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National Art Education Association
Webquests: Utilizing Technology in a Constructivist Manner to
Facilitate Meaningful PreserviceLearning Author(s): Rina Kundu and
Christina Bain Source: Art Education, Vol. 59, No. 2 (Mar., 2006),
pp. 6-11Published by: National Art Education AssociationStable URL:
http://www.jstor.org/stable/27696130Accessed: 12-03-2015 02:01
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Webquests:
Utilizing Technology in a
fefacilitate Meaningful l?il?n i^S&^i tiM ??gnimitf ii
BY RI?A KUNDU AND CHRISTINA BAIN
Teachers
tend to emulate the teaching styles or methods they were exposed
to both a?f
students and as preservice educators (Carter & Sottile,
2002; Johnson, 1991). One of the more
challenging aspects of teaching preservice students at the
university level is not only providing these students with the most
;^? current pedagogical theories, but also demon
strating how these various theories translate into actual
practice in the art classroom, li^ While traditional forms of
teaching, such as lecturing, certainly
enable an instructor to disseminate a body of knowledge
fairly
quickly and efficiently, they do not necessarily engage stude?
most effectively or authentically in the learning process. Cur?|?|t
educational theory (Hanson, 2002; Manery, 2003; Wilkinson,
McNutt, & Friedman, 2003) holds that meaningful learning
requires learners to interact with new information in wt^'p?SS^
enable active inquiry. Students should have opportunities to
construct their own knowledge and to develop their owa
cognitive maps, connecting concepts with meaning making? As
students actively engage with learning, they can move to
higher levels of cognition that involve applying, synthesizing,
and evaluating knowledge.
Teachers can design webquests to eliminate some of the
traditional obstacles to art-based learning, expanding the types
of inquiry that can be undertaken in classes and enabling students
to master materials through problem solving and
critical thinking. As teachers and researchers, we are
interested
in examining how webquests can nurture authentic forms of
student learning. The purpose of this article is to elucidate
the
nature of webquests, explain how and why our program utilizes
them in preservice art teacher education, and provide information
on how classroom practice can engage students
actively in facilitating meaning making.
Passive Learning Jfest pet teachers have experienced at least
one art history
&ot$se^ Jb&dly remembered as "art in the dark," during
their college coursework. For decades, this single teaching
method
ot?gfl a slide-illustrated lecture, has dominated the teaching
of
art history at the university. The methodology often encourages
rote memorization and passive learning among students.
Students are moved along with the use of slides and the
format
-
Preservice Learning
What is a Webquest? First, let us clear up some possible
misconceptions regarding
the nature of webquests. Although they exist in an on-line
environment, they are quite distinct from other forms of
educa
tional technology. For example, PowerPoint presentations are
teacher-centered and mainly linear in direction; on-line
treasure
hunts require filling out an answer sheet or finding the "right"
answer; and surfing the web may not have an educational
purpose. Although students often find solving webquests to
be
fun, unlike on-line games, their purpose is neither for competi
tion or entertainment. Furthermore, although students access
on-line resources, they are directed to a selection of specific
resources that will enable them to use their time wisely and
efficiently.
To be more specific, webquests are online, interactive
modules that allow students to be involved in
inquiry-oriented
learning. A webquest can be thought of as a microworld,
where
students explore an issue in a learning environment that is
both cooperative and contextual.Through an in-depth examina
tion of web-based resources, students gather and synthesize
information in collaboration with their peers to solve a
problem. While, as a group, students who undertake a webquest
interact and work together, each group member carries out a
specific, meaningful role. Webquest roles could include such
varied jobs as art historian, sociologist, anthropologist,
and
archeologist. Each role enables students to carry out their
research from a particular perspective. Group members then
pool their respective research findings, bring their newly
acquired knowledge to bear on an issue, formulate a response to
a complex, open-ended problem, and propose a reflective
and critical solution. Unlike traditional learning activities,
there
can be multiple solutions to the problem in a webquest.
