WebQuests from the National Museums Online Learning Project (NMOLP)
Important new online resource for KS1 to KS4  

The National Museums Online Learning Project (NMOLP) is a government-funded project to develop an e-learning resource for students, teachers, and lifelong learners. Led by the V&A, nine museums and galleries including the National Gallery, the Natural History Museum and the Imperial War Museum have been working together to produce a series of themed WebQuests linked to the curriculum. There are over 100 WebQuests covering a variety of curriculum areas including Art and Design, Design and Technology, English, History, Mathematics and Science. These will give access to thousands of photographs, paintings and objects held in the museums and galleries, some of which are not normally available to the public. 

WebQuests from NMOLP are designed to provide teachers with:
~ Flexible enquiry-based ICT activities with a personalised approach to learning
~ Creative tasks designed to promote critical thinking skills 
~ A range of cross-curricular topics across the Key Stages and subject areas
~ Inclusive activities suitable for EAL and learners with poor literacy skills

WebQuests encourage learners to:
~ Ask their own questions and conduct their own enquiries.
~ Research and evaluate sources of information.
~ Make links between different areas of the curriculum.
~ Acquire web and media literacy skills.
~ Communicate and present their ideas.

The NMOLP participating museums/galleries are Victoria and Albert Museum (lead partner), British Museum, Imperial War Museum, National Gallery, National Portrait Gallery, Natural History Museum, Royal Armouries, Sir John Soane's Museum, Tate and The Wallace Collection.  

Free training materials and online resources
The Resources section is now live on the NMOLP WebQuest sites. Here you can browse and download a series of useful documents on using the WebQuests, plus a toolkit for creating your own resources. 
Using the WebQuests:
~ a copy of the WebQuest training presentation which Jude Sanders used in the sessions in March (in Powerpoint)
~ documents on web literacy, learning from objects and using WebQuests (all in Word)
Toolkit:
~ a template for you to create your own webquests (in Powerpoint)
~ a tempate for the teachers' notes to accompany them (in Word).

To find the resources, click on the 'Resources' link at the top right of the WebQuests entry page. 
To download each resource, highlight it, then click on the corresponding Download button which appears in the right hand section of the box. The document will open in a new window.

In addition, printed leaflets are currently going out to all primary and secondary schools across England (during the summer term), giving information on where to find the resource, plus some useful bookmarks and links.

Join the new NMOLP WebQuests group on Creative Spaces
The place for updates and information about the WebQuests is the group on Creative Spaces 'NMOLP WebQuests - Resources for Education'. 

Creative Spaces has been developed in parallel with WebQuests as part of the National Museums Online Learning Project. Creative Spaces provides a networking and inspiration space for people interested in museums/the arts and gives access to the resources of the nine museums and galleries.

To join the NMOLP WebQuests group: 
~ Go to the Creative Spaces website, register and log in.  Click on 'Groups' in the orange menu bar
~ On the groups page, look for the group 'NMOLP WebQuests - Resources for Education' among the groups listed there. Click on the title or icon to get to its page.
~ On the NMOLP WebQuests group page, click on the orange button 'Join group'
Follow the instructions as shown. It should sign you up straight away, as the group is an open one, but if you have any problems, click on the Help link at the bottom of page on the website.

Once you've joined the group, you can use it to share your own experiences and tips, or to post queries, as well as to receive information from NMOLP. 

Other networks about online learning resources
You are also invited to join some of the growing number of networks where you can share your experiences, get help and make new contacts. Here are a couple which we like:

Connected Learning:  
This is a UK-based Ning network, open to all. 
Join the group called Online Learning Resources and add links to your own favourites.

WebQuest Dialog:  
Set up by Bernie Dodge (who developed the webquest model in 1995), this is a Ning network with 380+ members from all over the world (around three quarters from the United States). Open to all.

These pages about the NMOLP WebQuests and other online learning resources are hosted by Aitchison Media & Development