{"id":2011,"date":"2016-07-26T12:22:32","date_gmt":"2016-07-26T16:22:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/?p=428765"},"modified":"2016-07-26T12:22:32","modified_gmt":"2016-07-26T16:22:32","slug":"laptops-and-law-students-a-bad-combo","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/legal-innovation-center\/2016\/07\/26\/laptops-and-law-students-a-bad-combo\/","title":{"rendered":"Laptops And Law Students: A Bad Combo?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"UpsetIt is getting to be that time of year again when law students ponder whether or not they should use laptops in the classroom, whether or not the professors who bar laptops are evil trolls, and why profs just generally make such a big deal about those darned laptops.\u00a0 Regardless of where you stand in the great debate, this column will help you.<\/p>\n

Let\u2019s start with all the reasons taking notes on a laptop is bad for you:<\/p>\n

    \n
  1. You learn better when you take handwritten notes. Studies<\/a> have found that those who take handwritten notes statistically perform better than those who type, including those who type lectures verbatim.\u00a0\u00a0 Part of it is that typing is a mindless activity:\u00a0 You are merely taking dictation.\u00a0 In handwriting notes, you have to digest and process that information and restate it.\u00a0 It also apparently enhances memory through the movements — muscle memory, as it were.If you ever watch spelling bees, you sometimes see kids doing this. They will write out a word 100 times and then write it out on their hand as they spell the word aloud.\u00a0 That\u2019s the principle here.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
      \n
    1. You think you\u2019re better at multitasking than you truly are. Students notoriously check messages, chat, tweet, shop, pay bills, read Above the Law, or otherwise \u201cdisconnect\u201d from the course while connecting online.\u00a0 Multitasking is wearing you out<\/a> and making you less productive later.\u00a0 Also, you\u2019re probably tuning in more to that which is interesting, and that probably isn\u2019t class. \u00a0In other words, that quick check of Twitter is longer than you think<\/a>, and you\u2019re missing more of class than you think. By the way, you aren\u2019t even really multitasking<\/a>.\u00a0 You are engaging in an optimism bias that could impact your grade.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
        \n
      1. You think the answer is in the outline you have from a different student from another year, or some other materials. Trust me, it\u2019s not.\u00a0 I frequently find students looking down at their computers when I ask questions.\u00a0 True, part of that is to avoid my gaze so that they are not called, but part of it is a search for answers. Riiiight. Because I don\u2019t read the casebook and don\u2019t know what\u2019s in last year\u2019s outlines, I\u2019ll just ask questions with answers readily found there. \u00a0Not. \u00a0Casebook authors know this well.\u00a0 Students whip out case briefs and start reading them to the professor.\u00a0 Such recitations are neither learning nor understanding the material<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n
          \n
        1. You can expect to see laptops in the courtroom and in practice, so why not in the classroom? The laptop in a courtroom is a tool, like any other.\u00a0 It facilitates litigation in a variety of ways.\u00a0 But the mastery of the case comes before the laptop is pulled up in the courtroom, and most certainly doesn\u2019t come from multitasking with it.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

          Okay, so you have notice that laptops are not the best way to take notes and engage in the classroom. Why do law professors ban them when you\u2019re an adult and can make your own decisions?\u00a0 Here are a few of the reasons why your laptop affects more than just you:<\/p>\n

            \n
          1. All we profs see are the backs of your screens. Students use laptops as hiding mechanisms for professors who cold call.\u00a0 We have no ability to see if you understand the material.\u00a0 You aren\u2019t thinking about the course when you\u2019re checking out Twitter, so we can\u2019t tell if we need to go into detail further or whether you really understand.\u00a0 That fake nodding you do doesn\u2019t help, either.<\/li>\n
          2. We professors aren\u2019t stupid. We know when you\u2019re chatting with one another.\u00a0 We know when you are looking at other materials.\u00a0 When you smile and we didn\u2019t say anything funny, we know you\u2019re not with us in class, or maybe someone is making a joke about us and we\u2019re not in on it.\u00a0 Or maybe you are being mean to a fellow student who just tried to answer a question.\u00a0 Regardless, it isn\u2019t good.<\/li>\n
          3. While you are trying to type what we say verbatim, you are missing other points. It\u2019s frustrating when students are on their laptops and are five steps behind.\u00a0 Sometimes it is for legitimate reasons, like trying frantically to synthesize a discussion.\u00a0 Other times, it isn\u2019t.\u00a0 Profs end up having to repeat when it probably wasn\u2019t necessary.<\/li>\n
          4. You lie to us. \u201cI\u2019m sorry, I was taking notes.\u00a0 Can you repeat the question?\u201d\u00a0 Maybe you were, but I\u2019m betting from that click I just heard you were checking sports scores in another open window.<\/li>\n
          5. You distract others sitting around you. One of my students spent a good part of a class shopping for something that he probably didn\u2019t want his colleagues to see.\u00a0 However, because he was sitting in the front row, all behind him saw that for which he was shopping.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

            Most professors who have decided to allow laptops don\u2019t do so lightly.\u00a0 They realize you are adults and trust you to make your own informed decisions.\u00a0 Those who ban laptops don\u2019t think you are children: They believe in the educational process and that you should get the most for your tuition dollar. They are trying to help you and improve the classroom setting.<\/p>\n

            Regardless, think carefully about your laptop use in the classroom.\u00a0 It\u2019s a tool, when used properly.\u00a0 But it can also be a hindrance, to both you and the professor.<\/p>\n

            \n

            LawProfBlawg is an anonymous professor at a top 100 law school. You can see more of his musings <\/em><\/strong>here<\/em><\/strong><\/a> and on <\/em><\/strong>Twitter<\/em><\/strong><\/a>. Email him at <\/em><\/strong>lawprofblawg@gmail.com<\/em><\/strong><\/a>.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

            Think carefully about your laptop use in the classroom, as it can be a tool or a hindrance.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1016,"featured_media":332799,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[174,11],"tags":[1349,1195,171,2333,2334,7],"class_list":["post-2011","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-law-schools","category-technology","tag-laptops","tag-law-professors","tag-law-schools","tag-law-students","tag-lawprofblawg","tag-technology"],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"\nLaptops And Law Students: A Bad Combo? - Above The Law's Legal Tech Non-Event<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/abovethelaw.com\/legal-innovation-center\/2016\/07\/26\/laptops-and-law-students-a-bad-combo\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Laptops And Law Students: A Bad Combo? 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