Research: Cyberhunt

Topic 1: The best ICT tools to assist in Music Education

Studying music can involve research, and the best place to start with research is on the Internet. But the internet is a very vast place; let’s face it, and for some of us – finding the information we need can seem very overwhelming and complex. The concept of ‘surfing’ the internet for research purposes can be very challenging for beginning adults like myself, and likewise for kids who are just beginning.

This is why I think CyberHunt is an excellent tool in education – an online activity in the form of a scavenger hunt that teaches beginning internet research skills to students. The intent of Cyberhunt is to hunt for facts or information to add details for the answer to the question in the particular topic e.g. ‘Who was King of the Olympians’, the topic being ‘Ancient Greece’. The questions themselves may vary from the simple fact or statement to the more complex, depending upon the age and skill level of the student.

Cyberhunt’s user age range is very broad, as a beginner hunt will be more like a directory taking the user to a link via the specific website, a moderately challenging activity takes the user to a web site that has the answer to a posed question and requires them to choose an appropriate link, use the site map, or site search engine to locate facts that support their answer. The most sophisticated activity may post several open ended questions that require the student to make many choices including search tool and method, web sites and finally the correct supporting information.

By completing CyberHunts, students learn how to navigate a web site, scan a page for detailed information, and then apply the facts or ideas to the question.

There are no firm CyberHunt rules about the number of sites, the type of questions, or the amount of activity time to be allotted. CyberHunts have been created in all shapes and forms and for all grade levels. They cover most subjects and have no set time limit. The teacher has control over the sites, the type of questions, and the final product. I could see this being very useful for all classes in all subjects- yet I am very surprised to not see many Cyberhunts on the internet for the subject of music! I must do something about this!:)

http://www.icteachers.co.uk/children/children_cyberhunts.htm

Kozma, Tom, "The Internet Hunt", Info Tech News Issues, Wayne State University. Feb 1997.