Tuesday, August 01, 2006

Webquest Evaluation


Webquest Title and Website URL: Conflict Yellowstone Wolves

Grade/Age Level: 6-9

Language: English

Content: Ecology, History, Environmental Studies, Persuasive Writing, Problem Solution


1) What is the intended purpose of the webquest?

(a) To get students to take a reasoned stand on the issue of the Reintroduction of The Gray Wolf to Yellowstone and to central Idaho.

(b) To expose students to the history of The Gray Wolf in Yellowstone and Idaho, and what the Wolf Reintroduction Program is trying to accomplish.

(c) To expose student to ecological information about wolves and The Gray Wolf in particular, such as their habitat, characteristics, etc.

(d) To get students to realize that there is usually more than one reasoned perspective to a conflict and solutions must be found.

2) What is the content of the webquest and how is it presented?

(a) Typical webquest format- an introduction, a task, a 5-step process of exploration, resources and grading rubric.

(b) Online and print information about wolf conservation, wolves and the Yellowstone wolf

(c) Live controversial information, e.g. interviews from experts on both sides of the fence, the challenge argued by the American Farm Bureau Federation on behalf of Yellowstone farmers, testimonies, etc.
The presentation is simple but very effective - simple one page layout with integrated links leading to resources. The picture of the gray wolf dominates, maintaining the central theme. However, the picture of a sheep as the symbol of its prey, and a picture of the farmer are strategically placed within the process section of the webquest to remind students of the other perspective.

Very well-developed guiding questions, in each of the five steps lead students through a thorough investigation. A Pre-Write graphic organizer is provided to guide student in organizing their argument, complete with names and titles of officials to whom emails will be sent. Active email message formats to key lobbyists are also provided.

3) What external documents does the webquest include? Are they effective?

(a) Planet Earth ecology page with activities (conservation issues).

(b) The Museum of Television and Radio homepage (joint-initiators of web-based ecology projects with Poway United School District (PUSD)

(c) PUSD webpage and draft curriculum standards in 3 areas - The Nature of Science, Unifying Concepts and Processes, and The Living Environment.

(d) 2 Teacher Toolbox pages (confusing) providing webquest timeline, project tools, guest book, brief suggested development for other Planet Earth activities listed, etc.

External documents are very effective, but some of the links are dead. They give the webquest a living quality emanating from within an active community. Titles of activities are engaging, e.g. The environment is counting on you, Make a Difference in your world, The Earth’s Treasures. The guest book includes comments from teachers who have used the webquest and their brief feedback is useful.

4) In what ways is the webquest interesting to the target audience?

(a) The graphics of the wolf, the sheep and the farmer are strategically used on the main page to accentuate the opposing sides of the conflict.

(b) The introduction is calculated to attract the attention of students, pitting the wolf first in the context of the well-known The Three Little Pigs and Little Red Riding Hood fairy tales, and then exposing the real controversy of Yellowstone.

(c) The haunting howls of the wolf lead off Step 1 with audio from the resource pages.

(d) The task is framed in controversial language: ‘Should the wolves in Yellowstone National Park be removed?’

(e) Vibrancy in selection of resource material such as interviews which are strongly worded.

5) For what language goal(s) is this webquest useful/effective?

Persuasive writing, live debate (oral), journalism, television interviews, and documentaries

6) Does this program or webquest offer practice? Assessment? Feedback? Of what kinds? (give examples)

(a) The webquest takes students into the real world of the concerned citizen. Students have to defend their views on a human vs wolf survival issue. In this respect the webquest offers more than practice.

(b) However, the assessment or guiding rubric is very tame. Considering the strong views, assessment should have given more weight to a balance between rhetoric and reasoning skills.

(c) Serious ambiguity: The one item of feedback the project offers, the AFBF interview, seems to sabotage the authentic nature of the project, and thus its teaching/ learning effectiveness.

(d) Apparently judgment had already been passed in favor of the farmers in the courts. This information is alluded to in the closing statement of the interview above, which is a reply to the teacher. It is disappointing that this information comes in Step 2 of the webquest, and was not more strategically used in the construction of the entire webquest.

7) Is this webquest easy to navigate (layout, etc.)?

Very easy to navigate; the single main page allows the steps of the webquest to flow and develop logically like a storyline

8) What are the strengths of this webquest?

Webquest strengths: Its live, engaging feel and sense of immediacy; the involvement of students in a real controversy; the alluring manner in which it frames research and background information; the clarity with which supportive steps are outlined.

9) How can this webquest be improved?

(a) The rubric could be more challenging to include more Language Arts (Persuasive Writing) and Ecology curriculum standards.

(b) Alternatives should be found for inactive links.

(c) The placement and the function of the AFBF interview in the webquest should be rethought. The interview should be better integrated so that it does not undermine the authentic educational value of the webquest.

(d) The ambiguity of having 2 Teacher Toolbox pages should be resolved.

2 Comments:

At 5:32 PM, Blogger andrea said...

Nice review, Cynthia :>
I liked the Webquest itself, too - nice authenticity. It must make the issue exciting for the students. It's too bad, like you said, that the final outcome was given away early.

 
At 1:44 PM, Blogger Rebecca said...

Hi,
I've just read your blog! You may be interested in reading a personal experience with the wolves of Yellowstone. Please visit this blog http://notesfromyellowstone.blogspot.com
Do not hesitate to share your comments with people from all over the world!

 

Post a Comment

<< Home