4.+Cons+of+using+Webquests

=__** The Cons of Using Webquests **__=

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=== When considering the pro’s and con’s of doing a Webquest in your classroom, many things come to mind. While there is a wide variety of benefits, there are also some quite substantial downfalls. For example: ===

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The internet is filled with a wide range of resources, authored by everything from bloggers to academics. With this wide range, it is important to understand that not all students (including some high school students) will be able to synthesize the information learned. It is important that you chose websites ahead of time for students to use that are at their reading level. It is also important that you make yourself available to students to help them understand the information they are reading about while researching.======

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This is a difficult task, especially for younger students who may have problems with comprehension. When given an overabundance of information, it is important that students are able to pick out relevant pieces and reiterate them in their own words. It is easy to get bored or off-task if students have to sift through too much text in order to find the answers they are looking for.======

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Whenever considering work with technology, there is always the problem of staying on task. There are a million websites that students can play games, social network, or read about their favourite celebrity on. With a large class, the task of supervision becomes more and more difficult. While many schools have blocked websites, or programs that allow to track the websites that each student is on, this is not always a reality. You must know your students and their personalities before taking on a Webquest if you believe this may be a problem.======

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This problem goes hand in hand with the problem of staying on task. With so many black holes in internet morality, there is a plethora of inappropriate pictures, videos, blogs, and websites that your are exposing your students to when giving them free reign of the internet. Again, many schools may have programs to block these types of sites, but it impossible to completely avoid them.======



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Students who have growing up using computers work at a much faster pace than students who do not have access at home. Getting the hang of using the internet is a learned task in itself, so the reality is that many students work at very different speeds. This could be resolves by matching up slower and faster students, but you must be careful that both students still have equal opportunity to control the computer, so the slower student still gets the practice they need to learn. You would have to implement many sponge and anchor activities in order to accommodate this problem when students are working individually.======

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Webquest require a lot of hours spent on the computers for each student to complete. Depending on the complexity of the Webquest, sometimes students can be partnered on a computer, but other it is most beneficial if they have their own. This kind of computer access for one class is not always a reality in some schools with only one computer lab. Webquests are not always a great option in schools with these types of difficulties.======

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We live in a world where not all students will have access to the internet, let alone a computer in their after school hours. This makes assigning work from Webquests almost impossible for many classrooms. This reality further confirms the previous point that there is a very high demand for computers when completing a Webquest, as it is more often than not impossible to assign any of it for homework.======

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Often in Webquests, there is no right or wrong answers. This can create confusion in marking for many students. When rubrics are too structured, it can diminish critical thinking as well because all the answers are laid out in front of them. Evaluation should be clearly announced before the Webquest begins, to avoid ambiguity of marks as much as possible.======

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