NPR posted an article today about a web quiz at isidewith.com that you can take to show you which US presidential candidate you align with. While not a new phenomenon in the least, the article reported, this quiz works because its thoughtful, devoid of obnoxious advertising, and allows quiz takers to share their results on social media sites.
I took this quiz and liked it because it introduced me to some issues that I hadn’t really thought about, as well as a number of candidates that I hadn’t heard of but was a good match for (like Jill Stein — have you heard of her?). The quiz also shows you which political parties your views match up with the most, and allows you to explore the most popular results by state.
So here’s the question: Would you use this in a classroom? I can see it being an interesting tool to get apathetic students more interested in politics. Not only does it give you a nudge in defining where your views lie, it also provides a list of issues and candidates that may be new to most young people. And since it focuses on more than just the democratic party/candidate and the republican party/ candidate, it hints at what our democracy could be like without a two-party system (if only!).
I also really like this sentiment from one of the creators of the site (as reported in the NPR article):
Peck, who clearly sees the humor in politics, muses that there should be a place for the quiz in the presidential selection process. “Whoever gets the highest score gets the nod.”
What a great questions to engage students in the democratic system! With technology becoming so prevalent in our society, should we be able to vote for the president online?
Perhaps one day that will be a decision that our students will indeed have to make.
