{"id":251180,"date":"2019-07-02T07:00:11","date_gmt":"2019-07-02T10:00:11","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/?p=251180"},"modified":"2019-07-03T19:42:43","modified_gmt":"2019-07-03T22:42:43","slug":"schools-recreate-historic-arab-sites-using-minecraft","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/schools-recreate-historic-arab-sites-using-minecraft\/","title":{"rendered":"Schools recreate historic Arab sites using Minecraft"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>S\u00e3o Paulo \u2013 \u201cTechnology helps you to look into the future and retrieve the past,\u201d said professor Francisco Tupy (<em>pictured<\/em>), the mastermind behind educational game project <em>History Blocks<\/em>. The game recreates United Nations Education, Scientific and Cultural Organization (<a href=\"https:\/\/nacoesunidas.org\/agencia\/unesco\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">UNESCO<\/a>) world heritage sites that have been destroyed during fighting in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.<\/p>\n<p>The game was adopted by Brazilian schools last May, and promotion will be stepped up from August onwards so more institutions can embrace it. The game is an educational initiative from Microsoft\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/education.minecraft.net\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Minecraft Education Edition<\/a>, which utilizes it for interdisciplinary classroom activities in partnership with UNESCO \u2013 which is an arm of the United Nations (UN).<\/p>\n<p>Fifty-plus countries have adopted the game, which has \u2018ambassadors\u2019 in Arab countries like Tunisia, Qatar, Iraq and Bahrain. In Brazil, History Blocks is in use in schools in S\u00e3o Paulo, Rio de Janeiro and Cear\u00e1. \u201cBrazilian schools have already become aware of History Blocks, and they are beginning to incorporate it into their activity plans going into the second half,\u201d Tupy told ANBA.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-251180 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-large'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/mesquita-al-nuri.png\"><img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/mesquita-al-nuri.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-216807\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-216807\" srcset=\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/mesquita-al-nuri.png 640w, https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/mesquita-al-nuri-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-216807'>\n\t\t\t\tThe Great Mosque of al-Nuri, in Iraq\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/mesquita-al-nuri_2.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/mesquita-al-nuri_2.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-216809\" alt=\"History Blocks\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-1-216809\" srcset=\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/mesquita-al-nuri_2.png 640w, https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/mesquita-al-nuri_2-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-216809'>\n\t\t\t\tA recreation of the Mosque done by students using History Blocks\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>Francisco Tupy \u00e9 is a Brazilian-born, Saudi-descendant professor with a degree in Geography from the University of S\u00e3o Paulo (USP). He also holds a master\u2019s in Game Design and a doctorate degree in Communication Applied to Games, from the USP\u2019s School of Communication and Arts (ECA). For his doctorate thesis he delved into Minecraft applied to communication.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cUNESCO had the initiative to recreate heritage sites with Minecraft, and it invited me to develop the game because of my profile. We mapped out world heritage sites in the Middle East that were destroyed by fighting, and we invited the kids to rebuild those sites,\u201d said Tupy, who\u2019s the pedagogical coordinator and world leader for <em>History Blocks<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>A pedagogical plan was created based on the UN Sustainable Development Goals and on the pillars of education. \u201cWe wanted to build a game that would be helpful in solving problems and spreading awareness about humanity\u2019s responsibility towards its heritage sites. The project uses schoolteachers as moderators, and it motivates students to do research on history, math, geography and anthropology. The goal is to build global empathy, to get them to recognize themselves in others, and to grasp the variety of cultures and behaviors in the world. And in rebuilding that heritage, the game helps build knowledge, and it can even be valuable as historical documentation,\u201d the professor said.<\/p>\n<div id='gallery-2' class='gallery galleryid-251180 gallery-columns-2 gallery-size-large'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/templo-de-bel.png\"><img decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/templo-de-bel.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-216813\" alt=\"\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-216813\" srcset=\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/templo-de-bel.png 640w, https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/templo-de-bel-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-216813'>\n\t\t\t\tThe Temple of Bel, in Syria\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/templo-de-bel_2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"640\" height=\"360\" src=\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/templo-de-bel_2.png\" class=\"attachment-large size-large wp-image-216815\" alt=\"History Blocks\" aria-describedby=\"gallery-2-216815\" srcset=\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/templo-de-bel_2.png 640w, https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/templo-de-bel_2-300x169.