I gravitate to threaded, asynchronous discussions and use a free program called Nicenet or Internet Classroom Assistant that operates out of a server at Northwestern University. This program has a user-friendly interface and can handle threaded discussions while allowing an easy way to print out all the posted contributions. Online discussions remove the time constraints and give everyone an equal voice. Even the most timid student can now make substantial contributions. I ve had shier students tell me that it s easier to disagree with someone online rather than in person.
Online discussions guarantee peer communication and learning.
They give students a wider audience than just their instructor, and because of this, they encourage students to improve their skills of written communication by making writing public in ways it could not be without computer technology. It paradoxically makes students at one and the same time more active, independent learners, but also more dependent on each other for their education. Interdependence produces collaboration, which produces a community of learning. And I ve had one student e-mail the author of a course reading, raise a question to him, and then forward his response to the rest of the class. Truth be told, this sort of thing doesn t happen often.