Instant Messaging (IM) tools are applications that allow you to check who is online and enable you to chat with them in real time. While typically IM is one-to-one, some IM applications allow you to speak with multiple participants, similar to a chat room.

Pros

• allows you to see who is online
• more private than chat rooms
• real time communication (decisions can be made on the spot)
• the program runs in the background while you are online doing other things
• interactions can occur spontaneously

Cons

• participants have to be at their computers at the same time to participate.
• impossible to grade participation unless students archive their communications somewhere
• users must be using the same IM service
• users must add each other to their access lists

Notes
There are multiple IM services and they do not talk to each other. Some IM tools allow audio and video and application sharing.

MSU Example:
HED490 Professor Jon Vredevoogd uses MSN Messenger to provide live help with CAD to online students. Through application sharing, he can view and control their desktop, helping to solve problems and answer questions.

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