Elisa Diaz

September 26, 2016

EDIT 670
Exercise C

iCivics.org Review
One of the first educational game providers that I was introduced to as
an educator was the website iCivics.org that concentrates on teaching civics
studies through real world challenges through first person perspectives with
online games to mostly middle schools students. It is a completely free
product available to both teachers and students and is encouraged to be
used to support and teach state based standards. As an adult, I am always
surprised how playable and enjoyable each game is and how much I learn
during the process of completing each game, and was happy to review this
website in terms of its structure, educational potential, how transferable it
could be to a classroom or project, and in the end, describe how it can be
implemented once adopted.
This website has not only one but a series of simulations or mimicry
games that can be readily implemented into the classroom. Although they
are separate games, each time you play you rack up points and use them to
support other students or can donate them to a student service project every
semester- the group with the highest points will win $1,000 support from
iCivics itself. This is what Karl Kapp, author of The Gamification of Learning

and Instruction would call creating a shared purpose through a point system
(pp.161, 163). So, in a way, playing these mini-games is part of a larger
game to encourage real life civics and involvement through a shared, larger
purpose. iCivics uses many other structures and frameworks to captivate
their players including meaningful dialogue (p.150), complex storyline (p.
151), being replayable with different results (p. 157), manipulating variables
(p. 153), and synthesis of knowledge (p. 155), to name a few. For example,
in the game Activate, students learn how to engage the community and
community leaders to raise awareness and support for a cause. Throughout
the game, players see the avatars ask things like What should I do? if they
need direction, or Im leaving if they, as volunteers in your campaign, are
not being included properly. Players also see game instructions and storyline
dialogue that are easy to understand, and helpful to achieving the goals.
The storyline does change and become challenging if the player does not use
their tools and knowledge effectively.
In the same game, one may not reach their goal because their
volunteers become too tired or because they are not equipped or trained in
the task at hand. Fortunately, each game in iCivics provides the idea of
replayability (p. 48) and feedback (p. 35). Whenever I did not meet my goal
in a game, I was given a summary of my mistakes and tips on how to do
better. Sometimes, the game would have an avatar jump up and encourage
me to click on him to further my goal. There are no ultimate lives or limits
on how many times you could play a game or level, but in many cases you

would be timed, which I found to be very what Jim Gee would call pleasantly
frustrating- one of the 13 game principles of effective gaming and learning
created by the researcher and professor at Arizona State University.
One of the best aspects of the games in iCivics are that they feature an
incredible array of variables and manipulatives that give the player the sense
that they are in control of each outcome with purposeful results- key
elements to achieving a state of flow in the gaming experience (p. 73).
From the beginning of each game, the player can choose their avatar
appearance, name and more. In the case of the game Win the White
House, I was able to even choose my candidates home state and political
party, and even learn the partys main stances. Later, the game, like many
other mini-games on the website, allowed me to choose the responses to
different political debates, where I later received immediate feedback
through the dialogue by losing points or by having to start again.
Another great aspect of the mini-games is that they allow the player to
learn skills or concepts in levels to later complete a larger task as they
master the game. In Immigration Nation, you learn the aspects of
immigration and are introduced to only one harbor at a time, or one
possible place to be categorized as a citizen or a type of non-citizen. As I
become more aware of the aspects of being a citizen or becoming one, I am
allowed to move up into other harbors with the knowledge I accrue.
According to Gee, this reflects the fish tank principle of gaming and
learning where the game takes pieces of a system and only introduces some

