Jonathan Adams

Sandra Day O’Connor Gets Into Gaming

H/T techdirt

Sandra Day O’Connor, retired Supreme Court Justice, is turning to video games to make sure that young people learn about the legal system.

Delivering the keynote address Wednesday at the annual Games For Change conference at Parsons The New School For Design, O’Connor detailed a project she is spearheading called Our Courts, which she described as an “online, interactive civic education project for seventh- and eighth-graders” that familiarizes students with the legal system. O’Connor believes that America’s youth aren’t learning enough about civics, and thinks that the educational power of videogames is just the thing to change that.

O’Connor notes that No Child Left Behind effectively removed civic education from high schools across the country, and she’s doing her part to make sure that young people stay engaged.

The game “lets students engage in real issues and real problems,” O’Connor said. It will allow them to “step into the shoes of a judge, a legislator, an executive — teach them how to think through and analyze problems, take action and voice opinions to their elected representatives.”

Posted at 1:31 PM, Jun 06, 2008 in Pop Culture | Permalink | View Comments