Not only does Google own the future, they are starting to take over the past, too. But when it is this cool – who’s going to complain? Now you can visit a virtual re-creation of ancient Rome inside of Google Earth. Here are links to the official Google page and a BBC article about this project:
http://earth.google.com/rome/index.html
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/7725560.stm
There was obviously some serious brain power and time behind this – but what a great educational opportunity for many different disciplines – not only history, but literature, art, cultural, and even religious studies. Hopefully, this will catch on and we will see more re-creations like this – maybe even ones tied to virtual worlds like Second Life? One can dream.
For those too busy (or impaired by archaic admin restrictions) to be able to go in and check this out, here is a video that gives you a preview:
Matt is currently an Instructional Designer II at Orbis Education and a Part-Time Instructor at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Previously he worked as a Learning Innovation Researcher with the UT Arlington LINK Research Lab. His work focuses on learning theory, Heutagogy, and learner agency. Matt holds a Ph.D. in Learning Technologies from the University of North Texas, a Master of Education in Educational Technology from UT Brownsville, and a Bachelors of Science in Education from Baylor University. His research interests include instructional design, learning pathways, sociocultural theory, heutagogy, virtual reality, and open networked learning. He has a background in instructional design and teaching at both the secondary and university levels and has been an active blogger and conference presenter. He also enjoys networking and collaborative efforts involving faculty, students, administration, and anyone involved in the education process.