Method #1 or Method #2?

I have to go with number 2.

In class, or, rather, out of class, when we had class online, the class was conducted first as a free-for-all for conversation, and secondly, as a controlled, moderated forum similar to our physical in-class discussions, except slightly slower.

What I felt were the pros about using the second method: it was similar to in-class, in that it was moderated and controlled, allowing for people to take turns, and for cohesion to result. People could understand and comprehend what another was saying about a certain topic. People could then respond, or type notes into notepad to then submit it later in retaliation. This was by far the better system.

Cons of the system were: you couldn't type into the little text box when it wasn't your turn. For example, to prevent people from always being "right on the spot" when they were called on, i.e. when their hand in the hand-raising order came up, the text box should have been enabled, that way people could type what they were thinking, when they were thinking it, and when it came to their turn to speak, they could simply hit "enter" as opposed to having to type it just then. This, ultimately, is what led to the slow down and frustration/distraction of many people. I personally didn't like the slow-moving nature of it, but as I said, if the above change were to be enacted, it would make that system smoother and better to use.

Also, the fact that we were using the Blackboard chat utility did not help out conversations. The window would stop scrolling about once a minute, and too much speech was taking place all at once when everyone was allowed to talk freely. The system clearly, undoubtedly, didn't work.