Every day, more teachers realize that classes centered on them are no longer valid!
Project based learning is an approach that started as an ad hoc approach but developed later on as a great tool for enhancing our students' autonomy.
Having students search for meaningful information is an excellent way to make them get in touch with authentic materials and realia.
WebQuests are the best example of PBL
Have a look at the video above and you will get an idea of what I am writing about.
But, as I always like to think about the actual use of webtools and the real life scenarios most of us work, my question goes directly to those of you who have worked with WebQuests before:
What if there is only a PC with online access in the room?
What if we have many PCs but no internet access?
What if there are no computers at all?
I know we can have Webquests in paper format but, are they as useful and interesting to students as the ones online? no idea!
Hi Eve.
ReplyDeleteNice post.:)
In my opinion Webquest in paper format is useful but i think it is not more interesting as the one found in internet.
It is frustrating if there are no pc available or no internet access at all.How can then be webquest be utilized? Hmnnn.... I wonder too if it is possible...
Thanks for reading my blog Mary Grace!
ReplyDeleteI have never used WebQuests before but I also believe that paper format ones might be useful and interesting for our students.
Let´s see if other teachers can help us figure out how to work with online webquests when there is only one pc or many pc but not internet access.
Hugs from Venezuela!
Eve
Hi Eve
ReplyDeleteThank you for the geat post. The video is great.
The questions you pose have a great implication in the contecxt where there is no internet access. Let me share my opinion on your questions:
1. What if there is only a PC with online access in the room?
In think in this case, we can show how the projects and WebQuests look like and how they work in the classroom for learing a language using a projector. Before we show them we can print them and provide copies to the students so that they can have a look at the same time they see on the projector. This is what I am doing. I have internet connection using modem which I can use in my laptop. We have projector at the Department which I can use to show how technology is useful for language teaching and learning. I also show some examples of lesson plans, materials and activities.
2. What if we have many PCs but no internet access?
In this case, we can copy the pages of the projects and Webquests from websites at our home. We can save them in one folder in our a memory stick. We can hyperlink each page on the first page which shows all the stages of the project and all the components of the WebQuests. Before we begin the class, students will copy the document from our memory stick.
3. What if there are no computers at all? I know we can have Webquests in paper format but, are they as useful and interesting to students as the ones online? no idea!
Of course, you are right to say that WebQuests are not interesting when there is no internet access in the classroom. However,we can print all the pages of the Wequests and ask students to work accordingly. But we can ask them to go through the websites mentioned in the WebQuest at home or at cyber cafe and explore more materials related to the project.
What do you think?
Cheers
Prem
Dear Eve,
ReplyDeletenice post and thanks for sharing the video - interesting, good to know it's there.
I'd like to focus my attention on your questions: I consider every teacher is lucky to have a PC in the room with internet access, or many PCs but no internet. The problem is whem there are no PCs at all. What can we do?
If I have a PC, I'll use it for listening, videos,, power-point presentations to be accessed online. If I have many PCs, I can download my materials on them and use them in the best way possible.
If there is no PC... here is the problem. In my school, we have no PCs in rooms, only in the IT labs but they are manily used by the IT teachers. So, I can't use them when I want. I use my laptop, with internet conncetion, for listening, videos, powerpoint presentations, etc. The simple fact that I have a laptop there increases my students interest.
Best wishes,
Nadina
Thank you all for sharing!
ReplyDeleteYou have given me many ideas on the issues discussed!