Document Type
Article
Publication Title
Southern Illinois University Law Journal
Publication Date
2021
Volume
Vol. 45, No. 3
First Page
393
Abstract
(Excerpt)
The emergence and rapid growth of technology has dramatically changed society, including the way we communicate and interact. People are gravitating toward shorter forms of written communication, like blogs and tweets. And it seems everyone interacts with others in some way on an online social media platform, exchanging ideas, connecting with friends and colleagues, and offering support.
As a Legal Writing professor, I wonder how this change in written communication will impact legal education and the profession and how I can better prepare my students for a professional environment that embraces these changes. Communication is an essential lawyering skill. The format for this communication has changed over time, but essentially it is oral and written in some form. The written format has evolved from the traditional memo to the modern memo to email memos. As more communication happens in formats online, and on platforms where word counts are limited but public access is open, lawyers need to be comfortable and effective using this form of communication professionally. Thus, it is our obligation as professors to prepare them for this, using social media ourselves as part of the coursework we expect of students.
Social media “includes an Internet-based service allowing people to share content and respond to postings by others." In this way, social media is just another forum for sharing and exploring information, like a classroom or educational workshop. Can it be used effectively to achieve educational goals? And can we use it to facilitate learning substantive information and enhancing skills, but more fundamentally and foundationally, to help students understand the professional use of social media and its purpose beyond posting their latest meal creation? One way to explore these questions is to use social media platforms as part of the process in teaching scholarly writing about social justice issues.
Comments
Available at: https://law.siu.edu/programs/law-journal/issues/spring-2021.php