WEBQUESTS & COLLABORATIVE, PROBLEM-BASED PEDAGOGY FOR

HYBRID/ONLINE COURSES

Dr. James P. Frazee, Director

Instructional Technology Services

SDSU Course Design Institute

May 27, 2009

“One of the most pressing challenges is encouraging educators to use technology-enhanced active learning strategies to facilitate learning.”

-- James L. MorrisonProfessor Emeritus, UNC

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Why?

ENTER….THE WEBQUEST!

What is a WebQuest?Student-centered, inquiry-based toolHand-picked resources uses students’ time

wiselyProfessor provides scaffolding with:

Introduction Task/question Process/Roles Resources Evaluation criteria Conclusion

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WEBQUESTS

GOALS FOR TODAY:

After our session, you will:Have an increased understanding of what

a WebQuest is and why it is useful.Know where to go for free WebQuest

resources to use in your own coursesBe more likely to explore and pursue the

use of WebQuests and online resources to promote inquiry in your own teaching.

DIGITAL NATIVES

“Youth, Technology, and Learning: Opportunities for Educators and Future Employers” http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YGhhETB9RNg ~

2:42

The World’s Quickest

WebQuest?

Are you ready for...

THE MARTIAN HAIKUQUEST

INTRODUCTION Japan is preparing the

technologies that will enable the settling of Mars before the year 2100.

To help establish a link in the public mind between Japan and Mars, Sony is sponsoring a worldwide contest for the best Haiku written about the Red Planet.

THE TASK To win the contest, write a

haiku that successfully captures the rugged beauty of Mars while staying within the spirit of the haiku form.

Do it well, and the 1 Million Yen prize is yours!

You will write a haiku in pairs

(this also explains the evaluation criteria)

THE PROCESS

First, learn about the haiku form:

3 short lines 5-7-5 syllables

some flexibility, but less is more Often alludes to a season or nature Captures the essence of a particular moment,

with a surprising twist

THE PROCESS

Some example haiku

As the wind does blowAcross the trees, I can seeBuds blooming in May.   

From http://www.international.ucla.edu/shenzhen/2002ncta/cunningham/Webpage-HaikuPoems.htm

THE PROCESS

Some example haiku

I like spring waterIt makes me feel good inside

It takes my breath away.-LaQuita, age 10, Georgia

From http://www.international.ucla.edu/shenzhen/2002ncta/cunningham/Webpage-HaikuPoems.htm

THE PROCESS

Some example haiku

If you are tender to them,

The young sparrows

Will poop on you

From A Few Fireflies and I: Haiku by Issa

THE PROCESS

Now, find a partner…

One person will study graphic images of Mars and think of metaphors for the features they see.

You will focus on the LEFT side of the screen.

The other person will look at factual, scientific information about Mars and think of how these might be used in a poem.

You will focus on the RIGHT side of the screen.

ARE YOU READY TO EXPLORE?!?

One person look only at the left side..

One person look only at the right side

Images Text

You won’t have time to study both sides of the screen, so focus on your own task!

You may want to jot down ideas as you view the slides.

Like Mercury, Venus and Earth, Mars is mostly rock and metal. Mountains and craters scar the rugged terrain.

Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech

The dust, an iron oxide, gives the planet its reddish cast.

Thin atmosphere and an elliptical orbit combine to create temperature fluctuations ranging from -140 degrees Celsius to a comfortable +20 degrees Celsius on summer days at the equator.

Mars was warm and wet about 3.7 billion years ago. But as the planet cooled, the water froze. Remnants exist as ice caps at the poles.

Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech

Mars is about half the size of earth. Its atmosphere is composed mostly of carbon dioxide and is very thin, exerting about 1/100 the surface pressure that the earth's atmosphere exerts.

Courtesy NASA/JPL-Caltech

THE PROCESSShare your impressions with your

partner.

Draft your Haiku, tying together both the facts and visual impressions.

Keep in mind the Haiku form.

CONCLUSIONS:ISSUES EXPERIENCED IN THIS SIMULATION

Authentic, hands-on task Interdependence More resources brought into the discussion

by working in parallel Scaffolding…No room for surfing Transformation of information, not simply

retelling Taking advantage of the web’s timeliness and

richness Provides opportunities to explore, act, think,

and be producers not just consumers

WHY TEACH THIS WAY? BECAUSE TOMORROW’S ADULTS WILL NEED TO…

think together think for themselves know how to teach themselves new tricks make sense of information they’ve never

seen before generate their own questions and know how

to find the answers

CLOSING HAIKU ABOUT STUDENT-CENTERED INQUIRY-BASED LEARNING

Students together,Generating new knowledge,

Internet as tool.– Rebecca Frazee

Questions shimmer  Like circled waves in ponds.

  I toss the rock.– Bernie Dodge

RESOURCES

Resources Webquests

http://webquest.org/ - Bernie Dodge’s page, co-creator of WQ

http://webquest.ning.com/ (online community around WQs) http://bestwebquests.com/ - Tom March, co-creator of WQ

Web inquiry projects http://webinquiry.org/

THANK YOU!

World’s Quickest WQ material in this presentation from Dr. Bernie Dodge, adapted by Dr. James Frazee for the 2009 Course Design Institute at SDSU