Teknoids - security, legal education, general

A Call to Create the AALS Section on Educational and Instructional Technology

Wed, 7 Feb 2007 13:47:28 -0600

Having recently returned from my seventh consecutive AALS Annual Meeting it seems to me that now would be a good time to create an AALS section that focuses on educational and instructional technology. Over the past years I've noticed a couple of trends at the annual meeting. First, anything that touches on technology in relation to education and scholarship draws big crowds. Second, the number of associate/assistant deans and directors representing administrative functions of the law schools attending AALS has increased but this doesn't seem to include IT deans and directors. So, you have a situation where several thousand law school faculty are eagerly consuming any tech nuggets they find but without the voices of the IT folks who can provide the best guidance. Of course, this is something we can change.

While a number of AALS Sections include some sort of technology bent in their annual programs, there is not a section that is focused on bringing faculty the latest information about educational and instructional technology on a regular basis. This is the role I see for this section. The idea is to have a Section that does an annual program that provides the AALS Annual Meeting attendees with information about, and demonstrations of, the latest in educational and instructional technologies. The Section would provide a forum for interested faculty to interact with IT professionals in a situation that outside of the normal structures of the IT/faculty relationship.

Draft Bylaws Proposed AALS Section on Educational and Instructional Technology

Wed, 7 Feb 2007 09:35:40 -0600

Association of American Law Schools

Bylaws of the Section on Educational and Instructional Technology

Article I. Name and Purpose

Section 1. Name. This section shall be known as the Section on Educational and Instructional Technology.

Section 2. Purpose. The purpose of this section is to promote the communication of ideas, interests, and activities among members and to make recommendations to the Association on matters concerning educational and instructional technology in legal education and scholarship.

Article II. Membership

Section 1. Membership.

Learn the Extreme approach to Testing Java Applications with New Book from Packt

Wed, 23 Jul 2008 04:12:16 -0500

Packt is pleased to announce a new book on extreme Java application testing. Written by Tim Lavers and Lindsay Peters, Swing Extreme Testing is a practical guide to automated software testing for extreme Java programming using Swing GUIs.

Create Drupal 6 Modules with New Book

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 02:37:51 -0500

Learning Drupal 6 Module Development is a new book from Packt, which acts as a practical tutorial for creating Drupal 6 modules with PHP. Written by Matt Butcher, this book will help users to walk through the development of complete Drupal 6 Modules.

Learn to develop web applications with new book on the Yahoo User Interface JavaScript library

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 02:10:50 -0500

Learning the Yahoo! User Interface Library is a new book from Packt that teaches users to develop next generation web applications with the YUI JavaScript development library. Written by Dan Wellman, this book introduces the popular open-source YUI JavaScript library and takes users through each of the fully released components in detail looking at the classes that make up each component and the properties and methods that can be used.

Create custom Applications for Facebook with New Book from Packt

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 02:01:11 -0500

Packt is pleased to announce a new book based on one of the most popular websites in the world: Facebook. Written by Hasin Hayder and Dr. Mark A. Bain, Learning Facebook Application Development will help developers create new features and applications using the Facebook Platform and PHP.

Encryption Software

Mon, 5 May 2008 13:52:10 -0500

I'm in search of encryption software for Laptops and USB storage devices that can easily be implemented,supported, and at same time is should meet the most of the industry encryption standards Please advise.

Thank you

Time Matters Support Contract

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 10:33:45 -0500

Hello all Time Matters users out there. The USC Law School needs to purchase the Time Matters annual support contract for the first time. I would like others to please provide me with an estimate of what they have paid for this service so I can budget accordingly.

Thanks in advance for you responses.

"Casual Day" in a Nigerian Law School Course

Sun, 20 Jan 2008 04:48:24 -0600

The picture above was taken during my visit of the Enugu campus of the Nigerian Law School this just past Friday. This was my second stop of four. I am visiting all four campuses of the Nigerian Law School - Lagos, Enugu, Abuja and Kano.

While touring the Enugu campus, we dropped in on a Property class in progress and I was asked to say a few words on the spot.

I looked out over the 1000+ students (which is how they each law in Nigeria) and was dazzled by the colorful clothing. Many students were wearing traditional outfits and so I complimented them on the brightness of their clothing and urged them to mirror that brightness in their studies of law.

Legal Education in Nigeria

Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:07:21 -0600

I am off to the airport in a few short hours to travel to Lagos, Nigeria for nine days visiting the four campuses that make up the Nigerian Law School. All lawyers who hope to practice in Nigeria must complete a year or more of study at one of the campuses of the Nigerian Law School.

I have been asked to visit the facilities and provide some advice on ICT-related matters. I have never been to Africa and although I won't have much time for looking around, I am thrilled by this opportunity to expand my horizons.

I hope to blog some of my experiences as well as some of my thinking. It's a tall order to be asked to consult on an entire country's legal education system in any capacity and I feel the weight of that responsibility.

In early discussions with my hosts, I find that they have the same questions and concerns that I have heard over and over from U.S. law schools and law faculty. One of their biggest concerns is how to "interest faculty in technology who are not interested in using technology" ... a very familiar concern to me. This concern about motivating faculty was very comforting to me. I was concerned that I would be going into a situation with no common ground and instead find that the issues may be quite similar to the ones I address every day with CALI.

CORRECTION - CALI currently has 208 U.S. Law School Members

Wed, 9 Jan 2008 22:22:26 -0600

CALI's Director of Membership, LaVonne Molde has pointed out that in my talk at AALS and in my slides, I list CALI as having only 206 U.S. law school members when that number should actually be 208!

Click here for the complete list and if you are a student or faculty at a law school that is NOT a member ... please tell me why not.

2008 Annual CALI Members Meeting - Screencast Version

Wed, 9 Jan 2008 13:36:23 -0600

Here is the link to the screencast version of my talk at the 2008 Annual CALI Members Meeting held on Friday, January 5, 2008 in New York during AALS.

I had previously posted the podcast/audio recording and Powerpoint slides.

Podcast of AALS Session: Rethinking Legal Education For The 21st Century

Mon, 7 Jan 2008 18:19:20 -0600

Here ...

AALS2008Carnegie.mp3

... is the recording of the AALS Session: Rethinking Legal Education For The 21st Century. The speakers included...

Moderator: Edward L. Rubin, Vanderbilt University Law School
Speakers: Vicki C. Jackson, Georgetown University Law Center
Robert Mac Crate, Esq., Senior Counsel, Sullivan and Cromwell, New York, New York
Martha L. Minow, Harvard Law School
Suellyn Scarnecchia, University of New Mexico School of Law
William M. Sullivan, Senior Scholar The Carnegie Foundation for the Advancement of Teaching, Palo Alto, California

CALI 2008 Annual Members Meeting - CALI and Carnegie

Sat, 5 Jan 2008 23:09:17 -0600

Here is the recording of my talk at the 2008 Annual Membership Meeting for CALI during AALS in New York, NY on January 5, 2008 ... AALS2008CALIBreakfast.mp3

Here are the slides ... 2008AALSBreakfast_final.ppt

I will be posting a screencast version soon and posting more information about ELangdell into the future.

Mayer Family Sings the 12 Days of Christmas - Think of the Children!!!

Sun, 30 Dec 2007 16:30:14 -0600

The Family was over to the house to celebrate Christmas yesterday. One of our many annual traditions is to sing the 12 days of Christmas with different individuals/groups handling each "number". Others are tasked to try to confuse them with alternate lyrics ... hilarity ensues.

Here you go... MayerFamily12days2007.mp3