Introduction

=How to create introductions for your WebQuest=

There are many places to view definitions of creating introductions for WebQuests. There are two sites that provided very good information about designing the introduction to your webquest. [|WebQuests 101] lists several items to consider when creating your webquest. I feel the following apply specifically to the introduction:
 * Most webquests also have a "hook." This can be a treasure hunt, a game, or some other activity which is embedded in your quest. The simplest "hook" is the collection of facts and information from the various sites which make up the quest. The student or team with the most information then becomes the winner. These "hooks" can be more elaborate, and since they are an important motivating factor, you should use your imagination in creating incentives for your own students.
 * A good webquest is also highly visual. The web is a visual medium, and your presentation will be far stronger if it includes sites with lots of pictures, maps, animations, or even sounds. These are teaching tools that keep students’ interest.
 * Good webquests are easy to use. Students should be able to move easily from one location to the next without a lot of tedious mouse-work. This is one reason that a webquest which is itself a we  b page can be attractive.
 * Even the best webquest won’t help much if it doesn’t relate to the rest of your class materials. The more closely your webquest ties into the rest of your in-class content, the more powerful it will be in helping your students learn the topic – regardless of how and where it is presented.

[|WebQuests: Explanations] states the following about introductions:
I also found an article by [|Tom March] entitled, //Why WebQuests? An Introduction// on his web site.
 * The goal of the introduction is to make the activity desirable and fun for students. When projects are related to students' interests, ideas, past experiences, or future goals, they are inherently more interesting. The goal of the motivational component is to engage and excite students at the beginning of each WebQuest.
 * In a long-term WebQuest, the introduction can be stretched out over the course of the project. This helps to reinvigorate the students and allows for the incorporation of new material (some of which is generated by students as part of the process). The infusion from other media (prints, posters, models) and guest lecturers (other faculty members, parents, business leaders, experts, etc.) adds real-world components to online investigations. This is very imporant because depending on technology alone to convey the meaning of a lesson tends to create a sense of unreality. Adding "introductory" types of information and material throughout the duration of the WebQuest keeps students fully engaged.

=WebQuest Introductions that I like:= [|The Last Spin]

[|The Truth and Nothing But theTruth]

[|Nutrition WebQuest]

[|A Weather Investigation]

[|Country Music WebQuest]