Petition for Webquest

Mrs. Brown-

I recently had the opportunity to learn about some new technology tools that I could use with my students this year. The tool I am most excited about bringing into my classroom is called a "webquest." It is a very structured way for students to do research or apply what we have studied in the classroom to a "real life" situation. Webquests will allow me to bring situations that are applicable to my students daily lives into our class discussions. Using technology with instruction is also a great way to keep students engaged.

A web quest can be paper-based or web-based. I will most likely give students instructions on something that looks like a worksheet that will explain where to begin their quest as well as how they will be assessed. When students arrive in the computer lab, they will go to the webquest page and click the appropriate link to begin or for further instructions.

Even though I feel it is important for students to be comfortable doing independent research on the web, a webquest will allow us to accomplish even more within our limited class time. Webquests will also protect students from accidentally finding inappropriate sites as well as decrease the temptation to go to recreational sites.

If we can encourage several teachers at Fairdale to use this tool, students will become more comfortable with it, learn how to research and detect valid websites and make more real life connections to the content we are covering. If you have any further questions, I would love to come by your office and show you how some sample webquests work. I think you will be really impressed.

Sincerely,