As a classroom teacher, I see this technology as a more effective way for teachers to update information on their students as a group. For example, imagine a grade level taking a field trip. Cost is $10 per student. Google Spreadsheet would be a quick way to update those kids who have paid. The Google Spreadsheet could be easily updated from a mobile device. Without Google Docs (or a similar cloud, sharing technology) teachers could only update a spreadsheet while at work. My district currently uses a web based remote access system, Citrix Online, which allows teachers to download files from the server, but they can't upload. It's a one way street. Google Docs allows teachers to be more mobile. This utility has more application than just field trips. Next week I'll be spending hours on a school Excel document to update my recommendations for student placement next year. It would be terrific if I could do this at home (or where ever I happened to be). Google Docs could make this possible.
Another powerful use of Google Docs became evident to me when I realized a simple Microsoft PowerPoint presentation could not be utilized in the same way as a cloud based presentation. A wiki, blog, or web page requires html code to play a slide show. Google Docs, being web based, is one way to turn an slide show into html code. Then it can be embedded and interacted with directly in a blog post or the wiki page. I'm just now getting my head around this. I'm a PowerPoint whiz, but the slide show below was my first with Google software. The animation process is a bit slower and less functional than Microsoft, but the ease of sharing and cost makes this technology INCREDIBLE.