Worth the time it takes to teach it to young students.
Community Review for Google Drive
My Take
Google Drive continues to improve. I have used it for two years now and find the interface is getting more fluid. The free cloud storage is fantastic, and unlike thumb drives, cannot be lost by 8 year olds. They can easily share documents and designs with me or with each other. The document option doesn't have as many features as Word, which I do prefer, but the students don't really need most of those options. On the other hand, objects in Draw are much easier to manipulate than they are in either Word or Paint. So, for PC people at least, Drive provides a viable alternative to comparable Microsoft Products.
How I Use It
I send students templates for assignments in Google Docs. As we have negligible access to printers and copiers at my school, this is an essential tool. Having students copy the questions/ ideas they are going to explore off the board is a senseless waste of time and sending the docs spares us this futility. Also, I appreciate that their papers can't get lost. When a student and I, or students w/in groups, write editorial comments back and forth, they are automatically saved. The dog cannot eat them. Students also make simple presentations for mini reports using the presentation tool, and make math models using the drawing feature.