Because the work of a webquest involves cooperative and
collaborative learning, the negotiation of authentic
resources,
the active application of researched knowledge, and the
construction of a solution to an open-ended problem, it is a
constructivist effort.Therefore, this type of learning is quite
different from learning with PowerPoint or web treasure
While, as a group, students who
undertake a webquest interact and work
together, each group member carries out
a specific, meaningful role. Webquest roles
could include such varied jobs as art
historian, sociologist, anthropologist, and
archeologist
hunts. Although PowerPoint and web treasure hunts integrate
technology into the classroom and enable students to work
actively, they reinforce traditional methods of teaching and
learning?transmitting and memorizing information, and identi
fying and recalling specifics in isolation from a context.
Understanding, however, involves the meaningful application of
facts, information, and knowledge within a context.
Complexity, diverse viewpoints, and critical insights
characterize
understanding?all of which are enabled through problems
proposed within a webquest.
History and Structure of Webquests The history of the webquest
is relatively short. Bernie Dodge
and Tom March developed the original concept in 1995 at San
Diego State University. According to Dodge (1997) a webquest is
"an inquiry-oriented activity in which some or all of the
information that learners interact with comes from resources
on the Internet, optionally supplemented with videoconfer
encing" (p. 1). Dodge (1997) delineates two different types
of
webquests: short-term and long-term.The more commonly
practiced short-term webquest can be completed in one to
three class periods and focuses on the acquisition and synthesis
of knowledge.The long-term webquest requires students to
spend one week to one month on the problem and allows
learners to demonstrate an understanding of the material by
creating a product, either on-line or off-line. TheWebQuest
Page
(Dodge, 1998), located at http://webquest.sdsu.edu/,
receives
more than 1,700 hits a day and is proof that educational
interest concerning webquests is growing.
MARCH 2006 /ART EDUCATION 7
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1 Typically, webquests contain several of the same compo ;nts.
Dodge (1997) contends that webquests should include e following: an
introduction, a task, information sources, a
process, some guidance, and a conclusion.
1. An introduction that sets the stage and provides some
background information.
2. A task that is doable and interesting.
3. A set of information sources needed to complete the task.
Many (though not necessarily all) of the resources are
embedded in the Webquest document itself as anchors
pointing to information on the World Wide Web. Information
sources might include web documents, experts available via
e-mail or real-time conferencing, searchable databases on
the
Internet, and books and other documents physically available
in the learner's setting. Because pointers to resources are
included, the learner is not left to wander through webspace
completely adrift.
4. A description of the process the learners should go through
in accomplishing the task.The process should be broken out
into clearly described steps.
5. Some guidance on how to organize the information
acquired.This can take the form of guiding questions, or
directions to complete organizational frameworks such as
timelines, concept maps, or cause-and-effect diagrams.
6. A conclusion that brings closure to the quest, reminds
the
learners about what they've learned, and perhaps encourages them
to extend the experience into other domains (Dodge, 1997, p.
1).
Dodge (2001), in collaboration with the San Diego City Schools
Education Technology Department, further advocates
the inclusion of a teacher page which would contain informa
tion regarding standards, targeted learners, and suggestions
for
teaching the unit. Although not every webquest includes the
exact same components, they indeed have a similar structure.
As von Glaserfeld (1996) explains...
Knowledge is not a collection of
facts but a mapping of actions and
operations that become viable to a
learner's experience. Learning thus
becomes an activity that students
must carry out.
How and Why Does Our Program Integrate Webquests into Preservice
Learning?
At the University of North Texas (UNT), our program requires art
education preservice students to complete two technology
courses:ART 3170: Computers in Art and ART 4830: Technology in the
Visual Arts. The first course focuses on the production of art on
the computer, while the latter focuses on how technology has
changed the nature of teaching and learning. Our students examine
webquests1 in the second course and work together as
teams to design one. Usually, students take about 3 to 4 weeks
to collaboratively construct the webquest, using a web editor
such as Dreamweaver or Composer .The students include an
introduction, a task, a process, an evaluation rubric, and a
conclusion in their webquests. The process section includes
roles for participants to play, Internet resources to be used
to
conduct the research, and questions to focus the participants'
attention.
We have several teaching goals in mind when we present the
webquest project.
1. We wish to motivate our students to create lessons that
speak to the complexity of art-based learning. Lessons should
not be obsessed with learning art skills but must speak to how art
enables the production of knowledge in relationship to living in
society.
2. We want students to understand how to integrate technology
into art-based learning and how technology can enhance
learning and create different types of learning opportunities.
What are the pros and cons of constructivist learning? Or
with using technology in a constructivist manner? What are
some of the problems students will face in assessing learning
that is supported by technology?
3. We want our students to understand how to address the
needs of diverse learners through technology. We want our
preservice students to design specific cognitive activities
that
allow students to produce knowledge from different perspec tives
and that utilize different ways of learning. Activities
should be meaningful to not only to preservice teachers but
also their future students, relating back to their
worldviews.
4. We wish to enable preservice students to develop their
thinking skills.As future art educators, this is essential. One
of our preservice students criticized this project because she
was given "too many options" (personal communication,
April, 2004).Teaching art, however, requires choices, and it
is
up to our students to make the best choices for themselves and
encourage their future students to do the same.
5. We want our students to learn how to negotiate working
collaboratively. As art teachers they will be part of a school?
a team?and it is important for them to practice inter
personal skills.
8 ART EDUCATION /MARCH 2006
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?O? Q index
Refresh Home Print Mail :8
[Jj| file:// loealhost /Users /rinakund /Desktop /monument /
index .htm I
Figure 1. Introduction page for webquest The Monument Makers by
students Andrea Asburn, Catherine Cave, Bill Close, Rebecca Crake,
and Kara Shotwell, 2004.
An Example of a Webquest Designed by Preservice Students
Although our preservice students have designed many innovative
webquests, here we describe one entitled The
Monument Makers (see Figure 1). Designed for teams of high
school students, this webquest begins with a particular scenario: A
freak tidal wave has damaged the Statue of Liberty
beyond repair and there is a need for a new public monument.
The webquest then challenges students to create a proposal
for
a new public monument for New York City in response to a
competition held by the city to replace the well-known
statue.
The monument must speak to New York City's past, present, and
future, as well as the nation at large. Participants take on
different roles such as art historian, sociologist, project
director, and site organizer to study the history of the
monument
building, particularly that of the Statue of Liberty, the values
of
the communities existing at the site, fundraising initiatives
to
build the monument, the environmental conditions of the site,
and the materials needed to construct the monument. Although
students carry out different research tasks, they must pool
their
knowledge in order to create the proposal. Their final proposal
must include a PowerPoint presentation and a design plan that
includes two-dimensional sketches and a three-dimensional
model. The proposals are then presented to an audience who
decides which of the projects would be most valuable and
most viable.
What Do We Want to Teach Our Students Using Constructivist
Methods?
Among the cognitive learning theories available, construc
tivism and situated learning are most significant to creating
an
active art classroom. Constructivism promotes the idea that
learners construct knowledge. As von Glaserfeld (1996)
explains, what sets constructivism apart from other learning
theories is its epistemology; in other words, knowledge is not
a
collection of facts but a mapping of actions and operations
that
become viable to a learner's experience. Learning thus
becomes an activity that students must carry out. According
to
Fosnot (1996), constructivism includes such characteristics
as
challenging, open-ended investigations in realistic,
meaningful
contexts, allowing students to generate their own hypotheses and
models as possibilities. We want our preservice students to
facilitate a classroom atmosphere where their students engage in
activity and reflection, as they communicate and defend
their ideas. Such an understanding of constructivism is used
to
create webquests and the assessment tasks contained within
them. In developing their webquests, preservice students
construct a problem that enables multiple solutions and
allows
students to present these to an audience, such as their
class
mates, for feedback and evaluation.
Situated learning asserts that enculturation leads to
learning.
Brown, Collins, and Duguid (1996) explain that knowledge is
MARCH 2006 / ART EDUCATION 9
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situated, a product of the activity, context, and culture in
which
it is used. Most situated learning theorists advocate for
authentic practices, which place content within context.
Situated learning has it roots in LevVygotsky's ideas about
social development. Vygotsky (1997) notes that understanding is
social; the relationship between the individual and a social
context is dynamic.To be human is to be socially situated
and
historical.The life space in which we live is inseparable
from
we who produce it. So learning leads development.
As noted by Newman and Holzman (1996), understanding must be
seen as a relational activity. We do not respond to
stimuli, acquire socially determined and useful skills, and
adapt to an environment. We continually transform the
circumstances
of our environment, working jointly with it. For example, as
Newman and Holzman (1996) explain, becoming a speaker of
language is not the mere acquisition of a skill or behavior. It
is
transformative, opening up new possibilities for the child.
People respond to the child as a speaker even if she does
not
have all the credentials.The child becomes a speaker because
she is related to as a speaker. Any tool, including technology,
not
only facilitates but also reshapes and transforms
experience.
In developing webquests, preservice students participate with
their peers in the context of production. Learning is thus
not located within an individual but is placed in the context
of
the social. This situated learning experience thus goes beyond
the concept of learning by doing, and is considered inseparable
from social practice. In the context of webquests, a virtual
environment situates learning. Social interaction and participa
tion is the key to learning within this context. Authentic
activi
ties are used to stimulate students toward problem solving and
critical thinking. Students collaborate, do activities that
facilitate understanding, use ideas central to the discipline
of
art, and address concepts and issues in life.Table 1
summarizes
the differences between traditional and constructivist
teaching methods:
Authentic activities are used to
stimulate students toward problem
solving and critical thinking. Students collaborate, do
activities
that facilitate understanding, use
ideas central to the discipline of
art, and address concepts and
issues in life.
Table 1 Differences Between Traditional and Constructivist
Learning
Traditional Methods Constructivist Methods
Knowledge
Learning
Knowledge is established by others and given to learners.
Is easily measurable, given in bits and pieces. Enables
memorization, identification, and recall.
Knowledge is created by learners and shaped by their cultures
and values.
Is an organic process; meaningful learning occurs
through reflection and resolution of cognitive conflict.
Student Passive Active
Teacher's role Is a transmitter of knowledge, an authority.
Is a facilitator, a collaborator, and/or a participant.
Teaching Activities
Require demonstrations, lectures, and the reinforcement of
habits
during independent practice.
Require problem-solving activities that enable more than one
correct answer, reflective thinking, and authentic connections to
life and living.
Conclusion As researchers begin to seriously examine webquests,
it is
time for art educators to better understand how and why they
should consider integrating them into their preservice
programs. We believe that while they learn pedogogical
theory,
preservice students must also be required to use it to be
fully
engaged. Given a reason to learn, students will learn. As they
make sense out of ideas and communicate this synthesis to
others, they are involved in both critical thinking and
problem
solving.
At various stages in the development of a webquest, students
make new connections that enrich their production and their
understanding of how to integrate technology into the art
classroom in a constructivist manner. Furthermore, webquests
themselves are authentic. Participants work cooperatively and
collaboratively to produce knowledge.They carry out research
from a particular perspective, in relationship to prior
knowledge, reading ability, and mastery.The researched
knowledge individuals bring back to their group is of value
because it furthers the understanding of others.
Our own practice of using webquests has been rewarding. Students
report that constructing webquests has engaged their
creativity, critical thinking, and problem solving skills, and
has
enabled them to re-examine the usefulness of technology in
the
art classroom. As student Elizabeth Smalling noted,
While a Power Point presentation may complement
instruction, a webquest truly redefines it. In a webquest
activity, students engage in constructivist learning by role
playing and performing independent tasks. By working as
a team with the same goal yet individual tasks, children
experience how it is in a real work place?people, with
differing jobs, working toward one goal, (personal
communication, December 10, 2004)
10 ART EDUCATION / MARCH 2006
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Furthermore, as student Alesia Thompson Shaw also explains,
Technology in the form of webquest opportunities allows
students to consume and evaluate multiple representations,
images, and inputs found in their Internet searches.
Students
enter a community of thinkers in a diverse ecology of
participation where discussion of ideas can occur with real
people outside of their schoolmates and teachers (Looi,
2000). With the changing organization of ideas and informa
tion that the Web and Internet provide, why would any teacher
not want to expose students to this community?
(personal communication, December 13, 2004)
Why indeed.
Rina Kundu and Christina Bain are art education faculty members
at the University of North Texas, Dent?n.
E-mail:[email protected] or [email protected]
REFERENCES
Brown, J. S., Collins,A., & Duguid, P. (1996). Situated
cognition and the culture of learning. In H. McLellan (Ed.),
Situated learning
perspectives (pp. 19-44). Englewood, NJ: Educational Technology
Publications.
Carter, W. & Sottile, J. M. (2002, February-March). Changing
the
ecosystem of preservice math and science methods classes to
enhance students' social, cognitive, and emotional development.
Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Eastern Educational
Research Association, Sarasota, FL.
Dodge, B. (1997). Some thoughts about webquests. Retrieved April
29, 2005, from http://webquest.sdsu.edu/about_webquests.html
Dodge, B. (1998).The webquest page. Retrieved April 29, 2005,
from
http://webquest.sdsu.edu/
Dodge, B. (2001).The building blocks of a webquest. Retrieved
May 1, 2005, from
http://projects.edtech.sandi.net/staffdev/buildingblocks/
p-index.htm
Fosnot, CT. (1996). Constructivism: A psychological theory of
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practice (pp. 8-33). New York: Teachers College, Columbia
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science through the integration of visual art. Unpublished
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thesis, Saint Xavier University. Johnson, G. (1991). Connecting
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Looi, C. K. (2000). A learning ecology perspective for the
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Manery, R. (2003). Cosmic oranges: Observation and inquiry
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Newman, F., & Holzman, L. (1996). Unscientific psychology: A
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von Glaserfeld, E. (1996). Introduction: Aspects of
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EWDN?TE * Before producing a webquest, students have engaged
with a number of issues in relationship to teaching and learning
with technology, including information literacy, the ability to
identify, locate, evaluate, and use information for a problem at
hand. Because the Internet is leveled, students investigate how to
find trustworthy resources and they build
guidelines that distinguish complex educational resources from
those that are less complex. Students have listed such criteria as
information
retrieval, interactivity, and publishing capabilities in their
evaluation of
"good" websites. As users, they want a voice in the learning
process as well as control over their pace through a site.
MARCH 2006 /ART EDUCATION 11
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Article Contentsp. 6p. 7p. 8p. 9p. 10p. 11
Issue Table of ContentsArt Education, Vol. 59, No. 2 (Mar.,
2006) pp. 1-52Front MatterEditorial: Where Is the Coffee Shop in
Art Education? [pp. 4-4]Letters to the Editor [pp. 5, 24]Webquests:
Utilizing Technology in a Constructivist Manner to Facilitate
Meaningful Preservice Learning [pp. 6-11]Developing Artistry in
Teaching: Ritual Art and Human Concerns [pp. 12-19]Art Education in
the Marketplace [pp. 20-24]Instructional ResourcesPrecisionism: Art
in the Industrial Age [pp. 25-32]
Object Lessons: Thinking about Material Culture [pp. 33-39]A
Real "Community Bridge": Informing Community-Based Learning through
a Model of Participatory Public Art [pp. 40-46]Who Says There Have
Been Great Women Artists? Some Afterthoughts [pp. 47-52]Back
Matter