TORONTO, May 21, 2002 -- To visit a law school in Canada today is to witness a revolution in the use of information technology in legal education. Just as the practice of law is becoming increasingly reliant on technological solutions, so too are the communication, research and instructional processes at law schools. At the forefront of law faculties providing technologically advanced learning environments is Osgoode Hall Law School of York University.
Osgoode will host ETALK 2002 – an Exchange on Technology and Legal Knowledge – on Friday, May 31 and Saturday, June 1 at Osgoode Hall Law School, 4700 Keele Street.
For the conference agenda, please visit the ETALK Web site at: http://osgoode.yorku.ca/etalk
Representatives from Canadian law schools and from relevant businesses will address some of the important questions that arise from the use of technology in teaching and research.
"The aim of the conference is also to begin a process of cooperation and sharing among law schools and perhaps establish an institution that will facilitate and continue the process of collaboration," said Osgoode Professor Emeritus Simon Fodden who now heads the law school’s Legal Education Technology Centre.
In the past two years, Osgoode has planned and partially implemented a three-stage process for the advancement of information technology within the law school. The initiative was undertaken with one goal in mind: To prepare Osgoode students – the next generation of lawyers – for a future of globalization and convergence by anticipating the direction that information technology will take and developing the tools that will enable students to be leaders in practice through the use of information technology.
The first stage of Osgoode’s information technology plan, which was completed last spring, involved the creation of a 15-person Information Technology Services (ITS) department and improvements to the law school’s basic computing infrastructure.
The second stage, which is currently under way, entails the development of computer skills and tools for faculty, staff and students to improve access to information and communication. To date, a number of exciting changes have been introduced including "My Osgoode" (a Web portal that provides students with a common link to classroom materials, course information and other services); a student laptop rental program; an electronic bulletin board; three new high-tech classrooms; wireless laptops in the library and wireless hubs throughout the law school so that students can connect to the Internet.
The third stage in Osgoode’s information technology plan will focus on improving the services and technical support developed in phases one and two, and introducing new initiatives such as wireless learning in association with prospective partners in the IT industry.
There is no registration fee for ETALK 2002. Please register by e-mail – etalk@osgoode.yorku.ca – or call Sophie Harding at 416-736-5781.
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For further information about ETALK 2002, please contact:
| Professor Emeritus Simon Fodden | Virginia Corner |
| Director, Legal Education Technology Centre | Communications Manager |
| Osgoode Hall Law School of York University | Osgoode Hall Law School of York University |
| 416-736-5556 | 416-736-5820 |
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