I'm still working hard to process all of the ideas presented at the iLaw program sponsored by the Berkman Center.  A really good learning experience extends far beyond the days spent in the classroom, and I'm sure that for at least the next 20 years I'll be deriving new insights from what I learned this week.  It was, in the best sense, an incomplete education.

In the meantime, here are a few thoughts about what I really liked and what I would change about the iLaw program.

What worked:
All of the presenters were of course amazingly smart, well-informed, innovative, and outstanding in their fields.  In addition to all of this, Jonathan Zittrain was also uproariously funny. 

Although some of the concepts and issues presented were extremely complex, I had no difficulty following the legal aspects under discussion.

Virtually all the sessions had both a presenter and an interlocutor drawn from the pool of other presenters.  This was effective, because the interlocutors were often able to ask questions that elicited important clarifications.  In addition, some of the interlocutors took the opportunity to project relevant information or images from the world wide web onto the big screen as a kind of counterpoint to the presenter's perspective.

Attendees received a set of four DVDs before the program, with lectures from some of the iLaw faculty members.  Although I only received my set the evening before the program began, it gave me an opportunity to learn about some of the ideas on which the program was predicated, and to acclimate myself to the style and format of the presentations.

What I would change:
Add an online directory of (and discussion forum for) attendees, set up well in advance of the program, in order to give us an opportunity to learn from each other before we meet in person.

Make more effective use of interactive formats and online tools to move the presentations away from the "talking heads" model.

Avoid lunchtime presentations. (The talk given at lunch on Thursday by Roger Schank was brilliant and important, but meals are an opportunity for unstructured conversation with fellow attendees.)

Discourage the use of PowerPoint. 

Encourage the use of an IRC channel, with its discussion of the presentation in progress projected on a screen up front for everyone to see.



John Palfrey is aggregating blog articles about the recent iLaw program at NewsILike.  For a range of perspectives, check it out!