Laptops in Law School

Here’s another way technology that makes information more accessible is improving things:

[A] national study released today by Indiana University that found that law school students who used their laptops in class were highly engaged in classroom activities. The study of more than 29,000 students at 85 law schools found that students who frequently used their laptops to take notes, review ideas from past lectures or read a self-prepared case brief were more likely to come to class prepared, contribute to class discussions and synthesize material across courses. They were also more likely to work hard to meet faculty expectations.

When I was a law student, I used a laptop. Sometimes (like in my deathly boring class on wills and trusts, or while my remedies professor shared endless anecdotes and punny witticisms) I was only playing games. But most of the time, I used my Mac to take highly structured lecture notes (using OmniOutliner), to do quick legal research (with LexisNexis), to explore basic background information (with Google), and to request clarification from classmates (“What did the professor just say?”) (using Adium). My grades were alright.

So I never understood the complaints of people who say that laptops in class are a bad thing. But it’s nice to see my experience backed up by a “national study.”