It seems to me that having a joint writing space sometimes called a 'Write Board' is a technology that is currently being used in a number of contexts. 'Wikis' are a good example. I have come across 'write boards' in project management contexts. Specifically a (brilliant imho) web 2.0 application called 'Basecamp'. This is really nothing more than a re-working of one of the oldest social internet technologies the 'bulletin board'. In principle this is exactly what they are but their layout and their accessibility is becoming far friendlier. My friends who studied and worked in HCI all seemed to suggest that technology works best the more and more transparent it becomes. That is no extra cognitive overlay is required to understand and implement the information.
Take for instance the contrast between the word processors of old (WordStar and WordPerfect) prior ot the 'graphical user interface'. If you wanted to embolden a word the word had to be encapsulated by a code (much like today's html and xml code for those that programme 'raw') and this is not the easiest thing in the world to read. Once the concept of reading and emboldened word was signified by the 'what you see is what you get' approach, the technology became more transparent in terms of reading the text.
So too the 'write-board' becomes more transparent with the ultimate being a cross referenced graphical equivalent of a 'white board' that contain text, doodles, sketches, further web links and so on. What would students of the near future think of such technologies once they are adopted on a larger scale? Hopefully they would not see the 'technology' and focus more on using the tool for the purpose of learning. Joint work becomes more meaningful because there's an electronic media rich 'pin-board' which allows collaborative work to be done in a more intuitive way. Teachers too would be able to concentrate on the actual design of their teaching aims, rather than concentrating on how to use the technology AND instruct the pupils/students how to use it (effectively). Of course this assumes that learning can occur in a virtual 'sandbox' where students can simply 'build' ideas.
It maybe that actually 'write-boards' come to be repurposed for something entirely different that we cannot anticipate. However, if the technology does not get in the way or be as intrusive as before, then there is a better chance that the creativity to repurpose such a resource will occur.