We are second-year law students at the University of South Carolina School of Law who took Professor Bryant Walker Smith’s “Technology Law: Law of the Newly Possible course” in Spring 2020. The main project for the class was a two-part project. The first part was for groups of students to each teach an interactive one-hour class for three class sessions of the “Sports Law” undergraduate course and two class sessions of Political Science” undergraduate course at Allen University on technology that has legal implications. Three groups of law students chose “wearable technology” for the Sports Law class and two groups of law students data privacy as far software terms and services, as well as DNA technology for the political science class. The groups would then create an online supplement for each of those topics that students/public could refer to for future use. Two of us presented in the “Sports Law” classes and one of us presented in the “Political Science” class.
In preparation for the final project, throughout our course, we gained knowledge and grew in a variety of manners. We have each practiced working with colleagues in an effective manner to reach an agreed upon objective; performed research; planned and presented intricate concepts; reviewed a variety of instructional methods; many of which used instructional technology and actively practiced public speaking skills.
These experiences have been impactful to each of us in a unique manner, and we plan to share what we have taken away from the course. We will use this platform to give an overview of the course that will highlight the unique learning environment that we have participated in, various instructional methods used, consistent collaborative opportunities, and discuss surprising challenges that presented themselves throughout the semester.
Subsequently, following our introduction to the course, we will focus on the final work products that were produced from the very first day of class. Throughout that discussion, we will provide examples, data, and an explanation of the actual process and various obstacles that we faced in preparing for our final presentation. Conclusively, we will reflect on what we each gained from this distinctive course.
