The E-Learning Lab at the University of Dayton is what I would call a Productivity Tool circus. This list features some of the more dazzling examples:
- iClickers - The leading classroom response system in higher education recognized for ease of use, affordabilty, reliabilty, and focus on pedagogy. This tools is ideal for gauging feedback from students. It generally gets 100% feedback because students can anonymously respond. It gives teachers a quick, accurate view of where students are in their understanding, and students tend to enjoy it. This makes a great checkpoint during or after work with a WebQuest.
- Elluminate - UD's synchronous online learning tool. You can use Elluminate to host a virtual lecture or meeting. Elluminate lets you share PowerPoint slides, draw on a virtual whiteboard, talk to other participants via text or voice, and ask polling questions. Lectures and meetings can also be recorded so that anyone who misses the live session can view it at their convenience. The recordings of the sessions would make great links in a WebQuest.
- The Sakai Collaboration and Learning Environment - UD has branded this as Isidore. Isidore is a set of software tools designed to help instructors, researchers, and students create websites for collaboration. Using a web browser, users choose from a set of features to create a site that meets their needs. This productivity tool is full of other online productivity tools. Each of these can be incorporated as "missions" within a WebQuest. Some examples are:
- Test & Quizzes
- Assignments
- Blogs
- Wikis
- Discussion Forums
- Lesson Builder
- WYSIWYG Web Page Builder
- iTunesU - University audio and video content. Great for both students and faculty to post and access audio and video. This electronic content can be used as a great multimedia feature in WebQuests.