SimpleMind

This is a concept or mind mapping tool for the iPad as well for Mac and Windows that seems really easy to use.  It is not free so I could not try it out without purchasing. I have watched several videos and read reviews of it and it's uses for education. Here's how it scored...

Communication Web 2.0 Tools Rubric

	Score 4.0	Score 3.0	Score 2.0	Score 1.0
Effective	Students are able to do all of the following: *be actively engaged *able to work both collaboratively and independently at times. *able to connect new learnings to prior learnings *able to use to open up to real-world	Students are able to do three of the following: *be actively engaged *able to work both collaboratively and independently at times. *able to connect new learnings to prior learnings *able to use to open up to real-world	Students are able to do two of the following: *be actively engaged *able to work both collaboratively and independently at times. *able to connect new learnings to prior learnings *able to use to open up to real-world	Students are able to do one of the following: *be actively engaged *able to work both collaboratively and independently at times. *able to connect new learnings to prior learnings *able to use to open up to real-world
Ease of Use	Requirements to use: *with no setup or  setup does not require many steps *Students/ teachers can use/operate with no tech support	Requirements to use: *with little setup or  setup does not require many steps *Students/ teachers can use/operate with little tech support	Requirements to use: *with setup and   setup does require many steps *Students/ teachers can use/operate with moderate tech support	Requirements to use: *many steps to begin *Students/ teachers can use/operate with a great deal of tech support
Technology Required	Can be used with all of these devices * phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops available devices	Can be used with three of these devices * phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops available devices	Can be used with two of these devices * phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops available devices	Can be used with one of these devices * phones, tablets, laptops, and desktops available devices
Adaptability	Can be applied to all learning environments	Can be applied to most learning environments	Can be applied to some learning environments	Can only be applied to one learning environments
Cost	Free without additional costs	Minimal cost/donation	Average cost but one time purchase	Considerable cost to establish and maintain
Target Audience	Can be used with all students and all grade levels	Can be used with a span i.e. k-5, 6-8, 9-12	Is restricted to a set. i.e 1-2, 3-4, etc.	It is grade level specific
Versatility Across the Curriculum	Includes all: *Can be adapted for use across the curriculum *Addresses many of the standards *Students/ teachers can monitor their progress.	Includes two: Can be adapted for use across the curriculum *Addresses many of the standards *Students/ teachers can monitor their progress.	Includes one: Can be adapted for use across the curriculum *Addresses many of the standards *Students/ teachers can monitor their progress.	Does not include: Can be adapted for use across the curriculum Addresses many of the standards *Students/ teachers can monitor their progress.

Overall sore 24/28
It has some great uses for getting students organized around a new topic. Educators mentioned it's ease of use and functionality with DropBox and Google Drive. Mind Mapping tools are relatively new to the educational tools for communication and PBE scene but I definitely see their popularity rising. This tool seems to be one of the better ones for ease of use, collaboration and versatility with other apps.