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Law Professor Bans Laptops in Class
AP/Yahoo ^ | Wed Mar 29, 8:21 AM ET

Posted on 03/30/2006 3:21:01 AM PST by martin_fierro

Law Professor Bans Laptops in Class

Wed Mar 29, 8:21 AM ET

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - A University of Memphis law professor has banned laptop computers from her classroom and her students are passing a petition against it.

Professor June Entman says her main concern is that students are so busy keyboarding they can't think and analyze what she's telling them.

Students have begun collecting signatures on petitions and tried unsuccessfully to file a complaint with the American Bar Association.

Student Cory Winsett says if he must continue without his laptop, he'll transfer to another school. Winsett says he won't be able to keep up if he has to rely on hand-written notes, which he says are incomplete and less organized.


TOPICS: Chit/Chat; Computers/Internet; Education; Local News; Miscellaneous; Weird Stuff
KEYWORDS: laptops; lawschool
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To: martin_fierro

And there's a whole helluva lot of us that have one or more degrees and did it all with (OMG!) handwritten notes. My handwriting has never been legible since then. But I can read my writing, most of the time, as long as it hasn't been too long since I wrote it!


21 posted on 03/30/2006 5:47:00 AM PST by DaGman
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To: Rebelbase

I thought the verb of 'barbecue' was 'cindering'.

kind regards,


22 posted on 03/30/2006 5:48:52 AM PST by vimto ("I've seen the future of Islam, Guess what? We won!")
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To: wideawake
The students are the customers, purchasing instruction from the professor. If the university is a good vendor, it will instruct this wayward employee to give the customers the convenience they expect.

Almost exactly backwards. In this case the vendor is always right, if you disagree you can quit or be pushed-out, and you'll still have to pay the bill.

23 posted on 03/30/2006 5:51:04 AM PST by 1rudeboy
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To: ken5050
One day in my civpro class, the professor gave us all a speech....it is important that you show up to class, even if you are not prepared. If I call on you and you are not prepared, say so and I will give you a pass.

Naturally, the next class he calls on me and I had not read the case for that day. I take a pass, and he proceeds to rail on me.

LOL...lesson learned.

24 posted on 03/30/2006 5:52:34 AM PST by ContemptofCourt
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To: vimto

I should have included adding "ing" onto a verb to make it a noun:

Noun 1. typingtyping - writing done with a typewriter
typewriting
writing - letters or symbols written or imprinted on a surface to represent the sounds or words of a language; "he turned the paper over so the writing wouldn't show"; "the doctor's writing was illegible"
double-spacing - typing that leaves alternate lines blank
single-spacing - typing that does not leave lines blank
triple-spacing - typing that leaves two lines blank between lines of typing
touch system, touch typing - typewriting in which the fingers are trained to hit particular keys; typist can read and type at the same time

http://www.tfd.com/typing


25 posted on 03/30/2006 5:54:09 AM PST by DaGman
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To: conservatism_IS_compassion
. . . which is why she should hand out notes on what she was going to say.

That is simply not possible if the professor is teaching in a traditional, Socratic manner.

26 posted on 03/30/2006 5:54:10 AM PST by 1rudeboy
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To: twigs

"You can do little things so that students get the idea"

Your husband is a good teacher.

I had a civics prof. who encouraged class particiaption and made like he was huffing on a joint every time he mentioned the term "~joint~ session of Congress".

It got to where he'd say "joint", motion the class to proceed and there'd be 60+ people acting like cheech and chong for about 5 seconds, then he'd continue "session of Congress".....


27 posted on 03/30/2006 5:55:24 AM PST by Rebelbase (Bush signed CFR. He deserves to be bitched at as much as McCain.)
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To: ContemptofCourt

Interestingly enough, Molly Lien taught Civil Procedure, Legal Writing, and some other stuff.


28 posted on 03/30/2006 5:57:05 AM PST by 1rudeboy
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To: vimto

"I thought the verb of 'barbecue' was 'cindering'. "

True, but that version is only used in the context of hapless and inept.


29 posted on 03/30/2006 5:58:53 AM PST by Rebelbase (Bush signed CFR. He deserves to be bitched at as much as McCain.)
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To: ContemptofCourt
LOL..reminds me of the classic old baseball story...Ty Cobb, not noted for his civility, was tossed out of the first game of a doubleheader for arguing with and cussing at the home plate ump..so the second game starts,and Cobb, leading off, walks up to the plate..all nice and polite..and he asks the ump a question..."Can I get thrown out for thinking?"..Nope, says the ump.."OK then," says Cobb.." I think you're a LOUSY NO GOOD &^%&*)&^$%*&()*&^%$*)__&^+^)__"....Needless to say..He got tossed again..
30 posted on 03/30/2006 6:05:08 AM PST by ken5050 (Ann Coulter needs to have children ASAP to propagate her gene pool. Any volunteers?)
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To: Rebelbase
Your husband is a good teacher.

He is! And a great husband to boot! He's even a dem! But unlike too many political dems, he has a great sense of humor and uses it whenever he can. He can lighten any group if he feels like it. And he firmly believes that students learn a lot more if they are enjoying their education. I agree.

31 posted on 03/30/2006 6:17:07 AM PST by twigs
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To: vimto

A friend with a teenage son, years ago, told me that the school the kid went to changed the name of the class to "keyboarding" specifically so boys would take it. "Typing" class sounded secretarial.


32 posted on 03/30/2006 6:19:30 AM PST by linda_22003
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To: Rebelbase

And 'party'.
I don't know if I'd like to sit in a class
where there is a lot of typing noise.
My typing is quiet, but my son's is not.
Why aren't they using recorders and typing notes later?


33 posted on 03/30/2006 6:23:33 AM PST by aspen64 (Fight crime. Shoot back.)
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To: martin_fierro
I guarantee you most of the laptop attention in college courses is not on note taking or internal school resources. It's either ESPN.com, Freerepublic.com, or Drudge.

I speak from firsthand experience....so guilty as charged.

This wouldn't be a bad idea for the corporate world either, too many folks panicking at emails (which will still be there when they can get back online) instead of providing ideas/debate in meetings.

34 posted on 03/30/2006 6:25:07 AM PST by Sam's Army (Another unsuccessful attempt to refrain from posting)
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To: martin_fierro

I dropped out of law school when they told me I couldn't bring my thermos to class..........


35 posted on 03/30/2006 6:28:50 AM PST by Squantos (Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet. ©)
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To: vimto

Keyboarding is a 20 year old term around here.


36 posted on 03/30/2006 6:55:45 AM PST by neb52
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To: 1rudeboy
. . . which is why she should hand out notes on what she was going to say.

That is simply not possible if the professor is teaching in a traditional, Socratic manner.

Civpro isn't really one of those classes that lends itself to the Socratic method....its more like math....you have a rule, and you learn the parameters of the rule (and, of course, how far you can bend the rule).

Legal writing is even more of a joke. I told my legal writing prof in lawschool that I had to unlearn everything I knew about writing to make her happy and ace her class.

Interestingly, legal writing is usually taught by the rookies...

37 posted on 03/30/2006 7:04:26 AM PST by ContemptofCourt
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To: ContemptofCourt
Again, interestingly enough, Prof. Lien was the head of the Legal Writing Dept. at C-K. She taught other classes other than that and CivPro, so I suspect that's where she became concerned.

My Legal Writing professor's response, when she learned I studied English, was "I'm sorry." (no joke).

The best writers (in terms of the grades they received) in my LW class were science majors.

38 posted on 03/30/2006 7:19:21 AM PST by 1rudeboy
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To: martin_fierro

I posting from my laptop in Trust & Wills RIGHT NOW! MUHUHAHAHAHAHA


39 posted on 03/30/2006 7:37:11 AM PST by Cyclopean Squid (History is a work in progress)
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To: martin_fierro

Also, one of my profs also banned laptops in class, but it didn't make national headlines. It doesn't matter; instead of surfing the net during class, I drew pictures and wrote lame Haikus in my notebook.


40 posted on 03/30/2006 7:39:11 AM PST by Cyclopean Squid (History is a work in progress)
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