These are the students’ learning goals and activities over the course of eight sessions:

— Day 1 - Set Up and The Beginnings  - Our primary goal for this day is to assist students in setting up Minecraft and to familiarize kids with our course’s objectives. We will introduce the Roman Empire to students. They will discover the story of Julius Caesar and participate in a Roman Government activity.

— Day 2 - Roman Government - Students will familiarize themselves with the Roman government after Augustus Caesar took it over. They will also discover other powerful political figures in Rome and build housing in Minecraft suitable for an Emperor!

— Day 3 - Roman Empire Expansion - In this session, we’ll learn about the key battles that expanded Roman Empire and participate in a Minecraft activity to explore those battles. 

— Day 4 - Roman Technological Advancements - Students will discover the many technological advances in Rome. From the aqueduct to the colosseum, students will get an inside look at some of these builds before creating one themselves. 

— Day 5 - Rome Entertainment - To keep Romans distracted from their daily lives, people turned towards entertainment. Students will discover the significance of gladiator battles and other types of Roman entertainment. They will then participate in a Minecraft Gladiator!

— Day 6 - Everyday Life in the Roman Empire - We’ll deep dive into the daily lives of Roman from the food they eat to the jobs they had. Kids in this session will build a home and incorporate aspects of what a traditional Roman home would look like.

— Day 7 - Roman Religion, Art, Stories, and Beliefs - During this session we will focus on learning about Roman Gods and Roman’s beliefs and value system. The kids will then work together to build a temple for a Roman God.

— Day 8 - The Fall of Rome - It all comes to an end! This session will focus on the many things that contributed to Rome’s decline. Students will get to experience the fall of Rome in a Minecraft activity.

Connected Camps is a not-for-profit organization founded in 2015 with the mission to build a global online community where kids build, code, play, and learn from one another. Our programs are designed based on the extensive research in the learning sciences. The founders and leaders of Connected Camps, Mimi Ito and Katie Salen, are professors at the University of California, Irvine who specialize in the design of online learning experiences that are fun, social, and tied to academic outcomes. Learn more about the research behind Connected Camps at the Connected Learning Alliance resource site: https://clalliance.org/ 

One thing that makes our programs unique is our near-peer mentorship model. Our programs are led by young adults and college students, often with the help of high school volunteers. We hire counselors and coaches from top universities in computer science, game development, economics, and sports performance, and design and train them on how to facilitate project-based learning with younger kids. Our young instructors have the same passion for technology, games, and digital making as our learners, and take on the role of instructors, as well as fellow enthusiasts and relatable role models.  

Learn more about our organization at:  https://connectedcamps.com/about