"Cognoter(tm)" and "CB" software, two new computer-based writing tools that rely on shared texts and real-time communication among participants and support collaborative invention, have implications for invention pedagogy and research. Cognoter improves on current invention aids by combining a brainstorming tool, a graphical linking tool, and an outlining tool. An aid designed for use by groups to further the collaborative development of presentations, Cognoter can also suggest new heuristics that might become the basis for invention aids. While not explicitly oriented to supporting inventional activities, CB software essentially allows users to send each other messages in real time via a network. CB's social, conversation-based approach offers several potential benefits for invention pedagogy: (1) it provides a naturalistic setting for introducing formalized heuristics; (2) with the teachers online, the use of more advanced techniques can be demonstrated in context; and (3) new heuristics could grow out of online conversations. Collaborative tools such as Cognoter and CB may make inventional activities more explicit, and may also reveal that the inventional behavior of groups is different from that of an individual. However, researchers must be careful in interpreting the large body of data generated by these collaborative invention tools. (JD)