Teaching with Technology: The VROMA Virtual Community

Barbette Stanley Spaeth, Tulane UniversityDiane Harris-Cline, University of Cincinnati

What is VROMA?

A Virtual Community

• A community of teachers and students who help to create on-line resources for teaching Latin and ancient Roman culture and who use these resources in their courses

A Virtual Space

• An on-line “place,” modeled in part on ancient Rome, where students and teachers can interact both synchronously and asynchronously, hold courses and lectures, and share resources for the study of the ancient world

A Collection of Resources

• A collection of and filter for Internet resources, including texts, commentaries, images, maps, and other materials. These resources are extendable and customizable for a variety of reading levels and curricula.

A Project Funded by the NEH

• Initial funding for the VROMA project was provided by the National Endowment for the Humanities.

• The directors of VROMA are:– Suzanne Bonefas, Associated Colleges of the South– Michael Arnush , Skidmore College– Kenny Morrell, Rhodes College– Barbara McManus, College of New Rochelle– Steve Nimis, Miami University

What are the objectives of VROMA?

Overview

• The VROMA project has been designed to test five hypothesizes about the role modern information technology can play in facilitating the teaching and learning of Classics.

Promote Effective Learning

• Technology’s capacity for simultaneous presentation of different types of resources promotes effective learning in Classics.

Generate Interest in Teaching and Learning Classics

• Technology’s capacity to create a sense of immediacy and intimate contact with the classical world generates interest and personal investment in teaching and learning Classics.

Bridge Diversity, Develop Community and Foster Collaboration

• Technology’s capacity for rapid and efficient communication helps to bridge diversity, develop community, and foster collaboration among individuals in distant locations and different types of institutions

Expedite Distance Learning and Cross-Institutional Collaborative Courses

• The coupling of cross-platform, time-independent web technology with real-time, interactive MOO technology expedites distance learning and cross-institutional collaborative courses.

Improve General Technological Interest and Proficiency

• Guided and goal-oriented use of technology in Classics courses improves general technological interest and proficiency.

How does VROMA work?

Dual Interface

• VROMA unites two types of Internet technology: World-Wide-Web and MOO.

• WWW provides opportunity to display images and provide links to other sites.

• MOO provides textual descriptions and enables users to experience “virtual reality,” in that they can speak and act inside a virtual space.

MOO

• Multi-user Object-Oriented Enviroment• Derived from MUD: Multi-User Dungeon• Origins in “Dungeons and Dragons”• Now: used as pedagogical tool to create

space in which students and teachers can interact live online.

A Demonstration of VROMA

Home Page of VROMA (1)

Home Page of VROMA (2)

Home Page of VROMA (3)

Web Gateway (1)

Web Gateway (2)

Loading VROMA

VROMA Windows

Prima Porta Vromana (1)

Prima Porta VRomana (2)

Characters in VROMA (1)

Characters in VROMA (2)

Characters in VROMA (3)

Characters in VROMA (4)

Jump to Rome