect which gave me the impression that this was going to be a credible and organized WebQuest. Another thing that grabbed my attention was that each point and task was its own page. The choices were located in the left hand column which you were able to click on individually. This is a great way to keep the students organized as well. They know exactly where to go if they are stuck or have questions.
The next part of this WebQuest was an introduction to what was going to happen and it gave the instructions for the class. It was interesting to find out that this WebQuest was designed by University students as a project for their technology education class! The only thing that I would change about this is the directions were written in a paragraph format. For this to be applicable to a classroom I would bullet point and break down the process and roles for the students. It continues with who the WebQuest is directed for aka 11th grade American History class. They also list the objectives of this particular activity, and the overall goal with the students. I thought it was an interesting point that they added what this particular WebQuest would be teaching the students in compared to life skills.
Further along they listed the overall process but then broke them down even further in different phases with the specific resources. I think that this was good that they added the break down of the phases it made things more clear and understandable. From reading the first process I was a little confused of what exactly the students were going to be doing but the phases simplified the different objectives which was a lot easier to follow. The resources that were provided were credible and age appropriate which was good to see.
The evaluation on the WebQuest was clearly written out but there was also a rubric to go along with it. That way the students and visually see what they need to do and what is expected instead of just reading a paragraph. A conclusion was provided that just recapped what the students would take away from completing the WebQuest and how it is beneficial. Sources and credits were listed and everything was cited correctly.
Overall i really liked this WebQuest it was challenging enough for higher level students but it provided the opportunity for them to be successful. I was a little skeptical with how exactly a WebQuest would fit into a secondary classroom but now I see that it can be done. There was a lot of great information and provided students with adequate sources that they could continue to use. I like the idea of having the students research and teach themselves and each other the information for once. It gets boring in a history class if the teach is just lecturing all the time.
Here is the link: http://chalk.richmond.edu/education/projects/webquests/civilwar/index.html