2089: A Boalt Odyssey
Received the following e-mail today:
As I said earlier, Boalt just now installed wireless access in its classrooms. But when looking at more advanced civilizations, we see that Armageddon cannot be too far away. As the saying goes, smart people learn from their mistakes, but wise people learn from other people's mistakes. The following is my hodgepodge of an ideal classroom, law school style.
1. Direct TV on every seatback. Cheap, $0.00001 headphones wrapped in plastic available to your right as you enter the class.
2. Concessions stand right outside. Even if they priced their food items based on the British Pound, like Cafe Zeb does, they'd still manage to make a pretty penny at the end of the day. During Civ Pro, I'm really in the mood for some twizzlers. During Property? A 25 gallon jug of Diet Coke with lime. I really want to roll into Immigration with Nachos and Int'l Trade with GM Corn on the Cob.
3. Seats. Enough said.
4. LucasFilm LTD in the classroom. The intro alone would go leaps and bounds beyond the customary "Umm let's go ahead and get started" mumble by the prof to get us into gear. I mean granted, co-blogger Tom Fletcher and I did our best to sound like the Black Eyed Peas every time Prof. Torts said that, but still, I think a little sound check would definitely activate the caffeine flowing through everyone's bloodstream.
5. Souveneir shop. The $39 Boalt pencil might be the stuff you're looking for, and they are readily available under the dust and cob webs of the bookstore, but I'm talking about a themed souveneir shop for students and faculty alike. I've had the idea ever since Prof. Civ. Pro showed up to class in a tux on the day we discussed the Cole Porter case (a day I happened not to go to class...much like today). But in this shop there'd be such novelty items as a plastic hairy hand. Frozen FRYING chicken. Fox fur (from that "animal, so cunning and ruthless in his career")captured on the grounds of Castle Haas. Tickets to the Long Island R.R. And much, much more.
6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are not all that interesting and have to do with having enough space between chairs and desks to allow people who are NOT from Lilliput to walk through. Projectors and screens in more than just one classroom. WD-40 on hinges of chairs. Integrated audio/video/computer/light control systems to allow profs to walk into class, pop on the DVD and not wait for technical staff to assist wasting precious class time. So on and so forth.
What's your IDEAL CLASSROOM?Wireless? Comfortable, Adjustable Chairs?Non-flourescent lighting? Instructional Technology?The Building Committee will be meeting to hear studentinput regarding the ideal classroom - to be created in thenew Boalt-Haas Building and implemented in our currentclassrooms. Here's your chance to give feedback. Shootan email to...to voice your opinions by midnightTuesday, March 29th!
Feedback on large (90-120 people), medium (40-90), and small (10-40)
classrooms welcome!
As I said earlier, Boalt just now installed wireless access in its classrooms. But when looking at more advanced civilizations, we see that Armageddon cannot be too far away. As the saying goes, smart people learn from their mistakes, but wise people learn from other people's mistakes. The following is my hodgepodge of an ideal classroom, law school style.
1. Direct TV on every seatback. Cheap, $0.00001 headphones wrapped in plastic available to your right as you enter the class.
2. Concessions stand right outside. Even if they priced their food items based on the British Pound, like Cafe Zeb does, they'd still manage to make a pretty penny at the end of the day. During Civ Pro, I'm really in the mood for some twizzlers. During Property? A 25 gallon jug of Diet Coke with lime. I really want to roll into Immigration with Nachos and Int'l Trade with GM Corn on the Cob.
3. Seats. Enough said.
4. LucasFilm LTD in the classroom. The intro alone would go leaps and bounds beyond the customary "Umm let's go ahead and get started" mumble by the prof to get us into gear. I mean granted, co-blogger Tom Fletcher and I did our best to sound like the Black Eyed Peas every time Prof. Torts said that, but still, I think a little sound check would definitely activate the caffeine flowing through everyone's bloodstream.
5. Souveneir shop. The $39 Boalt pencil might be the stuff you're looking for, and they are readily available under the dust and cob webs of the bookstore, but I'm talking about a themed souveneir shop for students and faculty alike. I've had the idea ever since Prof. Civ. Pro showed up to class in a tux on the day we discussed the Cole Porter case (a day I happened not to go to class...much like today). But in this shop there'd be such novelty items as a plastic hairy hand. Frozen FRYING chicken. Fox fur (from that "animal, so cunning and ruthless in his career")captured on the grounds of Castle Haas. Tickets to the Long Island R.R. And much, much more.
6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 are not all that interesting and have to do with having enough space between chairs and desks to allow people who are NOT from Lilliput to walk through. Projectors and screens in more than just one classroom. WD-40 on hinges of chairs. Integrated audio/video/computer/light control systems to allow profs to walk into class, pop on the DVD and not wait for technical staff to assist wasting precious class time. So on and so forth.
Labels: Law School
posted by Armen Adzhemyan at 9:30 AM
4 Comments:
Ooh! I'm going to pretend to be Armen!
With those new seats, I'd like the seats to have the capability to zap their occupant. Then, everyone in the class can zap whoever speaks if their comment is not contributing.
Now granted, one zap would be nothing more than a mere tickle, so offending single individuals would actually feel good. However, multiple zaps (i.e., many annoyed people) would no longer tingle; in fact, it would cause searing pain.
Mmm...
It makes me happy just thinking about how much fun that would be.
Either that, or a flagpole. So that certain people could get taken down to the flagpole after class. Like in third grade.
BTW Armen, your delinquency better be justified by a substantially complete WOA. Because I was lonely, and then after class, I had to finish my WOA all by my lonely self. Sniffle.
Let's just say I now have enough time to read my opponent's brief and maybe throw in a snide remark or two in mine as a response. Bad ass.
1. Student internet browsers are wired to computer at prof's lectern, so prof gets real time feedback on how interesting the class is.
2. Prof has IM addresses for all students, so prof can laugh along at all the funny jibes at prof's expense.
3. Instant RSS feed updates so prof can catch students blawging in class.
4. Expresso bar at back of class, so students don't have to schlep to Cafe Strada during break.
5. Cyber-gunner-mannequins in empty seats, nodding appreciatively at everything the prof says, and commenting with professor's pre-programmed quesitons like, "that's so interesting. I've never thought of that before. One might query in a Coasian vein, though, about the optimum default rule if transaction costs were significant" or "yes, professor, but didn't you tenure piece utterly demolish the old dogma on that point?"
3. Instant RSS feed updates so prof can catch students blawging in class.
Ummm...I can think of at least one person who might be opposed to that. Speaking of which, I have to remember to post my Spring Semester quotes from classes.
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