How can I use WebQuests in conjunction with other educational techniques?

 

WebQuests are based on the ideas of inquiry and constructivism. WebQuests also incorporate cooperative and collaborative learning, since students work on projects in groups. These concepts can play a role in teaching with WebQuests.

WebQuests can also help students meet standards focused on critical-thinking and analysis skills, and may be particularly useful for social studies and science. By using multimedia, WebQuests also help with multiple intelligence work. Alternative kinds of assessment can be used to judge the results of WebQuest projects. And, obviously, WebQuests are one way to use the Internet in education.

WebQuests are tools, not educational theories, so they can be used in virtually any classroom with appropriate computer access.

 

Web Quest (webquest) - is one of the most difficult educational Internet resources, which is a scenario for the project activity any topic using the resources of the global Internet. "Web Quest has a clearly defined structure and is aimed at the study and comprehensive study of the problem of a single issue, often associated with future professional activities of foreign students".

One can not disagree with E.I. Baguzino [38] which proves his thesis research, which through the use of web quest technology in learning a foreign language, you can create a "holistic didactic construct", which includes not only the original form of education, but also the content, teaching methods and control, making it possible to "remotely manage independent educational activity of students in the prepared and didactically structured online environment that provides the required students in the immersion process of foreign language information environment with the simultaneous development of methods of search and constructive work in it ".

Among the educational web quests popular QuestGarden, which proposes to implement a large number of projects, or create your own web-quest. The formation of writing skills in the target language contributes to participate in the discussion group in synchronized time, which is the correspondence in real time and is called chat. Participate in a conversation allows a group of students "meet" at pre-agreed time and at the agreed place - on a particular website, specially dedicated for chats. A part of the discussion in the unsynchronized time - sending messages to a website for further reading, and writing a response by all participants at a convenient time for them - called the Forum. The forum provides an opportunity to advance preparation and editing material posted on the website, as opposed to the chat, which is recommended to be used already at an advanced stage of language learning.

According to the E. I. Baguzina [39] considering Web-Quest as a didactic means of formation of foreign language communicative competence, defines it as problematic task with RPG (Role-playing game) elements, which are used to carry the information resources of the Internet.

In the course of diagnosing students conducted Ryndak V. G. and Polyanskaya E. E. [50] revealed their great interest in the possibilities of information and communication technologies in education. At the same time future teachers recognize their lack of awareness in this area. In addition, 51% of students believe that information and communication technologies are needed only at certain stages of the educational process. We need not always, not always and not for everyone, and only 49% believe that modern information and communication technologies have become an integral part of the program of development of information space school. (Y. S. Bykhovsky " Educational Webquests " [50] Web - Quest - is a site on the Internet with which students work, performing a particular learning task. Developing such a web-quests for maximum integration of the Internet in different subjects on different levels of education in the learning process. They include a separate problem, a subject, the subject may be with interdisciplinary. Feature educational web quest is that part or all of information for independent or group work of students with him. It located on different websites. In addition, the result of working with the WebQuest is the publication of the works of students in the form of Web pages and Websites (local or Internet)

Bernie Dodge [45] A key section of any Web-Quest is a detailed scale evaluation criteria, based on which the project participants evaluate themselves myself teammates. The same criteria and the teacher uses. Web Quest is a complex task, so the evaluation of its performance It should be based on several criteria, targeting type problematic tasks and presentation of results. Bernie Dodge recommends the use of 4 to 8 criteria, which may include an assessment of:

· research and creative work,

· the quality of the arguments, originality of the work,

· skills in microgroup,

· oral presentation,

· multimedia presentation,

· written text

K. Viddoni and C. Maddux [52] on the basis of research came to the conclusion that the use of web-quests for critical thinking development of schoolchildren. it was established by scientists:

- Web-quests encourage more students to form their own point of view, rather than relying on the opinion of the selection and tactics textbook authors’ information

- Web-quests are often issues of different angles thus allowing students to base their judgments on different points of view. In the network there are many sites on the basis of various points of view, and teachers can easily incorporate different views on the issue in its web quests.

- Web-quests often involve group work so students are aware of the importance of critical appraisal judgment in the process of collaboration with peers working on quests.

- Web-quests are always suggesting getting specific activity of the final product to be provided to the teacher so students receive critical feedback from the teacher.

- Web-quest predisposes students to constant self-assessment control by the teachers which in turn promotes the development of critical thinking. E. Holat highlights two problems arise when working with web-quest:

- "It is assumed that students will follow the directions given job, and attend credible, teachers selected sites to obtain information. However, students may not return to the assignment if they are passionate about other sites that seem to them more interesting.

