Laura’s Blog

I have found a really helpful website that goes through all the different types of tasks that are possible when doing webquests.  Before reading this website I was unaware of all the possibilities that surrounded webquests. In addition to this, Dodge (1999), comments that “It’s likely that the task in a given WebQuest will combine elements of two or more of these task categories”.

Types of tasks: (Dodge, 1999).

1. Retelling Tasks:

Mostly involve students absorbing information and demonstrating that they have understood it. This type of task is the “most commonly found Webquest” (Dodge, 1999). However,they can provide an easy introduction to the use of the Web as an information source” (Dodge, 1999).

2.    Compilation Tasks:

Involves, “to take information from a number of sources and put it into a common format” (Dodge, 1999). As Dodge (1999) comments, “ideally, a compilation task familiarizes students with a body of content and provides them with practice in making selection choices and explaining them, as well as organizing, chunking, and paraphrasing information drawn from a variety of sources in a variety of forms” (Dodge, 1999).

3.   Mystery Tasks:

“A well designed mystery task requires synthesis of information from a variety of sources” (Dodge, 1999). Therefore, when creating a mystery task, “create a puzzle that cannot be solved simply by finding the answer on a particular page” (Dodge, 1999).

4.   Journalistic Tasks:

This involves students “gathering facts and organizing them into an account within the usual genres of news and feature writing” (Dodge, 1999).

5.   Design Tasks:

This “requires learners to create a product or plan of action that accomplishes a pre-determined goal and works within specified constraints” (Dodge, 1999). For example, creating an itinerary that meets the interests of a given family, creating a floorplan for a house when given specific criteria, designing a field trip to a natural disaster site (Dodge, 1999).

6.   Creative Product Tasks:

“Creative WebQuest tasks lead to the production of something within a given format (e.g. painting, play, skit, poster, game, simulated diary or song) but they are much more open-ended and unpredictable than design tasks. The evaluation criteria for these tasks would emphasize creativity and self-expression, as well as criteria specific to the chosen genre” (Dodge, 1999).

7.   Consensus Building Tasks:

In this type of task it is “a requirement that differing viewpoints be articulated, considered, and accommodated where possible” (Dodge, 1999). Therefore scenarios need to be created where students can argue and consider other people’s ideas.

8.   Persuasion Tasks:

In this type of task students have to create an argument to persuade other students about what they have learnt during the webquest. “Persuasion tasks might include presenting at a mock city council hearing or a trial, writing a letter, editorial or press release, or producing a poster or videotaped ad designed to sway opinions” (Dodge, 1999).

9.   Self- Knowledge Tasks:

Students explore things in online and offline resources in order to better themselves and to gain a ”greater understanding of oneself” (Dodge, 1999).

10.   Analytical Tasks:

“In analytical tasks, learners are asked to look closely at one or more things and to find similarities and differences, to figure out the implications for those similarities and differences. They might look for relationships of cause and effect among variables and be asked to discuss their meaning” (Dodge, 1999).

11.   Judgement Tasks:

“Judgment tasks present a number of items to the learner and ask them to rank or rate them, or to make an informed decision among a limited number of choices” (Dodge, 1999).

12.   Scientific Tasks:

This type of tasks gives students a taste of science in ways such as coming up with hypotheses and surfing the Internet for up to date data on something that is of interest to them. Scientific tasks can be more beneficial is combined with another type of task, such as a mystery task.
All of these different types of tasks are really useful to know when creating your own webquest. Above was only a brief overview of each one. The website contains much more information on each.

Ref. Dodge, B. (1999). Webquest Taxonomy: A taxonomy of tasks. Retrieved 3rd March, 2008, from http://edweb.sdsu.edu/WebQuest/taskonomy.html

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