Going on a Quest

By Judith Maginnis Kuster

Have you ever been on a "Quest?" OneLook Dictionary (http://www.onelook.com) links to 23 dictionaries with English definitions for the word "quest," including five different descriptions for q.u.e.s.t. (in Acronym Finder - www.acronymfinder.com), 198 different words that rhyme with quest (in Rhyme Zone - www.rhymezone.com). Others in this quest include the on-line etymology dictionary that explains the origin of the word is probably Latin or French (http://www.etymonline.com/), and the Merriam-Webster dictionary that pronounces the word aloud (www.m-w.com). The basic definition of course is "the act of searching for something." However, although OneLook indexes more than five million words in more than 900 on-line dictionaries, none recognized the word, "webquest." Only Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/) -- the "communal encyclopedia that anyone can edit" -- had information about "webquests."

A webquest differs from an Internet search, which is typically unstructured. Tom March and Bernie Dodge, (http://webquest.sdsu.edu/overview.htm) who first designed the webquest concept in 1995, explain that a webquest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information is drawn from the Web and is designed to use learners' time well, to focus on using information rather than looking for it. A standard webquest has the following components: introduction, task, process (which includes information sources), evaluation, and conclusion.

Shorter webquests may be important tools to help clients, their classmates, or their families acquire more knowledge about a communicative disability in a few hours. Longer webquests are designed for finding, analyzing, and integrating information. They may take up to a month for a student or team of students to complete and would be appropriate for course assignments.

Below are some examples worth exploring of webquests already on-line:

The National Center on Birth Defects and Developmental Disabilities has designed several webquests to help children understand disability, including the following that focus on speech-language disabilities:

• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Quest (www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/kids/kautismpage.htm) and If a Kid has Difficulty Learning, Can He or She Get a Job when He or She Grows Up? (www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/kids/klalpage.htm) help children understand a sibling or classmate with autism spectrum disorder or a learning disability
• Can a Person Who Can't Speak Still Tell Jokes? is designed to develop understanding of people who use assistive technology (www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/kids/kcalpage.htm)
• What Is Fetal Alcohol Syndrome and Why Is It Important for Me to Know about It? is a "prevention" webquest for high school students (www.cdc.gov/ncbddd/kids/kfaspage.htm)