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"On Wednesday, Facebook announced that it had partnered with Skype to let Facebook users call one another from their camera-enabled computers, simply by clicking on a button on a friend's Facebook profile or from the chat window. After a one-time download of Skype's technology, the video calls look to be painless and simple for anyone to use. Compare that to Hangout, Google's new video chat in its still invite-only social network Google+. Hangout is designed as a group chat application for impromptu socializing with friends. To start one, you press a button declaring you are open to hanging out, choose which circle(s) of friends to send the invite to, and up to 10 people can be in the room at any one time. The loudest talker gets the big space up top - and the group can collectively talk or even watch YouTube videos together. As young Marty McFly once said in a different context, your kids are going to love it."

This article was written 5 years ago. Now, we have the benefit of ubiqutious mobile chat platforms e.g. Whatsapp, which can create small focus groups to talk about a particular topic. Not only so, besides the usual text, Whatsapp also allows participants to share mobile videos taken on the spot, share their geolocations with one another, share audio recordings and of course, images. A personal example of how I use Whatsapp for personal learning: I use Whatsapp regularly to practice reading and writing my Japanese with a few other friends, and when I make mistakes, they can quickly give me feedback in real-time. We also exchange photos of Japanese culture, food items and even on-the-spot videos from those who are in Japan. Some of us go for Japanese classes, some don't. But those who go for the classes share what they have learnt with those who haven't.  I'm not sure if this can be classified as a type of "flipped learning", but I realized that mobile chat makes an excellent real-time, yet highly personalized tool for e-learning in small group discussions. Perhaps this is one area we can consider next time as a way to do mobile learning that harnesses the social nature of us learners.

For those involved in the leadership development project, this recent development is something that might favour Google Sites as the platform of choice.

Was chatting with a pri-school teacher friend of mine yesterday, and he casually mentioned that he had created his own e-portfolio using Google Sites too. I checked his e-portfolio out and I found it very inspiring - all the more since it's a classic showcase of what an e-portfolio can be - and one done by one of our own working Singaporean school teachers some more. :) Hopefully this example should help towards dispelling the misconception that e-portfolios are a high-tech "waste of time" that only adds extra to a teacher's workload.

Excellent find. It's something to showcase should anyone ask for examples of non-LMS type e-portfolios.

Active Worlds (AW) is a 3D virtual reality platform and it's free.The Active Worlds client runs on Windows. Users assign themselves a name, log into the Active Worlds universe, and explore 3D virtual worlds and environments that other users have built. Users can chat with one another or build structures and areas from a selection of objects. AW allows users to own worlds and universes, and develop 3D content. The browser has web browsing capabilities, voice chat, and basic instant messaging. This integrated software can allow users to connect, explore, and gain a more in depth understanding of AW. Educational clients of Active Worlds can make use of the interaction, communication, and media to provide functional environments suited for their objectives.

This looks like a very promising Google app... basically, it's like your very own "Facebook" wall for any topic that you have in mind. And best of all, it can be embedded into Google Sites too! https://sites.google.com/site/moderatorhelpcenter/getting-started/guide Affordances: Similar to that of a forum, except that you also get to vote on the topic at hand or a solution too.

Do you know if this works with Google Drive (and hopefully Google Sites)?

BTW just FYI: http://www.mindomo.com/terms_of_use.htm. Expert Software Applications Srl does not claim any ownership in any of the content, including any text, data, information, images, photographs, music, sound, video, or other material, that you upload, transmit or store in your Service account. We will not use any of your content for any purpose except to provide you with the Service, and as otherwise provided in these Terms. From time to time, [Contents publicized by the user] can be used by Mindomo at its own discretion.

Explore the use of the tool first and note its affordances and its limitations for now. If there is more than one option, we should support what is available and give users a choice.

For our ETs and VDs... Noticed any differences when using Google's Hangouts video chat lately? If you did, then you may be one of the lucky users who has already received an upgrade to 720p HD video. The company quietly started to roll out HD for Hangouts to a subset of its users in the last few weeks and hopes to complete the rollout soon

Well, there will be a tough competition between Facebook and other email services. I hope they will offer better options, something out of the box.

not just text chat and posting message on the wall. You can now do video conferencing on facebook using Social Eyes. with that , you can see few friends at same time!

Let's hangong using Google Hangouts - on mobile. 

Interesting social app that allow you to message (anonymous) people who are within a certain range of your phone... so far it has been used by protesters, but how can we use it for educational purposes?