Designing virtual worlds for learning history: The case study of netconnect project

Abstract

The possibility of exploring archaeological sites from a distance, visualizing historical monuments that are ruined or no longer exist, as well as the manipulation of specific 3D historical finds from the learner’s point of view (thanks to an avatar having an I-vision), can enhance students’ contextualization of the abstract knowledge of the school subject “history”. In this view, in the international project “Connecting European Culture through New Technology — NetConnect”, promoted by Culture 2000 European programme, three 3D virtual worlds (VWs) were realized according to a technology-enhanced constructivist offer of historical contents. The VWs are the ancient Biskupin (Poland), Glauberg (Germany) and the site of Lokroi in Magna Graecia (Italy). This chapter aims at presenting some results of learning linked to these three virtual worlds.