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Introduction

If we only wanted you to know facts and information, we would use direct instruction strategies. However, because we face the more challenging scenario of understanding, we’ll use an approach better suited to the task. The following activity is a WebQuest for teachers who want to design WebQuests to help their students gain a deeper understanding of issues related to social justice.

The Big Question / Task

How could you use the Web to help students engage in advanced learning on issues of social justice?

Background for Everyone

Recall the earlier presentation highlighting the critical attributes of a real WebQuest.

Later, you might want to review these following articles:

• Why WebQuests?
• The Learning Power of WebQuests
• What WebQuests are (Really!)
• The 3 R’s of WebQuests
• The WebQuest Design Process

Roles / Perspectives

Learning about a complex task benefits from being viewed by multiple perspectives. Below are five viewpoints that can help create a more effective WebQuest (You might think of another one you want to pursue as well). Take a longish period of time (40 minutes) to review the links for the perspectives below and then have a good grasp on your answers to the related questions. You might choose to work individually, in pairs or as a team.

Resource Gatherer

Amazing Web resources can create a more Rich, Real and Relevant learning experience for students.

Explore the links below, looking for a few things:

1. At least one Web site that merits looking at as a whole class. This site might be highly interactive, compelling in its message or rich in how it addresses a core issue. You will probably “know it when you see it.” Copy the title and Web address and paste it into the comments field of this Blog post with a message that explains this is a “one site wonder” or “learning to look” resource.
2. Use the Hotlist prepared for this activity and copy and paste the best “Mega sites” that you believe are worth further study. Copy the title and Web address and paste it into the comments field of this Blog post with a message that explains this is a “mega site” or “hotlist worth using”.
3. If you are really keen, go ahead and gather a collection of links that you think were the best. These might be from the Social Justice Links or from independent searching you’ve done. Copy the title and Web address for each and keep it handy. This might be pasted in “Notepad” or bookmarked or?
   • A New 3R’s - Editor’s Picks
   • Clusty search on “social justice”

Pedagogical Strategist

Recalling that a WebQuest incorporates a range of research-based theories, how can the activity you’re creating best achieve pedagogical success?

Explore the links below, looking for a few things:

1. What might be needed to harmoniously integrate the WebQuest with practices the teachers and students are already used to? Study the “Crool Zone?” WebQuest series, looking both at the WebQuest, but also the strategy for integrating other Web-based activities that might best support learners. Write your ideas down and keep them handy. This might be pasted in “Notepad” or the Comments section of this post. Be clear on whether you believe it would be helpful to differentiate activities for different learners. Perhaps all should participate in a Sampler or Hunt, but only some in a WebQuest. Regardless of your opinions, be sure you can explain your reasoning.
2. Years of working with many teachers and students in the US, Australia and online has prompted the development of The 2nd 10 Steps. The idea here is to provide an entry place for every educator to advance their expertise on integrating the Web into student learning. Because we want to individualise learning for both students and teachers, we should provide a range of entry points. Click on each of the steps on the link above and note which steps seem most appropriate to you are your colleagues. Write your ideas down and keep them handy. This might be pasted in “Notepad” or the Comments section of this post. Be clear on which 2 - 3 steps you believe would be appropriate to the majority of your colleagues.
3. Besides providing good resources for learning, the Web is also a great way for students to demonstrate what they learn. Focus on the ClassActPortal in the The 2nd 10 Steps and brainstrom how it might serve as a medium for a teacher and his or her students to focus their studies in social justice. Write your ideas down and keep them handy. This might be pasted in “Notepad” or the Comments section of this post. See if you can’t offer 2 - 3 suggestions about how to enhance learning through the use of a Web site. You might consider what more could be done with a site like The Child Slave Labor News.

Tech Fan

By definition, a WebQuest provides an enriched learning experience that in some way requires the Web - if learning doesn’t need the Web, save the bandwidth. Your job is to explore how the newer Web 2.0 technologies might be useful to the Year 7 & 8 project on social justice.

Explore the links below, looking for a few things:

1. Be able to describe to your less techno-savvy colleagues what these are: blogs, wikis, social bookmarking, RSS and VoIP.

Weblogs (AKA Blogs) - (about blogs) - BoingBoing.net, Dave Warlick, Google’s Infinite Thinking Machine.

Wikis - WikiSpaces - (about wikis)

Social Bookmarking - Del.icio.us - (about social bookmarking)

Podcasts - EdPod from the ABC - (about podcasting)

RSS Feeds - Bloglines Sample - (about RSS Feeds) (or this one)

VoIP - Skype - (about Skype) (about VoIP)

2. Which of the newer Web-based technologies might contribute to learning at Marian? Write your ideas down and keep them handy. This might be pasted in “Notepad” or the Comments section of this post. See if you can offer 2 - 3 suggestions about how to enhance learning through the use of Web 2.0 technologies. You might consider the model of MyPlace.
3. If you’re really keen, here’s a WebQuest just for you on making sense of Web 2.0 applications. If you don’t use it now, you might find it helpful for later PD with your less tech-savvy colleagues and students. It lets them discover Web 2.0 from within a WebQuest.

Outcomes Orchestrator

As engaging as a WebQuest and interest-based learning might be, we want to be able to assess what students learn and how this supports their further development. Use the links below to:

1. Determine a set of relevant Standards that might be achieved through a WebQuest. Copy the source of the Standards and its Web address and paste it into a NotePad document or the comments field of this Blog post. See if you can find a range of Standards that might be achieved.
2. Create a short list of the main learning standards and outcomes you think a long-term project on social justice could lead to. Copy the main the Standards and and paste them into a NotePad document or the comments field of this Blog post. Then take the next step and imagine what the learning outcomes or products might look like. Brainstorm 3 - 5 possible learning outcomes students could create and use for assessment.
   • VELS Level 5
   • VELS Interdisciplinary Learning
   • Costa’s Habits of Mind
   • Melbourne Schools & Social Justice
   • Australian Catholic Social Justice Council
   • Major themes from Catholic Social Teaching
   • Young idealists rally media to support humanitarian causes (News article)

Topic Detective

The main thing that inspires engaged learning is an intrinsic connection to the topic. This is for both the teacher and students. Your job is to help the Marian team by collecting a really rich and interesting list of social justice topics that might excite such a connection. Use the links below to generate such a list. This might be pasted in “Notepad” or the Comments section of this post.

• World Issues
• Service Learning Topics
• Human Rights Issues from Actnow.com.au
• Google Directory of Social Issue topics

Group Process

Now that each perspective (and maybe more!) have been explored, it’s time to share your collective expertise and come to some decisions. You can choose how you want to structure this group activity. Typically, the more “novice” learners are to WebQuests and group decision-making, the more scaffolded or structured the process should be. On the other end of the spectrum, basically have an adult conversation that involves a juggling of these five aspects to answer the Big Question:

How could you use the Web to help students engage in advanced learning on issues of social justice? Make sure your answer includes topics, resources, standards, technologies and Web-based pedagogical strategies.

Conclusion

Sometimes we learn really well by hearing about something. Other times it’s actually more useful to actually engage in the learning itself. How did participating in this WebQuest go for you? How do you think your students might respond? On a subject like social justice, is it more important for students to learn information or to gain a personal understanding, ideally, one that will inform choices they make throughout their lives?

Today is a milestone in your learning about WebQuests. Integrate what was meaningful for you and take the next steps. Remember that there are many ways to enrich learning through use of the Web and you can choose those best suited to the task, your leaners, and your current comfort level using the Web. Remember, learning is a continuum and any learning is good learning.

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