The
Internet provides information at your fingertips! The good news is that one
can easily find resources on nearly any topic. The bad news is that one can
easily be overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information on any topic. How
can schools help students minimize stress from information overload and learn
to effectively utilize the Internet as a resource?
Students can easily get lost in cyber-searches; yet teachers can design inquiry-based projects that focus students on particularly useful Web sites through WebQuests. "A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the Web. WebQuests are designed to use learners' time well, to focus on using information rather than looking for it, and to support learners' thinking at the levels of analysis, synthesis and evaluation." Bernie Dodge of San Diego State University designed the concept
Some WebQuest sites:
- From the Father of WebQuests:
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest/webquest.html - Iditarod WebQuests:
http://education.nmsu.edu/webquest/wq/iditarod/ - This is a professional development WebQuest for
teachers to learn more about
a particular WebQuest, Archaeotype:
http://edweb.sdsu.edu/edweb_folder/Courses/EDTEC596/WebQuest1.html - This is a constructivist checklist applied to the
Archaeotype WebQuest:
http://www.stemnet.nf.ca/~elmurphy/emurphy/cle5e.html - Guidelines for Writing a WebQuest:
http://www.chicopee.mec.edu/webquest.htm
Information Overload Web sites:
- http://www.safetyed.org/help/critical.html
- http://www.infoworld.com/articles/ca/xml/00/01/10/000110caoverload.xml
- http://www.computerbits.com/archive/1998/0200/infoload.html
Visit IDE Corp.'s Internet Library for Links to a Variety of Useful Search Engines.
A Consumer's Guide to Search Engines
Some Useful Web Sites that Provide Web Searching Tips:
