Remember when I told you about those technology classes I was taking last month? In doing so, I learned about another cool web tool that I can't wait to start using this upcoming year. Webquests are a fun, interactive means of having your students use online resources to learn about a topic and apply knowledge. Give your students a task, links for the activities they need for the assignment at hand, and they're off on a virtual learning journey.
That being said, my new favorite online "toy" for teaching is Zunal. This website allows you to create and store wonderful, structured webquests for your students for FREE. I had never heard of Zunal before and I am very impressed with how easy it is to use. When you go to create a new webquest, there are already preset categories and pages for the essential parts of your webquest, such as introduction, task, process, and evaluation. You don't have to create any buttons or pages yourself; all you need to do is enter the text, links, and images. To make your webquests even more engaging, you can also add files (great for if you want to include a study guide or worksheet you've created), video from YouTube, Vimeo, and TeacherTube (but not SchoolTube!!! Huge bummer!), pictures, and Vokis. It's up to you how "blinged" out you like to make your webquests, but Zunal give you plenty of means to make your webquests dazzle.One of the best things about the template Zunal gives you is it includes a page in your webquest for evaluation that allows you to create a rubric for your task. All you have to do is enter the performance descriptors you want to inlcude for your final project. And since it's right there in the webquest, your students can refer to it as they work. There is also a mobile version of Zunal so your students can interact with the webquests you create using an iPad or Android device as well. As with most free resources, you can upgrade to the paid version where you can add more pages to your webquests, quizzes, games, etc. With the free account you can make as many webquests as you'd like.
Another plus is you can search for webquests created by other teachers on Zunal. There are literally thousands to choose from in any subject area and every grade level. If you have a Portaportal, you can bookmark your favorite webquests or ones you have created so they are easy for your students to access when needed.
Here's the link to a webquest I created on Abraham Lincoln. Check it out and others on Zunal, and soon you'll be setting up your own account so you can make webquests for your own classroom!
http://zunal.com/
http://zunal.com/webquest.php?w=156042
