The lecture method is dead : legal learning in the 21st century and teaching with technology

The use of technology in higher education is now an accepted norm. Various modes of technology can be used within and outside the classroom. In particular iPads are now very common among students and can be used for many uses including social media and also for educational purposes. This paper will examine and report on what is happening in the delivery of legal education at the University of Western Sydney (UWS). UWS has a policy of providing all new first year students with an iPad for their studies in the context of a blended learning environment. This paper will examine how iPads are used in a first year law unit, what are the expectations of staff and students and report on how it has, if at all, the learning for these first year students. This will be compared to fifth year law students who do not have access to iPads as part of their learning.