Instant messaging (IM) is a form of real-time communication between two or more people based on typed text. The text is conveyed via computers connected over a network such as the Internet.

Learner Application: Collect data, exchange data, communicate, collaborate with others

Instructor Application: Communicate, provide feedback, counsel, advise, interact with multiple student at one time

Examples:

• ESL Case Study
• General applications from Robert Farmer
  

Services:

• Buddy Space - Also offering MSG as a web-based tool, this service provides visual representations of 'buddies' of where a buddy is geographically and notes availability.
  
• Gabbly - A web-based tool that allows you to open an IM window on any web page by adding "http://gabbly.com" before any URL. See http://gabbly.com/www.whitehouse.gov. You can invite students to join you and explore a web site together.
• Tiny Chat - Simple, easy, immediate chat room.
  
• Mixxer - A free educational community for language learners and teachers to find a language partner for a language exchange. The language partner is someone who speaks the language you study as their native language and is studying your native language. The partners then meet online to help each other practice and learn a foreign language.
• My Language Exchange - Users can search for a language partner to practice conversing.
  
• Meebo - Free, web-based instant messaging application featuring multi-client support for Yahoo, AIM, Google Talk, ICQ, Jabber, and more. Also allows embeddable (public) chat rooms that can be included in most current learning management systems.

Successful Practices:

References: