WebQuest or Web Inquiry Project

Who knew there were so many technological ways of studying on the internet. If you wanted to know something you went to Google or another browser for information until you found what it was you were looking for. Then came WebQuests and now Web Inquiry Projects. What's the difference you ask? A WebQuest (WQ) is a form of scaffolded instruction by which a student learns information by doing a particular task with provided links and resources. The students are guided through the quest until they accomplish what was set out for them to do. Web Inquiry Projects (WIP) are a more challenging way for students to learn rather than having it given to them in a WebQuest. Students are urged to actively pursue the information they are in search of. The data is usually "uninterpreted" and includes weather, sports, and music. By using a WIP students might be more interested in learning the material in the curriculum rather than having it given to them. This would be especially true with the new generation of Digital Natives who need information at their finger tips. Web Inquiry Projects will most likely take the place of Webquests as students become more active in their education. WIP's "prepare kids to be independent inquirers" and move away from the dependency of WebQuests.