Interactive Civics Provides New Learning Experience

A raging woman shouted, “Crazy,” as she slammed the office door shut. “You can’t please everybody, but it’s the law,” explained Colton, a student in Civics class.  The response Colton gave her was part of a new learning experience now being used in the classroom. iCivics, a new technology based learning resource, led by Justice […]

Isela explores iCivics, an on-line interactive technology that teaches civics.

A raging woman shouted, “Crazy,” as she slammed the office door shut. “You can’t please everybody, but it’s the law,” explained Colton, a student in Civics class.  The response Colton gave her was part of a new learning experience now being used in the classroom.
iCivics, a new technology based learning resource, led by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor, was recently introduced to ninth grade civics students at Chambers Academy.  iCivics, a non-profit organization is dedicated to reinvigorating civic learning through interactive and engaging learning resources.  Resources include curriculum units, lesson plans, games, drafting boards where students write solid argumentative essays, information quests that challenge students to tackle important civic questions using primary source documents and analytical skills, and web quests that help students connect civics concepts to the real world.
The new resource provides students with the tools they need for active participation and democratic action while providing teachers with the resources and support.  “I like the way we can interact and using the interactive games makes it interesting to learn,” said Alston, civics student.  “It’s not everyday we get a chance to see how civics really plays a role in our lives.”   Knox played, “Do I Have A Right?”, one of the games included in the technology that place students in different civic roles and give them agencies to address real-world problems and issues.  The problems and issues are rooted in clear learning objectives and integrated with lesson plans, explained O’Conner in an iCivics tribute interview.
iCivics has a growing base of more than 85,000 educators and 3 million students and supports individual, small group, and whole-class learning across a variety of settings, discussions and games that introduce and explain complex concepts.  “Learning is not always exciting, but when you can have fun while learning it makes it very effective,” said Colton.