Week Six Blog - QuestGarden URL

http://questgarden.com/136/41/2/111205001034/

There is my QuestGarden URL; I forgot to post the link the first time...oops! I was not crazy about the editing options, seemed a little old-fashioned (for computer software, at least) so I just left the colors and images the way they were, bright and non-existent, respectively.

How to describe the WebQuest? It was actually rather interesting. I do not mind saying that I was a little confused at first as there was a lot of information thrown at me. Once I took a simple idea and started completing each requirement one-by-one, it started becoming much easier. Nor do I mind admitting that I had never heard of a WebQuest or what the heck it had to do with education. Now I know differently.

In short, WebQuest is an online assignment program where student work (usually) cooperatively in order to answer a series of questions or achieve a certain goal, etc. over a certain period of time. The length of time for such a project varies. As stated above, I wasn’t too sure of how this would play out (and I’m still not completely positive that it would in the classroom), but I actually had a good time coming up with the idea and then putting it down on (digital) paper.

So what was my subject? Given the name of this blog my choice is not surprising – Byzantine history! Hey, stick with what you know, right? You can view it in more detail via the link above, but I will give a quick summary. The students would break into a group of around three students (depending on class size) and each student would choose a role to portray. Together, they would choose an emperor or empress and go on to do some research on that ruler, most particularly on the calamities and other goings-on during their reign. One group member would be the emperor and the remaining members would choose to be a representative of the various factions sometimes supporting and sometimes opposing the office of emperor. These of course could include influential members of the Church, the aristocracy, the military, the bureaucracy, and even foreign diplomats or potentates (oftentimes some of these positions would be one in the same). Also, if applicable, they could portray members of the same faction. Depending on how long the assignment would last, there would be varying degrees of expectations for historical accuracy, with the less the amount of time available for research the less critically realism would be judged.

As I already stated, it was quite entertaining coming up with this assignment, which presumably would play out very much like a game. A game, hopefully, the students would enjoy. From such enjoyment serious historical inquiry might then follow. At least, that is the point!