- "Students may not want to web-quest and do the job if they do not like the script or theme, or if they find the task too difficult"focus attention on the causes of the use of web-quests problems:

- "Web-quests have recently become a fashionable fad. Perhaps due to the very attractiveness of the term. "Web-quests-sounds appealing and reminds about the concepts and use of high technology. This contributed to the fact that they are moving some supporters as a panacea to solve all the problems in education. As they are currently in vogue, then find the actual approval among many teachers, some of whom believe that " any Web-quest - a good web-quest" is certainly absurd, because the network is replete with a beautiful and frankly weak web quests. What needs to be done in this case, since it is paid attention to the development of web-quests criterion, rather than continue to praise web quests, as if they were all the same.

- Many web quests are written exactly the same way. As for the first-graders and for high school students.

- The problem lies in the choice of topics for web-quests. It seems reasonable that the topics should be given to the program. However, many web-quest do not seem related to the curriculum specified level, and at times look theme chosen arbitrarily.

- Most of the web-quests developer’s suggest that critical thinking skills can be developed only through group activities and the achievement of general agreement. Without denying the importance of collective forms of work, it is necessary to take into account that not everyone loves the teamwork and get the best result in the activity in their work. Web quests, in general, few take into account the individual development of character, least of all, the development of styles in educational activities and educational preferences» As a result, you can identify the following advice for teachers who are working to create their own web-quests or finished development. These recommendations need to critically assess the quality of web-quest, which is important in organizing the work of students in the classroom:

1) Web quests Threads shall comply with the program of the training course for a specific discipline.

2) Web-quest must contain an acceptable number of possible resources.

3) The web quest is to provide opportunities for students to consider the topic from different perspectives.

4) along with group activities need to think through the possibilities induvidualnoy work WebQuest students.

5) the need to consider the age of pupils

Practice Russian schools web-quest found use in the teaching of foreign languages ​​such as English. Perhaps it is due to a large number of developed web quests on English-language websites in the network.

G.A. Vorobyov [42] describing the process of formation of social competence through the Web-based, Web-Quest is characterized as a virtual project with a portion or all of the information, which the student works, according to the author, can be located on various Web-sites.

Analyzing publications on this issue, we note that the Internet is widely used in the learning process for the organization of design activity of pupils. The significance of the project activity based on network resources, confirmed by research scientists. A.V. Hutorsky [44] The farm says: "Internet - technology greatly expand the educational and communicative capabilities of students, and the project form of training allows them to focus on the productivity of educational activity." According to E. S. Polat [45] "almost any project becomes completely different colors, if in the process of working on it using materials borrowed from the Internet"

However, as rightly pointed out by A. V. Hutorsky [42], this form of education in our country, entrenched mainly due to additional education, although nothing prevents to extend it to a basic learning process as is done in some foreign countries. Therefore, we turn to the technologies that provide the possibility to organize project activities under the base of the educational process. One of the most effective methods of using the Internet as part of the lesson is a technique WebQuest, which was developed in 1995. B. Dodge and T. March University of San Diego [26].

PART II

METHODOLOGY

DATA COLLECTION

Using online resources has received an increasing amount of attention, reasons for which were discussed earlier when defining the matter. In particular, it was shown that the practical implementation of online teaching materials in foreign language teaching has given rise to numerous theories and studies that have elaborated on the issue. However, since integrating internet resources in teaching English is a multidimensional concept with various interpretations, its promotion still requires further research. This particular study aims at offering an additional viewpoint to the issue by studying the special website for teachers and students who can benefit in both learning and teaching the English language effectively.

As was noted earlier, the promotion of online resources in contexts of ELT has

recently caught the attention of numerous scholars and practitioners. In particular, the focus has increasingly been on the practical implementation of these resources and, in specific, practices that aim at motivating learners and fostering their autonomy in learning contexts. Hundreds of special websites have been designed to promote college students learning skills and make the completion of tasks more enjoyable and more efficient. In addition, promoting readiness for self-directed learning and enhancing different techniques, in particular, using internet resources, websites in foreign language teaching are important features of 21^st century education.

The approach adopted in the present study to the promotion of using website use in ELT is twofold. First of all, since online resources is, as was mentioned earlier, implied in one of the official aims of English teaching in, the present study aims at revealing the extent to which using online resources, specifically, using Webquests is

promoted in that context of ELT in schools and universities. In particular, this issue is approached from the students’ perspective. Second of all, this study aims at finding out how satisfied the students and teacher are with the extent to which using online, specifically, using Webquests is in their opinion promoted in English teaching in secondary schools and SDU in Kaskelen.

On the basis of the reasons, the following research questions

were formulated:

1. In the students’ opinion, to what extent is using online recources, specifically, using webquests promoted in English teaching in secondary schools and SDU in

Kaskelen?

2. How satisfied are the students and teachers with the extent to which they

think using online resources, specifically, using Webquests is promoted secondary schools and SDU in Kaskelen?

3. How well can teachers and learners use websites, specifically, Webquests effectively in ELT?

 

The methods I have used for my research work were the Qualitative and Quantitative research methods: interview, experiment, questionnaires, pre and posttest as the measurement of learning to compare what the students knew before and after the class experience.