There’s an interesting article on TechDirt by Mike Masnick about the controversy surrounding the a blogpost written about a journalism class at NYU. Apparently, it has started a firestorm about what is appropriate when it comes to social media and college classes.

The student in question wrote a guest column on MediaShift a few weeks ago about how little the students were learning about social media in a class called “Reporting Gen Y.” The professor teaching the class has banned any blogging or Twittering about the class and asking that students refrain from quoting the instructor. Basically, the professor is claiming the class as intellectual property.

Is this appropriate, especially considering the exorbitant costs spent on a students’ tuition? Do they have the right to disperse the information proffered in the class to a wide audience? I’m not sure about the exact law in this case, but the answer is probably no.

One can understand how a publishing a professor’s quotes and ideas could be seen as a form of copyright infringement. If you take this idea to its logical ends, permitting a student to create a transcript of a class isn’t significantly different from allowing them to record it and post it online. It’s hard to believe a lot of people would find that permissible under the law, although wouldn’t it be remarkable to be able to listen to some of the great classes at our best universities online? It would definitely to a lot to edify curious minded people.

I actually think having Internet access available in classrooms is a bad idea, especially in big lecture halls. While it is true that the student is paying for the class and has to be held personally responsible for their performance, a large part of a having a good class is wide and attentive participation. If half the class is goofing around on Facebook, then the give and take is being compromised. Each professor should have the right to determine whether or not Internet access is permitted in their classrooms.

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