9A.+QuestGarden+User+Guide


 * QuestGarden** is a free online WebQuest creation tool developed by Bernie Dodge who is often thought of as the father of WebQuests. This new FREE tool walks you through each step of the WebQuest creation process. Using this tool you will find that creating a WebQuest is NOT a time consuming process. Instead you will find step by step guidance and help while creating a WebQuest. QuestGarden in an online browser based tool—so no additional software experience or training is required. You will be pleasantly surprised at how easy it is to create a WebQuest with this tool.

In order to begin using QuestGarden, you will need to create an account. Click on the link that says “You can join by clicking here. Be sure to write down your chosen login and password somewhere safe just in case you need to be reminded of it later. Once your account has been created go ahead and give your login a try.

Once logged into the QuestGarden website you will see many resources. You will find a link to recently published WebQuest, a link to the WebQuest News blog, a map from around of the world looking at who is currently online creating WebQuest. And most importantly, you will find a link for creating a new WebQuest which is the area of focus for this video podcast.

Go ahead and click on the “Create a new WebQuest” Button. You will notice that on the left hand side of the screen is an area with a blue background. This is your navigation menu. By working through each of the steps listed in the navigation menu, you will easily be able to create a WebQuest.

While it may be tempting to jump into the WebQuest creation process by writing, there are a few pre-planning steps that give suggestions for getting started. The first step is to choose an appropriate topic. You may want to choose a topic which you don’t like to teach very much, or a topic for which you have very few lessons or resources created. In the text box write down your ideas for this WebQuest. This is a brainstorming space and will not appear anywhere in your published WebQuest. Have you noticed the yellow SAVE buttons? Before going onto the next item in the navigation menu be sure to click the yellow save button. Next you notice that you are asked to include information regarding the core curriculum standards and to give information about the learners for which this WebQuest targets. The information about standards and learners will appear in the teacher resources pages which QuestGarden creates for you. Don’t forget that UEN has created an easy access page for finding core curriculum by grade levels.

Once those sections have been completed we start the creative process. Here you will give your WebQuest a title and a brief description. The description will appear when people search for your WebQuest. Be as concise and descriptive as possible.

Probably the most important part of the WebQuest is the next section: choosing a design pattern. Design patterns help the WebQuest writer to determine the higher level thinking task to be associated with this WebQuest. In a presentation, Bernie Dodge stated that a WebQuest which ask learners to only find facts and repeat them back is not a WebQuest worth creating. Instead decide if you want learners to create a persuasive argument, or to analyze content for bias, or take a historical perspective and elaborate. On the “choose a design pattern” webpage you will find a link to many, many ideas for creative design patterns. A carefully chosen design pattern will help in the writing of your WebQuest.

Next you should create an evaluation. Learners will need to know how their products will be evaluated before beginning any work on the WebQuest. To make creating an evaluation as easy as possible, QuestGarden has created a rubric framework for you to use. All you need to do is enter the evaluation criteria into the appropriate rubric boxes and you’re done with the evaluation.

Once you have decided on a design pattern is time to begin writing your WebQuest task. The task focuses the learner on what they are about to do and describes clearly what the end product will be.

Imagine yourself as an insect. Your habitat is about to be destroyed by humans. If you could communicate with humans, 1. what would you write in a letter and 2. how would you design a poster to convince an exterminator that you should live?

Or Maybe your task is that ….

Your teacher has decided to make this snaky situation into an exciting event for the whole school. She wants you to create a snake exhibit to share all that you learn about these interesting reptiles. Your exhibit will include a poster showing the life cycle of a snake, a feeding sign for your snake, and a model of your snake in its natural habitat. As junior herpetologists, it will be your job to research one of the snakes and create the exhibit. Remember, your main goal is to find out if snakes are important, useful animals.

Writing the process section of the WebQuest is next. This section should clearly outline the steps which learners will need to complete in order to accomplish the task. This section will also include the online resources which should be used, provide guidance on how to organize the information gathered, and establish cooperative learning roles.

Once the process is written, only a few steps are left. The last two steps are the creation of the conclusion and the introduction. The conclusion brings closure and encourages reflection. You may want to summarize what the learners will have accomplished or learned by completing this WebQuest or you may want to include additional links to encourage learners to extend their thinking into other content areas beyond this lesson.

Dr. Slither will be very excited to hear what you and your fellow herpetologists have learned about snakes while she was gone. Even though many people fear these animals, hopefully you now have a better understanding of snakes and their role in our world. If you would like to learn more about snakes, check out King Cobra. Just for fun, read The Snakeman to hear a story about a boy who loves snakes more than anything!

The introduction is written last, and should be the most powerful section of your webquest. It should be written in a way that will grab the learner’s attention and hook them into wanting to learn more. It should be engaging and creative. You will want to write a short paragraph to introduce the WebQuest. And if there is a role or scenario involved (e.g., "You are a detective trying to identify the mysterious poet.") then this is the section where you'll set the stage. It is also in this section that you'll communicate the Essential Questions and Guiding Questions around which the entire WebQuest is created.

Your teacher's aunt, the famous herpetologist Professor Slither, just returned from one of her adventures and brought back a treasure to share with your class - four baby snakes! While visiting your class, she receives an emergency phone call asking her to come help take care of a frog invasion in a remote African village. In a panic, she hands the snakes to your teacher and tells her to take care of them until she returns. Your teacher, being a quick thinker, immediately puts you to work. You have four new baby snakes to take care of, and each one is a different kind! What will you feed them? What kind of habitats do they need? Most importantly, why would anyone want to save snakes? Are they actually important, useful animals?

In QuestGarden you are able to edit the default color scheme, add images, and even edit the HTML code by hand if you desire. Those topics and more will be the focus of future video podcasts. Jump on in and give it a try.