THE TASKMASTER

You are the one who will compose the Task/Process Section of your WebQuest.  In essence, you are the “boss” of the project the students will eventually complete.   Your job will be to design the task and process sections of the WebQuest.  You will have to be in close communication with the Researcher in order to provide the materials that students will need to review. 

Before you can start on your group’s work, you must first investigate at least three different existing WebQuests in order to see what good tasks and processes look like.  Use the following links to examine the Task and Process sections and complete the Task/Process Evaluation Critique for each one.

A Traveler’s Graphic Journal

                   “Back in Time”  Writing a Historical Fiction

                   Creating the 8^th Continent

These WebQuests have a lot in common.  You as the Taskmaster need to pay close attention to two things, the Task and Process Sections.

The following is the format your task section will follow:

The Task

Describe crisply and clearly what the end result of the learners' activities will be. The task could be a:

• problem or mystery to be solved;
• position to be formulated and defended;
• product to be designed;
• complexity to be analyzed;
• personal insight to be articulated;
• summary to be created;
• persuasive message or journalistic account to be crafted;
• a creative work, or
• anything that requires the learners to process and transform the information they've gathered.

If the final product involves using some tool (e.g., HyperStudio, the Web, video), mention it here.

Don't list the steps that students will go through to get to the end point. That belongs in the Process section.

 The Process section is where the actual directions will be listed.  This needs to be as clearly stated as possible, including the following information:

The Process

To accomplish the task, what steps should the learners go through? Use the numbered list format in your web editor to automatically number the steps in the procedure. Describing this section well will help other teachers to see how your lesson flows and how they might adapt it for their own use, so the more detail and care you put into this, the better. Remember that this whole document is addressed to the student, however, so describe the steps using the second person.

1. First you'll be assigned to a team of 3 students...
2. Once you've picked a role to play....
3. ... and so on.

Learners will access the on-line resources that you've identified as they go through the Process. You may have a set of links that everyone looks at as a way of developing background information, or not. If you break learners into groups, embed the links that each group will look at within the description of that stage of the process.

 

In the Process block, you might also provide some guidance on how to organize the information gathered. This advice could suggestions to use flowcharts, summary tables, concept maps, or other organizing structures. The advice could also take the form of a checklist of questions to analyze the information with, or things to notice or think about. If the Researcher has identified or prepared guide documents on the Web that cover specific skills needed for this lesson (e.g. how to brainstorm, how to prepare to interview an expert), link them to this section.

 

The Process also states the actual end product the students will be responsible for creating.  The products can be just about anything as long as it communicates a knowledge of the subject.  If your product involves creating some electronic media, you may want to include online sources that the students can access so they will know how to use the technology.  The examples you looked at should help you with this. 

 

YOUR PRODUCT:

Using the information above as well as what you observed in the example WebQuests, you must create the Task and Process sections of your group’s WebQuest.  This will be done on MicroSoft Word.  Do not worry about hyperlinking anything yet.  The Architect will be responsible for putting it all together.  All you must do is create what the student’s task is and how they are to accomplish it.

 

Here are some resources to help you create these sections for your WebQuest:

WebQuest Process Guides A growing series of short guides that you can link to or download and adapt. Each is designed to scaffold a specific cognitive or interpersonal activity.

WebQuest Process Checklist A list for self- or peer-review of the Process portion of your WebQuest.

 

Building Blocks for WebQuests A description of the six essential sections of a WebQuest. Newly enhanced by the San Diego City Schools Ed Tech Dept.

 

 

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