My Congress provides the opportunity for students to access news, videos, Open Congress profiles, and even the twitter feeds of their elected officials. Such information will provide meaningful insight into the hot button issues affecting this country today such as global warming, the distribution of wealth, and the state of education reform. Perhaps the coolest feature of the My Congress app is that it enables students to write to their chosen official. This would provide a great opportunity for students to express their opinions and beliefs on certain major issues and how they think each situation can be improved. This app also provides students with the opportunity to compare political tendencies and ideologies that have characterized congress throughout history with those that characterize it today. What kind of legislation, if any, has been passed in the past to reform education in America and how is current legislation or proposed legislation the same or different? There are, of course, some limitations when it comes to using this app in the classroom. When it comes to political figures, information is often times skewed in whatever direction advances that figure's political beliefs or stances. As a result, it can sometimes be difficult to discern truths from untruths.
The My Congress app is free on the iPad!
https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/mycongress/id364897048?mt=8
I like that this app consolidates a lot of information into one centralized location. It is also nice that it lets students be involved and reach out to their elected officials.
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