News

Interesting article from the Huffington Post on the value of using video games–albeit violent ones– as learning tools.

“People that play these fast-paced games have better vision, better attention and better cognition,” said Daphne Bavelier, an assistant professor in the department of brain and cognitive science at the University of Rochester. Bavelier was a presenter at Games for Learning, a daylong symposium on the educational uses of video games and computer games. The event, the first of its kind, was an indication that electronic games are gaining legitimacy in the classroom. President Barack Obama recently identified the creation of good educational software as one of the “grand challenges for American innovation,” and the federal Department of Education’s assistant deputy secretary for the Office of Innovation and Improvement, Jim Shelton, attended Thursday’s conference. Panelists discussed how people learn and how games can be engineered to be even more educational. “People do learn from games,” said J. Dexter Fletcher of the Institute for Defense Analyses. Sigmund Tobias of the State University of New York at Albany said an Israeli air force study found that students who played the game “Space Fortress” had better rankings in their pilot training than students who did not. He added that students who played “pro-social” games that promote cooperation were more likely than others to help out in real-life situations like intervening when someone is being harassed.

Very disturbing news about the state of our civic education in America.  Nearly two-thirds of Americans cannot name any members of the U.S. Supreme Court, according to a new national survey by FindLaw.com. From the poll:

Clarence Thomas is the most well known justice but could be named by only 19 percent of Americans. Chief Justice John Roberts was named by 16 percent of people. Sonia Sotomayor, the newest justice, could be named by only 15 percent of Americans following a highly visible nomination and confirmation process last year. According to the FindLaw.com survey, the percentages of Americans who can name any U.S. Supreme Court justices are:

• Clarence Thomas – 19%
• John Roberts – 16%
• Sonia Sotomayor – 15%
• Ruth Bader Ginsburg – 13%
• Antonin Scalia – 10%
• Samuel Alito – 8%
• John Paul Stevens – 8%
• Anthony Kennedy – 6%
• Stephen Breyer – 3%

Only 1 percent of Americans could correctly name all nine current members of the Supreme Court. In addition, many Americans think that retired justices Sandra Day O’Connor and David Souter are still active members of the Supreme Court. O’Connor and Souter retired from the Court in 2006 and 2009, respectively.

Curiously, the most taciturn Justice is the most well known. And Justice Kennedy, the most important  Justice on the bench, is the least well known. Poor Justice Breyer.

May 28, 2010 – Washington, D.C. Today the Harlan Institute launched its new web site at www.HarlanInstitute.org. The new web site offers an engaging and easy to use design. By using this site, teachers and students can learn more about the Harlan Institute’s initiatives, including FantasySCOTUS.org and YourConstitution.net. FantasySCOTUS.org will be a Supreme Court fantasy league targeted towards high school classes that teach about the Supreme Court, the constitution, and civics. In a partnership with Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s iCivics, the site will be free for all teachers and students to use, starting in August 2010. YourConstitution.net will bring the constitution to life by shining a light on the faces and places that gave rise to famous Supreme Court cases, and telling their stories. This interactive website will take the reader through a visual tour of some of the most famous cases in constitutional law history. About the Harlan Institute The Harlan Institute’s (www.HarlanInstitute.org) mission is to bring a stylized law school experience into the high school classroom to ensure that our next generation of leaders has a proper understanding of our most fundamental laws. The Harlan Institute developed FantasySCOTUS.org, a Supreme Court fantasy league that teaches students about Supreme Court cases and allows them to make predictions about the outcome of the case. ### Contacts: Josh Blackman (202) 294-9003 The Harlan Institute info@harlaninstitute.org twitter: @HarlanInstitute http://HarlanInstitute.org

