PUBLICATIONS
Books
September 30, 2017
Roman Temple: A Story of its Origins and Construction
Few things have had such a great cultural and architectural influence on Western society as the architecture of Roman temples. Where did the Romans find their inspiration? What did these temples really look like? Beautifully illustrated with Minecraft, “Roman Temple: A Story of its Origins and Construction” by Jessie Craft tells the story of the...
Book Chapters
June 13, 2019
Bridging the Gap between Students and Antiquity: Language Acquisition Videos with Minecraft and CI/TPRS
For over a decade, teachers have been seeking to supplement their curricula with compelling and meaningful technology. In recent years, a surge of K-12 Latin teachers having been trying to find ways to discuss culture in the target language. This paper will describe an innovative way to combine the vastly played video game Minecraft with Latin classroom language and culture needs using technology and second language acquisition methods. The author will elaborate on some of the theoretical underpinnings of CI (Comprehensible Input) and TPRS (Teaching Proficiency through Reading and Storytelling) and discuss the central reasons for using Minecraft as the medium to deliver information in the target language. He will discuss researching the targeted cultural piece, creating it in the virtual space afforded by Minecraft, the process of creating the script in the target language and finally the production of the video. The author will present some of the best practices for implementation in class along with some accompanying activities, and along the way, will include tips and cautions for the recreation of this pedagogical method.
Articles
March 17, 2016
Minecraft as a 3D Cultural Heritage Modeling Tool in the Classroom - Play The Past
By now, Minecraft has established a solid reputation for itself in academia. The positive results of its implementation are evinced in publications (see Bukvic et al, ‘OperaCraft‘, Graham, ‘HIST3812a‘, List, ‘Using Minecraft to Encourage Critical Engagement of Geography Concepts‘, and Schifter, ‘Minecraft as teaching tool‘)...
February 29, 2016
Rebuilding an Empire with Minecraft: Bringing the Classics into the Digital Space - Classical Journal
This articles presents an innovative manner to supplement history and foreign language classes with a 3D modeling of ancient Rome by the vastly played video game Minecraft. Assuming the persona of an ancient architect, students select a building, research it in primary and secondary sources, and finally recreate their selection on the precise site where it once stood in Rome. Here I discuss the benefits of using 3D software as a learning tool, the theory and methodology behind the implementation used in my HS Latin I-IV language courses, and I analyze the data resulting from two iterations of this project.
Talks
Bedford Prep School. "Using Minecraft to Create 3D Cultural Heritage Models" 10/9/25.
Classics Gaming Collaborative of UNCG. “Echoes of Antiquity: Jessie Craft” 4/18/25.
Ohio Classical Conference. Key Note Speaker. "Let's Live with Purpose!" 9/28/24.
Ohio Classical Conference. Colloquium. "The Importance of 3D Models for Cultural Heritage" 9/28/24.
Excellence Through Classics. “Seven Wonders of the World: Temple of Jupiter at Olympia” 3/11/23.
FLANC 2020. “Why and How to Use Spoken Latin” Fall 2020.
JCLive. “Minecraft, bees, and speaking Latin with special guest Magister Craft”. Live Stream on YouTube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHedh5F7wc8. October 18, 2020.
Illinois Classical Conference. “Remote Teaching in Virtual Environments”. October 2, 2020.
Excellence Through Classics. “Latin and Minecraft”, 3/24/20. “Minecraft: Rome’s Blood”, 4/20/20. “The LMNOPs of Latin”, 6/15/20.
GrecoLatinoVivo: Lilium2. “Ovid and Virtual Rome” Florence, Italy. Fall 2019.
WSFCS. “Authentic Latin Texts in 20 Minutes or Less” Fall 2019.
GrecoLatinoVivo. “Fabulae et Pelliculae: l’utilizzo in classe di storie e video per favorire l’acquisizione linguistica” Naples, Italy. Spring 2018.
FLANC 2017. “Storytelling in Minecraft for the CI/TPRS Classroom” Fall 2017.
FLANC 2016. “Immersive Learning and Role-playing in Minecraft” Fall 2016.
WSFCS. “Adventure Maps and Immersive Learning in Minecraft” Fall 2016.
North Carolina Classics Association. "Rebuilding an Empire: Bringing the Classics into the Digital Space." Spring 2014.