WebQuests_for_Learners

“The father of Spam,” Gary Thuerk, sent the first spam email thirty years ago when he invited 400 people to view a new computer. Spam is made up of those annoying pieces of email that show up in your inbox unsolicited. It is one of the aspects of the Internet that gives the Internet a bad reputation. Fortunately, there are many positive aspects of the Internet, especially those that encourage children and adults to explore and to promote lifelong learning. Bernie Dodge, considered to be the “Father of the WebQuest,” has created a more productive use of the Internet as a resource in which the research that can be gathered in a nanosecond is used to create a final project to be presented and shared with others. With summer quickly approaching, one of the best ways to introduce children to the valuable resources available on the Internet is through WebQuests. WebQuests are scavenger hunts that children and young adults can explore to promote high-level thinking, and develop problem-solving skills, while seamlessly integrating technology with their learning. Students can follow the steps to uncover the information requested on a WebQuest, or actually create their own. Many sites are available to walk you through the process. Bernie Dodge's WebQuest page at [|http://WebQuest.sdsu.edu/] is one of the most thoroughly done sites. According to Dodge, there are six building blocks to a WebQuest. They are the: 1) **Introduction ** which orients students and motivates them to explore, 2)** Task ** which describes the end product, 3) **Process** which explains strategies students should use to complete the task. 4) **Resources** which are the Web sites students will use to complete the task. 5) **Evaluation** which measures the results of the activity usually through a rubric and 6) **Conclusion** which sums up the activity and encourages student reflection. Maybe you would like to find out how to care for your fishpond, live a healthy lifestyle, explore the oceans, soar through the solar system, or go on an African Safari. Visit the Bernie Dodge WebQuest website, and find out more about these as well as many other topics. So, keep those brain cells flourishing, and try a WebQuest to learn more about your passion, or find a new passion. Make your summer and your child’s summer productive and purposeful.
 * __ WebQuests for Learners __**