Welcome to our WebQuest!
This online project is based on the concept of webquests. A webquest is, in essence, an internet-based interactive learning environment, in which students are tasked with achieving a particular scenario goal – the ‘quest’, while achieving the desired learning goals upon which the quest is based.
In this particular webquest, the learning goal of the student is to acquire information about life in the middle ages. In order to do this, the students will proceed through a quest, in which they take on the role of a King’s investigator, searching for a spy. There are currently three different suspects, and the ‘trail’ of each suspect is geared towards a particular set of intelligence types, based on Gardner’s Multiple Intelligence theory (for more information on this theory and it’s application, see the section in this website on Multiple Intelligence). As each student progresses along the trail of the suspect, they are presented with information pertaining to life in the middle ages, as it relates to that particular suspect (ie. The Peasant trail presents information on the day-to-day life of peasants in the middle ages, the process of farming, marketing produce, taxation, and the role of the church in peasant life). As well, students are presented with small clues, which they will later analyze in an attempt to determine the relative guilt or innocence of each suspect.
As a guide to their investigations, students should examine the evidence with a mind to the following concepts:
In order to be a spy, the guilty party should have some, if not all, of the following traits:
- Ability to move about a community and/or country without being noticed.
- Dissatisfaction with the current situation in their country (ie. Taxes, legal rights, mistreatment)
- Access to valuable information and/or influential people
- Ability to have and spend money without attracting attention
- Ability to read and write
- Ability to have contact with different people without attracting attention
Once the students have successfully navigated the trail, they return to the starting point, where they will then prepare a character sketch of the suspect, describing their lives, and the clues they picked up. They will also prepare a ‘Wanted Poster’ of their suspect.
From this character sketch, students will present their suspect to others (this may be accomplished either as a class, or in smaller groups). Their presentation will include an analysis of the clues, and a statement of position on the guilt or innocence of the suspect. The group or class will then determine whom, of the suspects, is the guilty party. They may then return to the webquest to the conclusion page, where they will learn about the courts and trial methods of the Middle Ages, as well as what punishments may have been meted out.
It should be noted that there is no pre-determined guilty party in this webquest. One of the unlovely features of Medieval Europe was that in most cases, there was no real ‘fairness’ in the court systems. ‘Innocence until guilt is proven’ was not a standard. As the students will learn in the conclusion, in some cases a person could be convicted of a crime, simply on the word of another. In the case of the webquest, the guilty party will be, indeed, whomever the class decides is guilty.
In this webquest, the overall process is not difficult. The teacher directs the students to the website, checks the results of the Multiple Intelligence pretest
The webquest, as explained by Bernie Dodge and Tom March, is principally based on four concepts : critical thinking, cooperative learning, authentic assessment, and technology integration. It is an excellent constructivist learning activity, which works well for both teacher and student.
To learn more about webquests, their nature and rationale, try Dodge and March’s website http://www.ozline.com/learning/
Start under the heading Constructivism, and work through the various linked articles, starting with Why WebQuests? and proceeding through The 10 Stages of Web-Use Nirvana and Working the Web for Education. This website is a goldmine of information, tips, and suggestions for getting your own webquest up and running