Camp GetchaontheWeb Defining Web Based Activities

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Note: This site began in 1995 as part of the former Pacific Bell Education First Initiative. It remains online as an archived model. No support - including link checking - is provided.

The purpose of this page and its links is to flesh out the idea of what a Web-based instructional page is and provide support for actually making one. The topics covered are:

Defining Web Activity Pages
Thinking through Linking
Schools, Skills and Scaffolding on the Web by Professor Bernie Dodge

Defining Web-based Instructional Pages

Web-Based Learning Pages:

focus on one identified topic (can be cross curricular, thematic, etc. or discipline-based)
link to rich Internet resources and provide related learning activities
provide access to people and info not usually available in schools/libraries
can cover a range of thinking/cognitive levels
can be completed in short period of time (i.e., 1 class or even part of a class period)
can be part of a larger unit or a self-standing activity

Good Web-based Instructional Pages Especially:
go beyond "school" to tap into the quirky realness of the Web
match the intended users' reading, interest, & knowledge levels
create sparks through juxtapositions, differing viewpoints, passionate resources, etc.
can take no longer to create from scratch than a traditional activity

Thinking Through Linking

The purpose of this page is to provide instructional designers who are creating Web-based learning pages some rationale and tips to guide their design process. Instructional designers should think through how they use Internet links. They should "think through" what they are doing because there's so much to be gained. Thinking links should be developed in the minds of learners using the pages too. They should engage in "thinking" that connects to prior knowledge, creates links to other content areas, extends their cognitive schema, etc. Thinking through Linking provides valuable tips and examples of interest to instructional designers.

Schools, Skills and Scaffolding on the Web

Take a look at Schools, Skills and Scaffolding on the Web by San Diego State University Professor, Bernie Dodge. The message here is "students of any age need to be supported in acquiring information processing skills as we integrate this technology into our schools. What distinguishes excellent telecommunications activities from merely good ones is the degree to which the designers pay attention to this support." This site encourages thinking about ways to support, or scaffold learners and provides examples.

Now you are probably ready to begin creating your own web based pages and activities. If so, please follow the camp signage to CREATE.

Last revised December 3, 1996

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