H2O: Building Communities around Ideas

This demonstration will showcase the H2O project at the Berkman Center for Internet & Society in general and the H2O Rotisserie discussion tool specifically. H2O is a nonprofit software development project that develops innovative educational tools designed not only to improve the academic educational experience but also to export the best parts of that experience outside of the academy. The Rotisserie is the most successful tool developed by the H2O project: a structured discussion tool that solves many of the problems of using an online discussion system to facilitate productive, meaningful discourse. The Berkman Center has successfully used H2O tools to promote productive civic discussion about pressing Internet and law issues.