American Alliance for Health, Physical Education, Recreation and Dance - AAHPERD

 Issue: October 2004

Using Webquests to Create Online Learning Opportunities in Physical Education
Marianne L. Woods, Grace Goc Karp, Jane M. Shimon & Karla Jensen

Abstract:
Teachers in all academic disciplines face increasing expectations to integrate technological applications into their lessons. These applications can be used to supplement face-to-face instruction or as stand-alone learning modules. Either way, technological applications can facilitate student-centered, inquiry-based instructional approaches. Currently physical educators have a number of options for integrating technology into their classes. These options include heart rate monitors and the associated analysis software, physical fitness software such as Fitnessgram, handheld personal computers for management and assessment tasks, and devices like pedometers for tracking students’ physical activity. Another option for physical educators is the webquest, which provides opportunities for students to learn online. This article describes the nature of webquests, the design features that differentiate various types of webquests, the steps in webquest design, and examples of physical education webquests for different grade levels. References include web-based resources to assist teachers in developing their own webquests or modifying already-designed webquests for their own use.

Article category: Technology