Over the past four years, the author has attempted to compare students' participation patterns during electronic threaded discussions and face-to-face classroom discussions. Most recently, he considered the interactions of 40 students in two world history classes at a public high school. These students regularly engaged in classroom discussions about public and controversial issues, and also used computer technology frequently in class. By analyzing how students discussed controversy in these two forums, he hoped to identify some benefits and perceived obstacles of using each. The study is described in this article.