An approach to the teaching of "History of Art" using virtual environment: theory and practice

This paper presents a teaching approach of “Art History”. The idea of designing and implementing this educational exercise exploits basic epistemological and pedagogical assumptions of modern education and its teaching through new technologies as a tool to support the educational process. In particular, we refer to Virtual Reality, which is a valid cognitive and fundamental technology tool through which users interact. The students created their own virtual exhibition through artsteps.com, an integrated digital museography platform that allows the user to create, edit, manage and present digital artworks in an interesting and playful way. This activity contributes effectively to the approach of cultural heritage, to the awareness of the social role of art and to the enrichment of the artistic vocabulary and the creativity of the students. Finally, the computer is used as a tool for discovering, creating and developing thought.