The role of WebQuests in learning a foreign/second language

 

 

 

 

At each class of this course I learned so many things which I have never heard about it before that  such as" WebQuest" .

A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented lesson format in which most or all the information that learners work with comes from the web .These can be created using various programs, including a simple word processing document that includes links to websites. This means it is a classroom-based lesson in which most or all of the information that students explore and evaluate comes from the World Wide Web. The emphasis throughout will be on technology uses which place language learners in the role of active participants and the teacher in that of facilitator.

One of the main features of any WebQuest is that students tackle questions that prompt higher level thinking. Certainly, the Web can be used as a source for simple information retrieval, but this misses its power and short-changes students. In WebQuests students take on roles within a small student group and this tends to promote motivation. In addition, because the WebQuest targets learning about large, complex or controversial topics, it's probably not realistic to expect each student to master all of its aspects.

inquiry-based learning, and especially learning through WebQuest activities can be a good means of collaboration among students in a class. Multiple teams in a class can be working on the same question that the WebQuest poses. However, the nature of collaboration can lead to different outcomes, depending on the interactions among the group members.

Webquest is one of the new ways in technology that I will use it when I become a teacher one day.I think students in Saudi Arabia are developing very fast these days and they should learn how to use Webquest in their learning because it will benefit them so much. I think now is the time to change our traditional way in teaching .