Thing #18

Thing #18: Online Productivity Tools

I downloaded and installed Open Office, and I think it's terrific that a full set of Microsoft-clone writing and spreadsheet programs are available for free. Schools and students without a surplus of resources can use these programs to do schoolwork and promote computer literacy and office skills. It really levels the playing field.

But - and I don't mean to keep harping on the same string here - Google Docs (which we explored in Thing #7) are also free, and better suited for collaborative research because they're accessible to any computer, at a school lab or the library. For the same reason, they're better suited for those without easy access to computers.

So, in short, Google Docs, the wave of the future.