IF Blog

Technology & Democracy, and Privacy and more–a discussion summary for session 2 of an online exploratory discussion series

Technology & Democracy, and Privacy and more–a discussion summary for session 2 of an online exploratory discussion series

In this second session of our small group conversation series on Technology & Democracy, citizens from around the country gathered online via Zoom for an exploratory discussion of several key...

Technology & Democracy, and Truth–a discussion summary for session 1 of an online exploratory discussion series

Technology & Democracy, and Truth–a discussion summary for session 1 of an online exploratory discussion series

In this first session of our small-group conversation series on Technology & Democracy, citizens from around the country (and the world) gathered online via Zoom for an exploratory discussion of...

The Heart of Democratic Citizenship–a discussion summary for IF’s online community conversation

The Heart of Democratic Citizenship–a discussion summary for IF’s online community conversation

An exploratory discussion of the meaning of the office of citizen in a self-governing society "In a democracy, the highest office is the office of citizen."– Felix Frankfurter, Supreme Court Justice A...

Facilitating Like You’re Skipping Stones

Facilitating Like You’re Skipping Stones

“How many of you have skipped stones?” so began Sonja Jefferson as she introduced the class session on facilitation. Almost every hand went up. “Good, you have already learned the...

Collaborative Bonds

Collaborative Bonds

On the first day of class Professor Alan Nelson was going over the syllabus. “One of the unique things about this class is the discussion groups you will be in...

Jim Burke Shares his Experience Volunteering with IF

Jim Burke Shares his Experience Volunteering with IF

Jim Burke volunteered as a facilitator with the Interactivity Foundation during January-February 2021. I talked with Jim afterwards about what inspired him to volunteer, what it was like to facilitate...

Syllabus Ideas for Student-Centered Discussions

Syllabus Ideas for Student-Centered Discussions

Dr. Janice Horton was mentoring a graduate student, Erin Roberts, as she was putting together her syllabus for a freshman history class. Roberts wanted to make discussions a strong element...

Avoiding Distractions

Avoiding Distractions

Dr. Reginald Whitcomb was a former Nasa engineer at NASA who was asked to teach a class on design thinking to a cross section of students on campus. His course...

The Art of Facilitation and Collaboration

The Art of Facilitation and Collaboration

Diane Vest was asked to teach a student-centered class where students would learn how to facilitate discussions as well as become effective collaborators in their small-group discussions. To prepare for...

Search Blog