Virginia Teachers Return Alive from Camp WebQuest

This is the season of summer workshops for teachers. One with a long history is Camp WebQuest, directed by Betty Hutsler, Frederick County (Virginia) Public Schools. According to an article published this week...

Some Frederick County fifth-graders will travel deep into the abyss to study ocean organisms this school year. The students will do so without the aid of adults, and rely only on their intelligence and their fellow classmates to accomplish the chore. And they will do so without setting foot in water. “To Survive or Not to Survive: An Adventure to the Abyss” is the name of one of the projects teachers at Camp WebQuest churned out in July.

...This year, for the first time, students in the nursing program at Dowell J. Howard Center will explore the world of Type 1 diabetes online using a quest created by instructors Kathy Torkelson and Cindy Parkes. Torkelson said they will have to familiarize the students with computers, because students will be looking up charts and performing research. 'Nursing is loaded with technology,' she said. By introducing a WebQuest to the nursing students, Torkelson said, they can become more comfortable with computers while expanding their education.

"It sort of adds to the text," Parkes said. "A little bit more fun, kid-friendly."

The products of this year's camp won't be posted until they've been tested with students, but you can see lessons from previous years by going to the mysteriously familiar-looking page at the Camp WebQuest site.