I soon realized that students were not only discussing the literature, they were actually coming to a better appreciation of what they were reading. They seemed to be truly engaged in the discussions, and they seemed to have serious responses to the literature, as if they were actually interested in what they were reading. Though I always have a few students who are interested in discussing literature, my experience has been that students sit through class discussions with frozen faces and vacant eyes. In the sophomore literature classes I teach, many students try to make it through the semester without reading anything. With the computer discussions, they have to read the material in order to participate, and they seem to enjoy participating when they get to stare at a computer screen rather than a teacher's face.
Several things seem to happen as students discuss literature via computers.
For one thing, they can actually see what they are saying before they communicate that information to someone else. Also, they can look at what others say more carefully and, perhaps, are less likely to misunderstand one another. They can also go back and reread what someone else has said, something that should allow them to create more thoughtful responses . Students can also go back at a later time and reexamine a particular discussion about a particular piece of literature. Sometimes we may feel like we can fly, but we may not land on our feet.