This free, online application allows its users to brainstorm with other users using intuitive mind maps. As a teacher, I could see this being somewhat useful for professional learning communities that don't share much common planning time. This could also be used for long-distance collaboration or even within a district among different schools. A downside of this application is the fact that all users have to create accounts tied to email accounts, so I don't see this as a viable tool to use with middle school students.
Evernote - "Remember everything"
Evernote is an online way to save and organize anything you see or think of without having to clutter your desk with yet another post-it note. With the proliferation of Smart, camera phones, services such as Evernote will most certainly become a part of people's everyday lives. Again, I'm not sure about applications of services such as this with middle school students, but teachers could use this as a means of remembering and organizing their thoughts when attending a conference. In order to share your ideas and notes that you've collected from photos, documents, and web sites, you must subscribe to the premium service ($45 per year). The lack of sharing with colleagues without paying $45 per year makes this a less than ideal service for teachers. Similar iPhone/Smart phone apps will certainly mimic what this service promises, and likely for less (or no) money in the near future.
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