In creating the International Author's Tea WebQuest, Veya Giannuzzi, Rene' Pruitt, Ann Wolf, and Russell Yates collaborated entirely online using email, WebCT chats, and the draft versions of this site. Each lived in a different part of the United States and between them represented three distinct U.S. time zones. It was an interesting practice for all as they had never experienced this form of collaboration before. They thought that users of this WebQuest may be interested in their reflections and comments on this process so they have posted them here.

Integration of Webquest

I teach on a team where each teacher is subject based, all taking on the responsibility of teaching Language Arts. I will integrate Webquests into my Social Studies curriculum at least once throughout the Fall and Spring semesters. This will occur where my Language Arts curriculum maps focus on research, report writing, non-fiction, etc. I will provide the necessary background information my students will need to successfully complete a Webquest, and explain how the Webquest will be utilized within our classroom.

Divided Labor

Allocation of responsibility easily fell into place by team members volunteering to complete certain tasks. Members more experienced with WebQuests (Rene), took on the more challenging role of process, lesson plan, an activity, and creating a Webquest format. Russell took on the role of construction and locating resources for the site. Ann provided the goals, introduction and submitted an activity. Veya created various rubrics for evaluation, as well as an activity.

Problems

Overall, there were no issues that were difficult to overcome. Rene did have the responsibility of "walking" the other three team members through the creation of a WebQuest since she was the sole team member who had experience. She successfully completed the task with a great deal of patience and understanding.

Reflections

The idea of an online group project was intimidating when first introduced. I was not quite comfortable with the idea since I usually tend to shy away from group projects. Also, the idea of not being able to work "face-to-face" in a group setting seemed very odd. However, I was very fortunate to work with an excellent team, which took care of any reservations I felt about the process. The largest obstacle we faced seemed to be coordination of schedules for online planning! Everyone was very enthusiastic, and completed their responsibilities in a timely fashion. I felt every team member presented themselves professionally, and was more than willing to listen to constructive suggestions/ideas. I enjoyed my first adventure with an online group project.

Integrate WebQuest

I will integrate WebQuests into my curriculum by way of monthly units. Each month will focus on a discipline, with other subjects intricately woven. I will do mini lessons on content and then connect the real world through the use of WebQuests.

Divided Labor

We divided labor just by deciding what needed to be done as we went along and a team member volunteering. Russ did the actual construction of the site. He also found the great site the kids can research and graphics. Ann did the introduction and goals and an activity, Veya did the rubrics and an activity. Rene' found graphics, did the lesson plan and template for team input, conclusion, tasks, and defined WebQuest.

Dealt with Problem

There were no problems to deal with.

Reflections

This was a most pleasurable experience, mainly because of being a part of such a great team. Online team teaching was a format, a bit confusing at times, but a positive learning experience. I tend to back off of group projects, more as a reflex than anything. I like to work solo. However, I have found working with a team always concludes on a positive note. One regret is that we cannot meet face to face. Hopefully our lives will connect again in some way.

Integrate WebQuests into our Curriculum

The use of WebQuests enable students to focus on finding the information they want to use without wasting time trying to find pertinent Web sites. WebQuests can be integrated into the curriculum in most subject matter. They are an excellent way for students to explore a topic. With the Web sites provided it provides a student with the information without spending time looking for information and possible frustration in not being able to find the correct information. Students are able to connect with other links in the given Web sites, which allows for further exploration for the students.

How we Divided the Labor, how we communicated, Problems we had and how we resolved them

Communication was easy with email and the twice-weekly chats. We never experienced any problems. Everyone contributed to the project and gave feedback in all parts of the WebQuest. We worked well as a group relying on the strengths each person contributed. All work was submitted to the group on time so there was no delay in the project. This was a super group to work with everyone volunteered to take part of the WebQuest and was more than willing to help in any way possible.

Reflection

I have enjoyed working on the WebQuest because it was a challenge for me to put it all together. But the assistance of a wonderful group made this an enjoyable experience. I hope to work on a WebQuest that I could incorporate into my classroom.

Integration of Webquests

I plan on using this and other WebQuests in a variety of ways with my students. As a multiage teacher of 8 through 11 year old students, I meet their diverse needs through creative use of grouping while individualizing instruction. WebQuests can be used with small mixed-age heterogeneous groups or interest groups to provide a structure for collaborative learning/tutoring. In addition to the content and process learning that occurs with such a structure, individual student strengths naturally come to the surface and can promote an acceptance of diversity. Grouping can also be done homogeneously in which students who are grouped by ability, are paired with specific WebQuests which match each group's instructional level and needs. I also plan on using WebQuests such as the International Author's Tea to help individualize instruction. By carefully selecting a thematic group of WebQuests, I can match educational experiences and instruction to individual learning needs, following up with a sharing of products in which each student becomes the teacher of what they have learned. In all of these situations, the focus can be on learning rather than on the gathering of relevant sources of information. This is because WebQuests are designed to enhance the reasearch of specific information by narrowing the search to specific and relevant Internet websites, eliminating the need for time-consuming student web searching/surfing.

Division of Labor

Once we defined our project and the needed components, each member began volunteering to take on various parts. I found it interesting that all of our strengths were somewhat different yet perfectly compatible. Our initial drafts were completed by Ann doing the introduction and goals, Rene writing the tasks and process, Veya taking on evaluation and conclusion, while I completed the resources and extension sections. All the drafts were emailed to me because I had an easy access to a web server. I then posted them as each draft was compled so that we could all see how the components and the design were developing. Throughout, we all provided proofreading, editing, and design input.

Process Problems

Our team's problems were very minor and mostly revolved around scheduling between three time zones.

My Reflections

I have dome a number of collaborative projects in the past but never one in which the group members didn't meet. When the task first was presented to me I was a bit nervous about potential group problems since I had never met anyone from the pool of possible team members. This nervousness was probably accentuated by the fact that the final product was to become an important part of my course grade, while the process of creating the WebQuest was not. However, I was also excited to try something new, I viewed it as an interesting challenge.

As our group formed and we began working on the project, my fears just melted away. We were able to brainstorm online during our group chats and every team member contributed equally within their realm of expertise. I felt that our project group became more of a team of newly acquainted friends and, as the project neared completion, I was saddened that we would likely never meet other than online.

Because of this project I have become intrigued with the idea of having my elementary aged students experience a similar process. Not only would they gain a new tool for learning, they would also make connections with students from another city or even country, discovering their similarities and differences.