Creating WebQuest for Maximum Learning in the String/Orchestra Class

Abstract

Consider the following adage: Tell me and I forget; show me and I remember; involve me and I understand. While performance is the primary mode of involvement in a school orchestra class, performance, coupled with the completion of internet-based projects, provides a mechanism for students to form a deep understanding of the music being learned. The internet can serve as a powerful tool—both in the quantity of information and motivational impetus it provides—for actively engaging students in learning about a composer, a piece, and the historical period in which the music was written.

In addition, internet-based projects can be created for specialized units of study that foster knowledge of the connection between music and other disciplines or the role of music in contemporary society. Because a wealth of information is available on the internet, the use of internet-based projects can help mitigate the challenges faced by many teachers of limited resources, limited instructional time, or, as in the case of block scheduling, an uneven distribution of instructional time.

One internet-based project model, a WebQuest, is particularly effective at stimulating student curiosity and creativity. This model is based on current educational theory that suggests students learn better in situations that require them to actively explore the subject through student-directed experiences.¹ As a result of this experience, students create an understanding of the subject that has real-world applications and is more complex than would be the case if the material was learned through other means.

Creating a WebQuest

A WebQuest is an inquiry-oriented activity in which most or all of the information used by learners is drawn from the World Wide Web. The model was developed in early 1995 at San Diego State University by Bernie Dodge with Tom March. According to Dodge, as well as William Bauer, a WebQuest, accessible through a teacher-constructed web page, consists of the following six-part structure: 1

Introduction

Task

Resources

Process

Evaluation

Conclusion.²

1 Introduction The introduction orients the student to the project by providing a brief overview of the purpose of the WebQuest. Ideally, the introduction provides a hook that makes students curious about learning more about the topic, as is the case in the second example below.

Where in the world is Romania? As we learn Bartók's Romanian Folk Dances in orchestra, we'll be using the internet to find out more about Romanian folk dances, Romanian music, Romanian culture, and Bartók.

You have recently acquired the funds to fulfill your lifelong dream of traveling to Europe with your orchestra to play Kim Kleine Nachtmusik in the actual place it was first performed! In order for you to find this exact location, your travel agent will need information on when the piece was composed, where the composer was living at the time, and why the piece was composed. Happy clue finding!

2 Task The task section describes the tangible outcome(s) of the quest. The finished product can take different forms including: a timeline, a short paper, a description of specified sound clips, a poster that includes text and graphic display of what was learned, or an in-class presentation.

3 Resources This section contains a list of links to web pages selected by the teacher to help students find the information necessary to complete the WebQuest. This feature of the WebQuest is crucial for avoiding wasted student time spent surfing the net as well as maintaining teacher control over the sites students will visit. The Resources section may also contain a list of non-internet sources such as books and recordings available for student use.

4 Process The process is a list of the steps students should follow to successfully complete the WebQuest. Included in this section will be links to sites that students can visit to complete the steps. If students are expected to write a paper, guidelines can be given in this section of the WebQuest for items that should be included in the paper.

5 Evaluation In this section, the teacher explains how the WebQuest will be assessed. The teacher can have a link to a worksheet that students printout and complete or the rubric form that will be used to evaluate the final product(s).

6 Conclusion This section summarizes what has been learned and encourages students to apply what they have learned to current or future performance experiences. If students are completing the WebQuest with a partner or a group, group members may be asked to discuss then summarize their answers to teacher-provided questions. Below are some examples of questions that the teacher might provide to encourage application and reflection:

Look at measures 10 through 20 in your part. How does what you learned about the characteristics of Romanian folk dances inform the way you will play these measures?

▪

You are sitting on stage, tuned and ready to play Eine Kleine Nachtmusik. What ideas or interesting facts that you learned from the WebQuest will you think about prior to playing the piece?

Logistics of Integrating WebQuest Projects into the String Class

A string teacher might integrate WebQuest projects into the regular classroom schedule in several ways. If the classroom has internet access, students can be assigned to complete the project during class time through the use of a scheduled rotation of individual, pairs, or groups of students. Another approach is to take the entire class to the school computer lab to complete or begin work on the WebQuest assignment.

If students have access to the internet through the school computer lab or public library, an internet-based project could be assigned to be completed outside of class time. In this case, the teacher should be available to work with students before or after school who need assistance navigating the internet. Finally, if internet access is limited, the teacher can create a simulated internet experience for students through the use of the program WebWhacker. Web Whacker allows the teacher to download web pages or entire web sites, thus enabling students to access information from the internet at a later time without having internet access.

WebQuests should be introduced at the beginning of a unit or when initially learning the related piece so that students have the maximum amount of time to apply knowledge gleaned from the WebQuest to their performance. Near the end of the grading period, students might be expected to engage in discussion of or make an in-class presentation on what was learned from completing the WebQuest.

Resources Available for Getting Started

Several resources are available for creating a WebQuest. The following sites provide examples of WebQuests, discussion of the design process, and templates for WebQuest creation.

http://edweb.sdsu.edu/webquest.html

www.thirteen.org/edonline/concept2class/month8/demo_sub1.html

www.bsu.edu/CTT/wqg/index.htm

http://bauer.cwru.edu/presentations/menc2002/menc2002_webquest/index.html

Prior to constructing a WebQuest, teacher's might want to look at many examples so features can be incorporated that will best motivate students. Points to consider include whether the task will engage students, problems that might arise when students work on the WebQuest, and how much time it will take to complete the WebQuest.

In addition, resources are available on the internet for learning how to create a web page (http://courses.wcupa.edu/frichmon/webtutorial/), add sound to a web page (www-camil.music.uiuc.edu/Classes/358/projects/web_proj/adding_sound.html), and digitize video (www.coe.ufl.edu/courses/edtech/Support/Tech/video/Digitizing_Video-Home.html). Information on incorporating graphics and music notation can be found in the TI-ME 1B student manual (available at www.time.org/materials.html). Another useful site is William Bauer's web development site for music educators (http://bauer.cwru.edu/development.html) where a wealth of information is available on design, graphics, assessment, and pedagogy.

…integrating technology and traditional performance instruction might motivate some students to continue to participate in the school orchestra program.

While constructing a WebQuest for the first time takes some planning and time, the results are well worth the effort. By using the internet as an instructional tool, maximum learning can occur in the string/orchestra class as students apply what was learned from the WebQuest to their performance. Furthermore, integrating technology and traditional performance instruction might motivate some students to continue to participate in the school orchestra program. Happy travels on your musical WebQuest!

Footnotes

Margaret H. Berg is assistant professor of string music education at the University of Colorado in Boulder. Her research interests include public school string curriculum and assessment, preservice music teacher education, and social construction of music cognition.

References

Ormrod

Jeanne

Human Learning 3rd ed. (Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Prentice-Hall, 1998); D. C. Phillips and Jonas F. Soltis, Perpectives on Learning 3rd ed. (New York: TC Press, 1998).

Dodge

Bernie

Building Blocks of a WebQuest, www.educatorskonnect.com/SpecialWebPages/InternetHandouts/WEBQUEST.html, 1997; William I. Bauer, The Musical WebQuest, http://bauer.cwru.edu/presentations/menc2002/menc2002_webquest/index.html, 2002.