Using Technology to Differentiate - Annotated Bibliography

Schweizer, H. & Kossow, B. (2007). WebQuests: Tools for
differentiation. Gifted Child Today, 30(1), 30-35.

By design, a WebQuest is an inquiry based learning activity that relies on students’ interaction with information obtained through internet resources (Dodge, 1995, as cited in Schweizer, H. & Kossow, B., p. 29). Schweizer and Kossow suggest a well designed WebQuest is a tool teachers can use to differentiate instruction for a variety of students. In order to be effective, a WebQuest should contain five key components; introduction, task, process, evaluation, and conclusion. WebQuests are easily incorporated into individual or group work assignments. The authors’ suggest the primary benefit of using WebQuests in the classroom is its authentic framework. This framework allows students to self direct their exploration and understanding of content while ensuring the minimum standards are accomplished.

The learning, cultural, and language diversity of today’s student population requires teachers to use a variety of tools to ensure each student is successful. Incorporating WebQuests into my teaching repertoire is one way to develop patterns of instruction to assist a variety of learners. I see two major benefits of using WebQuests in my future classroom. The first benefit is students can self direct their learning individually or in a group. This promotes content understanding and develops the confidence of being an independent learner or team player. The second benefit of using WebQuests is that it allows me to work with individual students or groups. Working with students on an individual basis provides an opportunity to meet the students’ special needs while their peers self direct their learning.