WebQuest

WebQuest

Thompson Travel Agency

Introduction Task Process Evaluation Conclusion

Introduction

Congratulations, and welcome to the Thompson Travel Agency! After a brief new-employee training session, I will need you to get right to work. As I mentioned when I hired you, our company is facing a major task, and we will really need your help.

We have been losing business (and therefore money!), to our competitor in the sale and arrangement of trips to islands where Spanish is the primary language. Specifically, you will focus on Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and Equatorial Guinea. I have split our Agency into groups, and you will work with your group to complete this task. Each group will focus on one country.

Task

PART ONE... There are several steps you will need to follow in order to create a final product that will persuade travelers to choose our agency as they make travel arrangements to any of these three locations. FIRST, you and your groupmates need to decide how to split the research and development of the final product. For your assigned country, you will need to become an expert in at least the following areas:

Major Attractions- Find at least five important, scenic, fun places for people to visit, in at least three major cities in your focus country.

History- What makes this country great? Choose at least three significant events in the country's history that will grab the attention of a visitor. Where can one go for more details upon arrival?

Culture- What can a visitor expect to see in your country? Are there festivals, celebrations, traditions that make the country richly attractive? Paint a vivid picture for your future client, of at least three such happenings.

Travel Arrangements/Cost- Leaving from Columbus, Ohio, at the present time, what costs should a person expect to incur? Who offers the best airline (or boat) route? What accomodations are available in your focus country? Offer at least two options for travel and lodging.

PART TWO... Once you are well versed in your research area, your SECOND task as a group is to work together to create a final product that will persuade visitors to our agency to hire us to make their travel arrangements to Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, or Equatorial Guinea. You can do this in one of several ways:

Create a Power Point presentation- Must include: a title card listing all group members, at least one card introducing your country of focus, at least two cards for each of the four focal points, and a persuasive concluding card, all presented in an eye-pleasing manner. See rubrics below for further details.

Use Microsoft Publisher to create a travel brochure or newsletter- Must include: an eye-catching title, a listing of all group members, a clear front page introduction of your country of focus, at least a two paragraph article for each of the four focal points, and a persuasive conclusion. See rubrics below for further details.

Create a Website- Use appropriate web developing software to create a website that showcases your information in a pleasing manner. Must include an introduction of your focus country, and two paragraphs about each of the four focal points, and a persuasive conclusion. See rubrics below for further details.

As a staff, we will review each group's presentation, and we will decide which presentation is most accurate and factual, eye-catching, and persuasive. The group whose presentation is chosen gets a BONUS! Then we will work to put information about all three islands together for our customers.

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Process

Research your country using the following sites, plus any published materials (books, magazines) or interviews you conduct (with travel agents, for example):

CUBA

http://www.cuba.com/ General info & links to more specific info about different cities, including where to stay.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/caribbean/cuba/ General info & specific info for travelers, history, activities, culture, etc.

http://www.historyofcuba.com/cuba.htm Historical information

http://www.cubalinda.com/ Travel information

http://www.1click2cuba.com/menu.html Travel information, activities, specific cities

http://www.worldtravelguide.net/data/cub/cub090.asp Travel information, & links to other info.

DOMINICAN REPUBLIC

http://travel.state.gov/dominican_republic.html Up to date travel information for tourists

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/dr.html General info, travel, history

http://www.mundodominicano.com/es/atracciones/index.html Directory of travel info, well arranged, IN SPANISH

http://www.popreport.com/VisitorsGuide/ Travel requirements, festivals, other links for accommodations

http://www.turismo.com.do/eng/travelersguide/activities.htm Attractions, sites, history, entertainment

http://www.turismo.com.do/eng/travelersguide/traveling.htm Travel & accommodations

http://www.dominicanrepublic.com/thecountry/art_culture.php lots of info.- travel, culture, sites to see

http://www.hispaniola.com/index.php travel info., plus links to other info.

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/caribbean/dominican_republic/ general info., plus travel & cultural/historical info.

PUERTO RICO

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/caribbean/puerto_rico/ General info, plus links to culture, history, travel arrangements

http://welcome.topuertorico.org/culture/index.shtml Culture, and many links to other info

http://welcome.topuertorico.org/exploring.shtml Things to do in specific cities

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/rq.html General info, plus history, culture, fast facts

http://www.gotopuertorico.com/index.php?language= Travel information, links for culture, history, entertainment

http://www.travelandsports.com/ Trip planning; links for travel, attractions, activities, events, etc

EQUATORIAL GUINEA

http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/ek.html General info., history, culture, fast fact

http://www.lonelyplanet.com/destinations/africa/equatorial_guinea/ Travel information, other links for culture, history, attractions, etc.

http://www.state.gov/r/pa/ei/bgn/7221.htm a lot of info to sift through, but some worthwhile history, travel, government…

http://www.atlapedia.com/online/countries/equaguin.htm history & general info., culture

http://www.africaguide.com/country/eguinea/info.htm travel info., and other links

http://www.wtgonline.com/data/gnq/gnq000.asp travel, plus more links

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Evaluation

After you've chosen a presentation type, click on the links below to view the rubric for this presentation.

Remember to include a correctly formatted BIBLIOGRAPHY.

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Conclusion

After completing this project, answer the following questions as a reflection:

1. Compare your presentation to one given by an actual travel agent. How are they similar or different?

2. Explain how the process of the WebQuest assignment did or did not help you learn about our focus countries.

3. Offer feedback on how to improve this WebQuest activity.

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