from google to blawgs: internet tips for the lrw teacher

From Google to Blawgs: Internet Tips for the LRW Teacher

11th Biennial Conference of the Legal Writing Institute

Presenter: Maria Perez CristUniversity of Dayton School of Law

July 22, 2004

Top Web Portals and Blawgs

Legal Research Fact Research Blawgs

Web Sites for Legal Research Life beyond Lexis and Westlaw: LoisLaw;

VersusLaw, & Casemaker Key non-subscription Internet sources Using the Internet to organize your legal

research Briefs on the Web

Findlaw (http://www.findlaw.com)

Courts.net (http://courts.net)

Legal Information Institute(http://www.law.cornell.edu)

Briefs on the Web (http://www.legaline.com)

Web Sites for Factual Research Simulation development Realistic settings for problems Ready-made documents for simulations

Lawyer Express(http://www.lawyerexpress.com)

SearchSystems(http://www.searchsystems.net)

Federal Statistics(http://www.fedstats.gov)

Online Communities UseNet/Newsgroups/

Google Groups

Mailing Lists / Listservs

BLAWGS

Message Boards

BLAWGS

1997 “Web logs” (only 30 existed)

TODAY estimated at least 500,000WEB LOG BLOG

Law-related BLOG BLAWG

Finding a Blawg … Blawg.org

Appellate Practice Blawg

Internet Research Blawg

Business Law Blawg

Criminal Law

Internet Research Techniques Know what’s available

Use efficient search techniques

Start out at useful web sites

The “Invisible Web”

What makes it “invisible”? Buried web pages – beyond the reach of

most search engines Type of page – PDF, spreadsheets, Word

documents, etc.

Best search strategies Have a plan Use the most appropriate search tool Navigate what you find in the most efficient

manner Check reliability of what you find

New Tricks with Google Google Task Bar Google Deskbar Search Google Images, News, Groups Froogle Advanced Searches Number Searches

Organized searching with Vivisimo

Internet Technology in the Classroom

Google Language Exercise Online Grammar Exercise Fun with Forms

Google Language Exercise Goal: compare learning to communicate the

language of the law with learning a new language.

Technique: Go to Google and use the language feature. Translate a sentence to a foreign language. Have a student translate the sentence word for word. Notice the need to change syntax to make the sentence understandable in English.

Online Grammar Exercises Goal: Improve writing skills. Technique: Can be done in class or

assigned outside of class. Go to: http://www.ccc.commnet.edu/grammar/quiz_list.htm. Choose quizzes in the areas your students seem to have the most trouble with.

Fun with Forms Goal: Students learn how to access and

use forms in law practice. Technique: Go to the “forms” link on

Findlaw. Practice searching for a form. Then compare the form with what is known about the law. Have students indicate what changes would need to be made in the form.

The Internet… make it work for you!