Designing web-based research activities
EFL Skills Conference, American University
of Cairo, Egypt
TESOL 2003, Baltimore, Maryland
Demonstration
Designing web-based research activities Learners can engage in a variety of web-based research activities. Depending on how they are designed, these activities may involve simple or complex tasks and require differing amounts of student time, initiative and creativity. On one end of the continuum of complexity, WebQuests are inquiry-oriented activities that require students to work on a task using a specific process. (Dodge, 1994) Completing the task involves applying information accessed online, using links to preselected websites. WebQuests can use a single subject or multi-disciplinary approach and require working in pairs or small groups. One distinct advantage is the WebQuest designer can ensure that the learners access websites of the highest quality and suitability for their purposes. This is not always the case when student are researching online unassisted. WebQuests may not be suitable for learners of all abilities. The presenter will review other types of online activities, including treasure hunts, e-mail reactions and fill-ins. The participants will analyze the various web-based research tasks and see how they are placed on a continuum regarding complexity, learner involvement, language abilities and total task time. Through a variety of web-based research experiences, the learners are well prepared for future, more complex activities, including WebQuests. |