of the variables before they introduce the whole array of the system. Kapp
addresses this feature as including the procedural domain in learning where
you start with a big picture then teach the how and the why through steps,
different perspectives and techniques (p. 181). Teachers can use these
games (either in part, or in connection to another game) to teach small
concepts or parts of concepts before they move on to larger ones. Doing
otherwise, would cause the student to become very overwhelmed by the
variables and possibilities in such a vast subject like immigration.
According to the website, Retired Justice Sandra Day OConnor founded
this program to be a fun, approachable and easy to use game that can easily
translate into classroom learning goals around the country. She, and many
other teachers, knew that civics as a subject was something that was being
either defunded or completely left out of state curriculum and wanted a way
to show educators and students how necessary it was and how helpful it can
be to know about civics to be a contributing citizen. These games teach
students skills that can translate to any classrooms learning goals including
decision making, critical thinking, conduct research, learning how to take
responsibility for their own learning and how to become curious about their
own learning. Apart from teaching how government works, it also includes a
great game about how to construct and win an argument, a great resource
for any English teacher, as well as resources for lesson plans and interactive
white board accompanying games.

Teachers can use the accompanying lesson plans that come with many
of the games and even search for games based on standards on the
iCivics.org website. A great tool that the website also provides is the class
assignment tool that allows teachers to create classes, assign them games
and monitor their progress. This also allows teachers to control the direction
of their teaching based on the students and can help them inform how they
would lead a class or partner discussion and even projects. iCivics games
are tied to webquests and DBQuests created by the same organization and
would be a great starting point for class projects. Teachers can also post
topics within their classes and use their game results to create forums based
on their beliefs and experiences, before, during and after gameplay.
Although iCivics games can really work for any person at any time,
their games would work best when introducing a concept or once students
have mastered concepts and need enrichment. iCivics games fall into two of
the scenarios for uses of gaming according to Katie Salen: Games as
Content and Games as Simulation. Once a teacher is finished with a part of
a concept, he could pause to provide them with opportunities for reflection
on and discussion of the content in spaces external to the game in order to
allow them to see the game as part of a larger body of knowledge on that
subject (p. 85). For example, a South Carolina fourth grade or High school
government and economics teacher could very well use the games in
progression to enhance or introduce their units, such as first playing Cast
Your Vote to get the view of citizens on issues, then Branches of Power to

learn the view of each branch on different issues, and then assign them to
play Execute Command to help kids learn the view of issues through the
Presidents eyes. Another way could be to have kids play different games
based on the responsibilities on the citizen, local county, and then supreme
court or national levels to learn how each works. Each game would support
the other in learning as the student progresses.
As stated previously, the games use a simulation platform that best
suits concept learning. This way, according to Salen, students can test
theories about how systems work as well as how certain principles of
dynamic systems can be observed and played out (p. 85). When the
advanced students in your classroom need a way to further themselves after
content has been taught, they can create their own learning scenarios in
each game. In the Crisis of Nations game, although there is no character
avatar, there is a first person position that one plays through a card game.
One false use of your resources when trying to solve an international
problem may cause you to lose a battle, become economically unstable or
even cause you to be the victim of espionage- this is quite something. What
is challenging in this game is that it is a multi-player game, so a synthesis of
knowledge of all players is important to help solve each problem. Personally,
this was the hardest game for me mostly because there were so many
variables and possibilities that were a bit overwhelming- I let other countries
as well as my own down perpetually! Perhaps a bit more knowledge on
diplomacy and international relations would have helped me here. Teachers

could implement iCivics games as a whole class or individual pre-teach or

review game, or even use it in rotations with teams where each team later
has to teach or inform the other about their learning. Teachers could even
split the class and have them create a debate based on their learnings, or
even create a blended classroom where one side is taught a concept or a
skill and the other is busy learning the same concepts or skills through
iCivics.
When I was an English teacher, I allowed my kids to play Argument
Wars as a whole class after dividing them into teams and let them create
their own opinions based on real life Supreme Court cases! Afterward, I
remember one inspired student saying, I wish I knew everything. There is
just so much to learn and I wish I could learn it all! I cant wait to grow up!
Gees believes that there are four arching categories of principles for gaming
and learning which collectively would be described as empowering learners
through problem based learning that creates long lasting understanding. I
believe that putting together the games from iCivics into any classroom will
certainly do that and more.