353. Why Use Google Docs

I was in eighth grade before my family got a computer. It was better than the typewriter it replaced, but it had its flaws. I remember saving documents on floppy disks and ending up with "corrupt" files. Years later, I could save my essays directly onto the computer's hard drive, a process that usually went to plan. I do remember one early morning in college, when I lost the entire night's efforts and had to recreate a five-page essay before class later that morning. I don't remember what word-processing program was on my device at that time, but I know it didn't have autosave.

That feature, now pretty standard, was a game-changer for my willingness to use Word, but in my work as a teacher, I can't imagine going back to not having the communal access to files that Google Docs allows.

At the beginning of any course, each of my students creates and shares a designated folder with me. From that point in the year until they graduate, my students and I both get the benefits of equal access to all of their course documents.

• What we see is the most recent version of the revised or edited work.
• As soon as I grade an essay, the student can see my comments.
• I can review the editing history to learn about a student's process.
• It's easy to add comments and track changes to provide feedback.
• Autosave is active and won't let me close a document that hasn't been saved without double-checking.

The only feature I've found lacking in Google Docs is the ability to sort a list alphabetically. For the love of usability, Google, please add that capacity to your program.

Do you use Word or some other program? Why? Please let me know if I'm wrong in thinking that the advantages of Google Docs outweigh any better formatting options available on other programs.