Instant messaging in informal learning via interactive television: online communities among children in a

In the past few years, instant messaging (IM) has become increasingly popular on the Internet; IM via interactive television (iTV) is a new approach. The Education Department at the Finnish Broadcasting Company (YLE) offers a new afternoon club service for schoolchildren ages 9 to 11 via a program called "Tuu juttuun" (Get Along). The central goals of the MHP-based instant messaging service are to form and support a reciprocal community of users, as well as to utilize the community's interactions. Online community refers to the communication and social interaction that takes place on the Internet and web-based list servers, bulletin boards, newsgroups, and chat rooms. It aims to bring people closer and to link those who share the same interests, goals, activities, and governance. The goals of our research are to examine children's interactions and community in an iTV environment and to understand and identify the attributes of their instant messaging via iTV.