Mixed ink: a collaborative writing tool that touts itself as a "fun, democratic, and elegant way for people to weave their ideas together" Their service is free.
The Book Oven: helps teams of people turn manuscripts into finished books and then publish them. Built for writers, editors, proofreaders, designers, and small presses -- invite colleagues, editors, or friends to work on a private or public project
Penzu: a free online diary and personal journal that is focused on privacy. Students can keep their thoughts / reflections and ideas to themselves and share only if they want to.
"The Myth of the Machine is a two volume series of books taking an in-depth look at the forces that have shaped modern technology since prehistoric times. The first volume, Technics and Human Development was published in 1967, followed by the second volume, The Pentagon of Power in 1970. He shows the parallel developments between human tools and social organization mainly through language and rituals. [1] It is considered a synthesis of many theories Mumford developed throughout his prolific writing career."
supported text/writing: Livescribe smartpens are awesome - these would be great Stepping Stones or National Center or Computer-based Study Strategies or National Writing Project material