In Livin’ la Vida Google: A Month-Long Dive Into Web-based Apps, Wired news editor Michael Calore describes his experiment to ditch desktop programs in favor of Google’s offerings.
I think there’s a huge application for students and teachers with online word processors (and so do many other educators). Here are my top reasons:
- Google Docs & Spreadsheets are my answer to “I left the file on my home computer” excuses.
- Students can easily work on a paper at school and at home without getting into email or USB drives to move stuff around. Students could even get at their paper while doing research at the library.
- Collaborative (but still private) work! Teachers could review drafts online or students could write a paper together.
- There’s a PDF output option.
- Version tracking. Google allows you to open prior versions of docs — handy when revising frequently and you zealously chop a necessary paragraph or two.
- It’s free.
Megan Hayes-Golding 
So are you doing it yet? At school? Anyone?
Several of my students use Google Apps on their own. I haven’t started using it in any classes mostly because not everyone has a Google Account.
Last week, though, a 10th grader came up to me after class to say the word processor “rocks” but that it doesn’t handle Open Office docs as well as he would have liked.
I just came across your blog and I love it. I love the fact that you’ve written about Google Apps. I’m a technology coordinator for a small K12 in western New York State. I’m trying to get our administration to give us the go-ahead to sign up for Google Apps. I’m going to add you to my blog roll and I’m subscribing to your feed. I want to read more of what you’re doing with Linux too. I’m a Linux user myself and we’re using it i our school to some degree.
Don — getting the go-ahead to sign up is where I’m feeling a new challenge. My users so far have been teens who already had Google accounts. As I push this stuff down to younger grades, I’ll have to deal with all the questions that come up with pre-teens using the web.