Primary Topic Channel:
Google Earth has added to its software a three-dimensional simulation that painstakingly reconstructs nearly 7,000 buildings of ancient Rome, including the Colosseum, the Forum, and the Circus Maximus. The program, which gives users access to maps and global satellite imagery, now hosts a new layer that allows surfers to see how Rome might have looked in A.D. 320, a bustling city of about 1 million people under Emperor Constantine. Pop-up windows provide information on the monuments, and visitors also can enter some of the most important sites, including the Senate and the Colosseum, to observe the architecture and marble decorations. Google Earth’s “Ancient Rome 3-D” is based on a simulation created by an international team led by the University of Virginia and the University of California. Using laser scans of today’s ruined monuments and advice from archaeologists, experts worked for about a decade to reconstruct ancient Rome within its 13-mile-long walls, said Bernard Frischer, who heads Virginia’s Institute for Advanced Technology in the Humanities. The simulation, which was completed in 2007, was intended as a scholarly tool to study the ancient buildings and run experiments on them—for example, to determine their crowd capacity. Frischer said the work’s publication on the internet means it can be used for broader educational purposes. Google has started a competition for U.S. teachers offering prizes for the best curriculum that uses the new tool.
Quick Links
Visit the following special content centers, and discover how technology is helping educators every day.
Successful Video Production
Knowing how to produce, edit, and distribute video gives high school and college graduates a valuable and much-in-demand skill.
Measuring 21st-century skills
Graduates who enter the workplace with a solid grasp of 21st-century skills bring value to both the workplace and global marketplace.
Igniting and Sustaining STEM Education
As the workplace changes and becomes increasingly global, today's students must be educated with a 21st-century mindset.
Online Learning
Thousands of K-12 schools across the nation are turning to online-learning providers for help with credit recovery, enrichment opportunities for gifted students, and for providing core curriculum classes in areas where there isn't enough demand to justify keeping a teacher on staff.
Placing Reading Power in Students' Hands
All students deserve an equal education, but sometimes language barriers or learning disabilities leave some students lagging behind and struggling to understand words or concepts.
Anytime, Anywhere Professional Development
When teachers are confident in the curriculum they teach, students will become more engaged in lessons and will learn more.
21st Century Libraries
The internet has given students an incredibly vast world of up-to-the-minute resources, including nearly limitless outlets for research and investigation. But many students turn immediately to the untamed internet when faced with a research assignment, often overlooking the value in a virtual library solution.
Meeting the Needs of Students with Autism
It's estimated that one out of every 150 children in the United States has some form of autism, and that number is escalating at a frightening pace.
Stimulating Achievement: Your Guide to Ed Funding
Learn how to make wise spending decisions and keep track of school needs as stimulus funds become available.
Securing Student Laptops for Safe Learning
New software makes it possible for companies to activate web-based communication with laptops, tracking their position and having them returned if they are stolen.
Preparing for a Pandemic
With fears about the H1N1 virus, commonly known as "swine flu," putting school leaders on high alert, we've compiled this collection of news stories and additional resources to keep you up to date on the latest developments in this critical story--and to help you deal with the crisis in your own schools.