Date: Jul 02, 2007 Author: Michael F. Shaughnessy Source: Education News (
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Donald H. Sanders, Ph.D., is President of Learning Sites, Inc. They specialize in "Digitally Reconstructed Ancient Worlds for Interactive Education and Research". They are located at 151 Bridges Road Williamstown MA. 01267-2232,USA and can be reached by voice/fax 413-458-2828. The web site is http://www.learningsites.com
In this interview, he responds to questions about his site and the technology aspect of it.
1) First of all, what exactly is your title and what do you do?
I am founder and president of two virtual heritage organizations: (1) Learning Sites, Inc., a for-profit company dedicated to creating accurate, precise, and detailed re-creations of the ancient world for interactive education and research, as well as for museums and broadcast; and (2) the Institute for the Visualization of History, Inc., a nonprofit educational organization with a broader mandate than Learning Sites, to deal with vivid visualizations of historical places, events, objects, and cultures for a wide array of audiences, from teachers, to historians, to students, to tourists, to TV watchers, and museum visitors.
2) I understand that Learning Sites is currently the oldest group in the world actively working in virtual heritage. When did you get started and what exactly do you mean by virtual heritage?
I first became involved in the field that has now become known as Virtual Heritage (the use of 3D computer models, interactive virtual worlds, and linked databases for the study of our shared cultural heritage) back in the early 1990s, when virtual reality first became a new buzzword.
The group that eventually became Learning Sites (founded in 1996) created our first virtual world in late 1993/early 1994.It was the fortress at Buhen, along the ancient Egyptian- Nubian border along the Nile River.Our virtual re-creation was the very first to use a detailed and accurate real-time interactive 3D model in conjunction with a linked database and avatar, for self-guided virtual tours of lost places.
3) What is the Institute for the Visualization of History? And if I wanted to learn about the War of the Roses or the 100 Years War, would I be able to learn about these things? How about the Civil War?
The Institute was founded in 2001 with several lofty goals, that unfortunately have yet to be met, including the establishment of a physical location with virtual reality experiences for students and the general public so that they could literally step back into history.
You can learn about any particular event or location using virtual heritage techniques; however, the worlds must first be modeled (much like the grand special effects used in Gladiator or Pirates of the Caribbean), but on a more modest and more educational level.
4) Sadly, students don't seem to be learning much about geography nowadays. Would your web sites be able to help? What specific sites would be good for geography?
Not only are students less adept at geography than in years past, there seems to be a real difficulty getting student (and even adults) interested in the intertwining threads and fascinating stories of history; after all those stories about our past lets us know how we got here and now and provides a link among all that is happening around the world today.
Our Websites, like our virtual re-creations are more than simply pretty pictures.Anyone can make 3D models these days; the software has become pretty easy to use.The trick is to engage the viewer to learn more and have linked information (explanatory text and images) available so that the 3D environment becomes a place of learning as well as enjoyment and adventure.
As for geography, it has been said (I have no clue as to whom), that "War is God's way of teaching us geography."
5) How much European information and how many European cities would be available?
There are now many companies and projects worldwide actively building virtual heritage projects (and some are experimenting with s/ware like Second Life to make their visualizations more globally accessible).Many of these groups are at universities in Europe and students and professors are slowly re-creating past towns, ancient settlements, and some early Modern cities.
6) About how many "hits" a month do you get? And who seems to be using your sites the most?
Our Websites, but especially Learning Sites (www.learningsites.com) get nearly 200,000 hits per month.Beside the casual user who stumbles by our sites through search engines, we are used by schools (educators and students) around the world since the images and associated descriptions we offer, for free, are found no where else on the 'Net.
In this increasingly commercial Internet, we hope to continue to be able to bring this information, advertising free and freely accessible to everyone.
7) You have been selected as one of the best sites on the Internet. How did that come about and what other prizes/awards have you received?
Over the years we have been awarded occasional citations for content and for specific projects.We believe the choice and recognition come because we try to maintain high standards of scholarship, provide information that can be found no where else, and operate with a philosophy that the study of history, whether of last month or 5,000 years ago, can be fun, rewarding, and eye-catching.
After all, the past happened in 3D, so it seems only natural that it is through digital 3D images that we begin to understand the past.It is very difficult, not to say limiting, to envision the past, especially the distant past, in static single disconnected slices rather than in the complex colorful messy way in which it happened.
8) Are there specific parts of the world or time periods that you focus on?
We like to take on all projects, but as my background is in Mediterranean Bronze Age archaeology (I have a PhD in archaeology and degrees in architecture and architectural history), that is where most of our projects lie.We are beginning a project on Tenochtitlan, Mexico and have worked on projects in the US, as well.
9) What question have I neglected to ask? How about: how have our projects been used?
Our 3D models and associated databases and interactive worlds have been used as classroom curriculum materials, museum exhibit enhancements, Website supplements, on TV programs around the world, in many, many print sources, for archaeological site visitor centers, and as part of digital or print archaeological reports.
We look forward to moving the Web to a 3D interface, to more spontaneous use of virtual reality and holograms, and to an acceptance of interactive digital re-creations as the norm for studying a wide array of human endeavors.
I hope that is sufficient material for your needs; thanks for asking.
Donald H. Sanders, Ph.D., is President of Learning Sites, Inc. They specialize in "Digitally Reconstructed Ancient Worlds for Interactive Education and Research". They are located at 151 Bridges Road Williamstown MA. 01267-2232,USA and can be reached by voice/fax 413-458-2828. The web site is http://www.learningsites.com
Published July 2, 2007
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