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-2-216815'>\n\t\t\t\tThe Temple&#8217;s History Blocks recreation\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>According to Tupy, \u201cMinecraft is limited only by your creativity.\u201d He believes the game is a toolf or change, which enables group work and focuses on reconstruction while using technology to constructive ends. It also enhances young people\u2019s sense of responsibility in the face of tragedy. \u201cI was delighted to see how they did research on the sites, and their curiosity about the world.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Classroom discussions dealt with the disasters in Rio\u2019s National Museum, S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s Museum of the Portuguese Language, and Paris\u2019 Notre Dame Cathedral. \u201cWe discussed what makes a UNESCO world heritage site,\u201d he said. These are natural or man-built sites deemed by the science community as being incomparable and crucially important to humanity.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Escola Bosque<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>S\u00e3o Paulo\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.escolabosque.com.br\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Escola Bosque<\/a> was an early adopter of <em>History Blocks<\/em>, for an interdisciplinary activity spanning four classes and involving math and history teachers and students aged 10 to 14. Primary school students recreated the Temple of Bel, in Syria, and the Great Mosque of al-Nuri, in Iraq.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe project was very rewarding. Everyone came together, and it was a more fun way of learning,\u201d said 13-year-old 8<sup>th<\/sup>-grade student Bruna Macruz. She had been playing Minecraft since she was five. \u201cI\u2019m not much of a history fan, but the game sparked my curiosity to learn more about the sites, especially the Temple of Bel, in Syria,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_216810\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-216810\" style=\"width: 300px\" class=\"wp-caption alignright\"><a href=\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/8.jpg\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-216810 size-medium\" src=\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/8-300x225.jpg\" alt=\"History Blocks\" width=\"300\" height=\"225\" srcset=\"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/8-300x225.jpg 300w, https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/8-768x576.jpg 768w, https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/8-1024x768.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/anba.com.br\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/8.jpg 1600w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-216810\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Students at Escola Bosque, S\u00e3o Paulo<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Calculations were another highlight of the experience. Escola Bosque math teacher Marisa Resende said \u201cMinecraft uses several math tools. It involves calculus, geometry, measurements and proportions.\u201d Minecraft relies on one single geometric shape \u2013 cubic blocks. Building the dome of the Great Mosque of al-Nuri using those cubes was a challenge to students. \u201cIt\u2019s interesting for students to realize that the math they study in the classroom applies to everyday life and real problem-solving. The fact that the game makes them realize that is very enriching,\u201d said Resende.<\/p>\n<p>According to Escola Bosque pedagogical coordinator F\u00e1tima Queiroz, each of the 15 participating students had a computer, but they all worked together online. \u201cIt was enriching and surprising to see them do the activity, which involved geometry, logic and history. The idea is to build awareness about the destroyed sites, and to prompt reflection on the importance of preserving these sites,\u201d said Queiroz.<\/p>\n<p>Bruna is considering going to college for programming or marketing, \u201csomething to do with digital.\u201d In addition to learning the actual game, she said the experience was important when it comes to learning teamwork, developing organization and management skills, and interacting with students of various ages.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Translated by Gabriel Pomerancblum<\/strong><\/p>\n<div class=\"credits-overlay\" data-target=\".wp-image-216803\">Press Release<\/div>\n<div class=\"credits-overlay\" data-target=\".wp-image-216810\">Divulga\u00e7\u00e3o<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The History Blocks project was developed by Brazilian-born, Saudi-descendant professor Francisco Tupy. The ruins of UNESCO heritage sites in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan were rendered using the educational game.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2305,"featured_media":216803,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[92],"tags":[9567,9565,9563,9564,31797,9566],"class_list":{"0":"post-251180","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-special-reports","8":"tag-francisco-tupy-en","9":"tag-history-blocks-en","10":"tag-microsoft","11":"tag-minecraft-en","12":"tag-unesco-en-2","13":"tag-unesco-en"},"wps_subtitle":"The History Blocks project was developed by Brazilian-born, Saudi-descendant professor Francisco Tupy. The ruins of UNESCO heritage sites in Syria, Iraq and Afghanistan were rendered using the educational game.","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251180","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2305"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=251180"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/251180\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/216803"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=251180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=251180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/anba.com.br\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=251180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}