This might be an interesting way to facilitate conversation in classes and professional development.
customized feed
FriendFeed enables you to keep up-to-date on the web pages, photos, videos and music that your friends and family are sharing. It offers a unique way to discover and discuss information among friends.
It’s also fast and easy to start discussions around shared items. On FriendFeed, you and your friends contribute to a shared stream of information — information that you care about, because it's from the people that you care about.
Have you seen Squidoo? I would roughly describe it as a means of mashing up information from a variety of resources into a lens (as in the eye of a giant squid
Take a look at what folks are doing with online video. I was blown away by the idea and excited for those that clearly are enjoying a medium that is a perfect communication tool for them.
"Last month I was somewhat surprised when my teenage son announced that he was going to sell his iPhone and start using a £10 monocrome mobile instead. Naturally I was interested in trying to understand his motivation for downgrading so dramatically. It seems that after six months of trying out various apps and dealing with the fragility and complexity of the iPhone, he was ready for something simpler."