Surfing the Internet in class is not the way to go. Right now there seems to be a mini debate among law schools on whether to ban surfing the web in class. The Internet is available in our school’s main classroom buildings but only through wired connection. A minority of classrooms have wireless. Some professors don’t care. Some professors will call you out if they catch you.
My take: just stay off the Internet. I’m not talking about looking up a case being discussed or glancing to see if you received an important email. I’m talking about those that are browsing sites for large chunks of time and have no idea what’s going on in class besides the general topic.
If you are this person, I’d recommend stopping. Think about it. You’re paying $1000s to sit and have the professor convey the material to you. You also need to learn the material for the exam, the bar, and future practice and questions. Even if you don’t plan to practice in an area, knowing the law could very well be applicable to you later. Another downside to surfing is the image you give off. Your classmates are well aware of the fact that you’re on AIM all class or spent 15 minutes rummaging through facebook. We will all be professionals in a few years. Do you think your peers will recommend you or want to partner with you down the road if they watched you head off to cyberspace every class?
There are so many negatives against it. And I know, sometimes the energy in the learning atmosphere bottoms out (especially in the longer class times), but remember why you’re at law school. Its not to watch ESPN’s latest video of Plaxico Burress getting out of a SUV.
I’ll check where the dow is. I’ve also checked my inbox when I was waiting on a reply to a job application. But these are quick in and out things. Just keep your online time brief and you’ll be fine.