New things everyday! They are poweful in that they are allowing access to more voices around the world in ways, never before possible.  Platforms like these are one of the driving forces behind the rapid changes in our society and are power tools to put into the hands of our youth.  Here are a few interesting ones I have come across.  

360 degree cameras are now more affordable and user friendly.  This is a big jump for us globally as it increases our ability to communicate effectively and empathetically with others across the globe.  Educators can use this technology to have students create images and videos to share as they "tell their story," as well as have students access images and videos created by others with mobile devices and tablets.  360 videos uploaded to Youtube can even be viewed with VR headsets.  Learning more about this technology and it's possible utilization in the classroom was a focus of mine during the TGC fellowship and the trip to Morocco.  MetaVR (as of now still in beta, but if you are interested let me know, I have a couple of "friend" passes if you want to skip the waiting list)  is a platform for hosting spherical videos globally.  

Many teachers in our school use Google extensively to communicate and collaborate with their students.  Opportunites can also be designed for students to communicate and collaborate with other students internationally using the many programs, such as google docs, drive, presentations, sites and classrooms.  There is a lot of information about this available online I have included here one presentation by  Google Apps for Education.  

A standard for video conferencing it has the advantages of being easy to use (already on our computers)  and free.  The more challenging part is finding people to call!  Here are a few places to start with.  

Vitural Fieldtrips across the globe and beyond.  Technology Integrator Mike Lamoureux coordinated a visit from Google expeditions last year and students and teachers were able to try out the technology in 3 schools of our district.  I have some Google Cardboard headsets in my room if you ever want to borrow them (from Donors Choose - Thank you Anna Kendrick! <3 )