iCivics.org Press

In addition to the usual, still-startling statistics comparing the percentage of Americans who can name all three branches of U.S. government to the percentage that can rattle off all Three Stooges or list all three American Idol judges (if you haven't been paying attention, guess which percentage is lowest; go on -- guess!), the story touches on how a decline in civics education may be helping foster incivility and intolerance in the U.S.. Columnist Danielle Friedman even cajoles Justice O'Connor into weighing in (or at least hinting at a weigh-in) on the recent Supreme Court ruling concerning California's violent video game ban.

Totally worth a read.

You can read the full review at Gamification.co.

Yet another plug for the iCivics initiative! The Austin Post recently featured this article by Gerard Sanchez. It's a pretty straightforward recap of Sandra Day O'Connor's mission, Filament's involvement, and the ways in which we're providing new media to help educators teach digital natives to be engaged citizens.

Technology correspondant Stanley A. Miller II got acquainted with the iCivics games last week.  "Filament Games in Madison makes games," he reported in an article for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, "the kind that pull players in and vanish an hour of time in the blink of an eye."

Captured by the idea that educational games could be flat-out fun to play, Miller interviewed Filament co-founder Dan Norton about designing such experiences.

"Most games might ask you to be a dragon-slaying hero, but we make games that ask you to be a scientist," Norton told him. "We can put you in a different role and still engage in real game play and tactics, mapping out things that matter."

The full article can be read at the Journal Sentinel's web portal, JSOnline.