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Jerry Pinkham
College of Lake County
Course
Composition II, ENG 122, (3 semester hours) is designed to further the work begun in Composition I by giving students more
experience as writers and readers with various purposes in different contexts. Students write analytical, research, and other
advanced papers based on a variety of topical and literary sources.
Prerequisite: ENG 121
Description
In a class of 25 or so students, rarely-if ever-does each student get a chance to have his or her say in a
classroom discussion. Time and numbers are against it. If each student took only one minute, hardly enough
time to make a strong point and support it, one go-around answer for the entire class would last 25 minutes alone.
Class times are too short for even that tiny amount of democratic debate time. Second, the personality dynamics
of the classroom operate against equality of discussion. Shy students may be reluctant to talk; other students
might hold back fearing adverse peer reactions, while at the other extreme, some students may routinely dominate
discussions, somewhat the academic equivalent of school yard bullies. Full and equal participation in classroom
discussions, complete with thoughtful, articulate, and well supported arguments, is both impractical and unrealistic
in most academic settings.
Thanks to technology, there is an alternative way around these problems. By using anonymous nicknames in computer-based
chat rooms and/or bulletin board discussion groups, every student has the chance to express his or her views fully,
articulately, and in the guaranteed safety of total anonymity. Shyness disappears. Fear evaporates, and "talk bullies"
lose their monopolizing techniques advantages. Everyone now participates on an equal footing.
"Anonymous discussions"can be accomplished in two different technological forums. In the first version, computer
labs can be used to conduct real-time classroom discussions in which each student commands his or her own computer.
Safe behind anonymous nicknames (the underlying identity of which is know only to the instructor), students can "talk²
between themselves (collectively or in smaller subgroups) using any number of common chat room programs. Chat exercises
can be facilitated either in an in-class intranet setting or via the Internet itself.
In the second version of anonymous discussions, positing messages on bulletin boards instead of chat rooms offers
a number of various advantages and communication alternatives over real-time chat. For example, bulletin board-based
discussion forums, because of their general 24/7 access availability, allow students to drop in anytime, read the existing
posted messages, take time to formulate, and edit their own contributions or rebuttals before posting their ideas for all
to see-and again, because of secret nicknames, all within the safety of total anonymity. Students can also attach video,
music, animation, speech, graphics files, or Internet links to their posted messages, allowing them to add a whole new
dimension of multimedia "extras" to a traditional text-only format. Using these techniques, or variations, all students
have the opportunity to contribute equally-and creatively-in the classroom setting. In the process theyıll also be enhancing
their own sense of identity, self worth, and advanced academic skills.
Note: The following is simply a repeat of the abstract above.
In a class of 25 or so students, rarely-if ever-does each student get a chance to have his or her say in a classroom
discussion. Time and numbers are against it. If each student took only one minute, hardly enough time to make a strong
point and support it, one go-around answer for the entire class would last 25 minutes alone. Class times are too short
for even that tiny amount of democratic debate time. Second, the personality dynamics of the classroom operate against
equality of discussion. Shy students may be reluctant to talk, other students might hold back fearing adverse peer
reactions, while at the other extreme some students may routinely dominate discussions, somewhat the academic equivalent
of school yard bullies. Full and equal participation in classroom discussions, complete with thoughtful, articulate, and
well supported arguments, is both impractical and unrealistic in most academic settings.
Transferability
Both the transferability and adaptability of "anonymous discussion," in either real-time chat modes or
on a 24/7 bulletin board setting, is essentially unlimited in most course disciplines and academic levels.
Higher grade level students, of course, will usually have the advantage of faster typing speeds, advanced vocabularies,
and better working familiarity with these systems, which should make their exposure to anonymous discussion exercises an
even rich learning experience.
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