What is instant messaging?
Instant messaging (IM) is a form of online communication that allows real-time (or close to real-time) interaction through personal computers or mobile computing devices. Users can exchange messages privately, similar to e-mail, or join group conversations. The interactive nature of IM is closer to spoken conversation than written correspondence, allowing users to communicate in a manner that e-mail does not. IM users have a sense of presence of other users, as if they were in a room together. At the same time, the technology facilitates the kind of on-screen interaction, with its perceptions of distance and safety, that many find especially comfortable.
Who uses instant messaging?
A large and growing numbers of teens - today’s and tomorrow’s college students - are regular users of IM, both as a personal communication tool and, in some cases, for educational initiatives in high school. As IM matures into an accepted means of communication, and as ever-larger numbers of students arrive on campus as seasoned IM users, colleges and universities are adding IM to campus functions ranging from recruiting and admissions to teaching and support. Some institutional libraries have set up online reference desks with IM applications, and faculty have begun using the technology to facilitate virtual office hours. For many current and prospective students, IM is becoming the preferred mode of contact with recruiters and admissions staff, the registrar’s office, and academic advisors.
Why should I use instant messaging?
Technologies that enable IM, such as wireless connectivity and mobile devices, have become widespread, providing a
‘critical mass’ for IM to reach near ubiquity. At the same time, many vendors whose primary business is something
other than IM have added IM functionality to their products. Nearly all learning management systems have incorporated
chat tools. IM creates a dynamic that expands access to students who are uneasy with other types of communication and
also provides new modes of expression for students who are otherwise comfortable participating in class. This allows
students to feel more connected with peers and faculty. IM creates an environment that approximates the sharing of a
physical space, allowing distance students to engage in learning that approaches face-to-face meetings.
The technology is also promoting the practice of creating ‘back channels,’ or secondary conversations that happen at
the same time, for example, as a lecture, board meeting, or conference call. Students in a lecture hall might use IM
to ask each other questions about the lecture topic and share their thoughts without interrupting the professor.
Increasingly, students will arrive on campus having spent years using IM, expecting the technology to be part of their
educational lives. In addition, because IM is used for communication in many corporations, for many its use will extend
beyond college.
Examples of use in education:
Instant Messaging for Office Hours
Professor uses instant messaging for students to contact them during office hours.
http://ur.rutgers.edu/focus/article/Podcasting%20makes%20class%20accessible%20from%20just%20about%20anywhere/1835/
http://homepage.mac.com/samchops/B733177502/C1517039664/E20050804121845/index.html
In Class Discussions
Students practiced with and then employed hand-held computers for brief, synchronous class discussions in response to assigned questions related to lectures.
http://www.ifets.info/journals/8_2/14.pdf
Privacy in Collaborative Systems
Used instant messaging as a starting point to explore privacy issues in collaborative systems. Conducted in-depth interviews with seven experienced users of instant messaging systems, focusing on issues relating to privacy.
http://dimacs.rutgers.edu/Workshops/Tools/abstracts.html
For more information:
Some examples of popular instant messaging programs.
http://www.shambles.net/pages/staff/instantm/
Article about the potential instant messaging has in higher education.
http://www.ipfw.edu/as/tohe/2002/Papers/cohn2.htm
Article about the advantages and disadvantages of instant messaging in higher education.
http://www.unb.ca/naweb/proceedings/2003/PaperFarmer.html
Study conducted to examine the advantages and disadvantages of students using instant messenger in the classroom.
http://www.educause.edu/ir/library/pdf/EQM0714.pdf
Adapted from 7 Things You Should Know About Instant Messaging, Educause, November 2005