Anyone with an account at The Readers’ Thoreau can join the group “General Discussion,” which is public, and contribute to the conversation there.
It’s also possible to read in a smaller, private group for a dedicated purpose. When you read in a private group, by default your fellow group-members are the only users on the site who can view and reply to your comments. If you like, you can “showcase” your private group; showcasing enables non-members to view your group’s comments, but not to reply. Showcasing provides a way to let the world “listen in” on your group’s conversation while continuing to limit conversational exchanges to group members. When you showcase your group, your group homepage and discussion forum are not affected; they remain visible to group members only.
The Readers’ Thoreau is ideally suited to online class discussion in high school and university courses. If you’re an instructor, you can use the form below to request creation of a group for your students. If you’re not an instructor and would like a group for another purpose, you’re welcome to apply as well; use the form to let us know more about your group.
Note that it’s also possible for two groups to read a text together. When groups read together, they can see and respond to one another’s posts. Why not think about putting your students into conversation with students at another institution?