FantasySCOTUS.org will be a Supreme Court fantasy league targeted towards high school classes that teach about the Supreme Court, the Constitution, and civics. In a partnership with Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’siCivics, the site will be free for all teachers and students to use, starting in August 2010. During the October 2010 Supreme Court term, the Institute,will select cases of special interest to students. These cases will focus primarily on constitutional issues, though other significant non-constitutional cases will also be considered. Each class will submit predictions for these ten cases, speculating as to the outcome of the case (Affirm or Reverse/Vacate), the split, and the Justices in the majority and in the dissent. In addition to the predictions, classes will also hone their writing skills in a fun and interactive medium: blogging. Each classroom will maintain a blog, and students will write posts about each of the cases, including their analysis of the precedents, their thoughts about oral arguments, and predictions for the holding. While the predictions will be graded automatically, Institute personnel will be responsible for grading and critiquing the blog posts according to a predetermined scoring rubric. In addition, we will offer an interactive chat room and forum, where teachers and students can interact with each other, and learn more about the cases. Classes will compete against other classes in small leagues . Depending how many classes sign up, we can create leagues based on states, regions, or other bases. At the end of the Supreme Court term, the team with the best score in each league and their teacher will receive a to-be-determined prize. What makes FantasySCOTUS.org so effective for pedagogical purposes is that it is real. These are real cases that the students will read in the news. Leveraging the immense popularity of fantasy sports among teenagers, FantasySCOTUS.org will transform following the Supreme Court from a routine review of old cases into an exciting game of predicting live cases. Factoring in the competition aspect, as students will compete with other classes across the Nation, this engaging and interactive platform will make the Supreme Court speak to the students unlike ever before. To learn more about FantasySCOTUS.org, and if you are interested in signing up, please visit ourFantasySCOTUS page.

YourConstitution.net will bring the Constitution to life by shining a light on the faces and places that gave rise to famous Supreme Court cases, and telling their stories. This interactive website will take the reader through a visual tour of some of the most famous cases in constitutional law history.

The Harlan Institute’s mission is to bring a stylized law school experience into the high school classroom to ensure that our next generation of leaders has a proper understanding of our most fundamental laws. By utilizing the expertise of leading legal scholars and the interactivity of online games, Harlan will introduce students to our Constitution, the cases of the United States Supreme Court, and our system of justice.  Harlan’s long term strategic goal is to develop condensed law school courses that can be taught at no cost in high schools across the country using engaging online programs. Harlan has partnered with iCivics, an organization founded by Justice Sandra Day O’Connor’s, to help bring our products to students nationwide.

Sign up your class for two virtual mentoring sessions through HARLANconnect, and enter your class into a drawing for an iPod Touch. The winner will be announced following the end of the October 2010 Supreme Court Term (usually the last week in June).

What is HARLANconnect?

HARLANconnect is the Harlan Institute’s innovative platform to help connect attorneys, law professors, and law students with high school classes. Through the use of Skype Video calls, classrooms can connect with attorneys anywhere in the world, and learn more about the Constitution and the Supreme Court.

How does HARLANconnect work?

HARLANconnect provides a simple and easy way for classes to be mentored and learn from attorneys, law professors, and law students. First, interested classes request a mentor. Second, the Harlan Institute contacts one of the attorneys in our vast network, and attempts to locate a suitable mentor for the classroom. This mentor will be an attorney, law professor, or law student with a passion for the Constitution, and an interest in sharing his or her knowledge with tomorrow’s leaders and decision-makers. Third, after a mentor is paired with a class, the Harlan Institute will schedule an initial Skype video call. During this 45-minute call, the mentor will introduce the students to one of the cases pending before the Supreme Court this term, and highlight the constitutional issues in the case. Following the initial Skype Call, if both the class and the mentor concur, the Harlan Institute will schedule additional Skype calls and other forms of electronic exchange.

How do I get involved?

The goal of HARLANconnect is to make the mentoring process as easy and effective as possible. While the time commitment for all parties is rather small, we find that the virtual visits to classrooms are the next-best-thing to in-person visits. If you are an attorney, law student, or law professor, and are interested in mentoring a class, please fill out this form. If you are interested in signing your class up for a mentor, please select a lesson, and sign up for a time slot on this calendar.