.: 2013-11-24

Check these out...
(and let us know what you think)

1. SkyDrive from Microsoft

UPDATE: the name has been changed to ONE DRIVE (read about it here)

One 1:1 issue that's garnering plenty of discussion is what happens if students no longer have access to Word (or other programs in the MS Office Suite) but teachers still want to use some Word docs they love and continue to create assignments using Word.

Teachers have said they would like to be able to...

Create a "Word" (or PowerPt or Excel) doc that has a link, just like a Google Doc does;
Get a link to that Word document that is both shareable and embeddable in a website;
Allow students to be able to type on and make changes in that Word document, even if they no longer have access to the MS. Suite;
Upload and get a link for an already-created Word doc with images/graphs so it doesn't have to be redone (because Google docs often loses image/chart integrity in the upload process);
Be able to work with that document across other devices (like an ipad) and sync it.

Here is a possible solution --from Microsoft itself -- that's been out there but, in my opinion, has not been publicized nearly enough:

SkyDrive is Microsoft's answer to Google docs. It works through Microsoft Live and does all the things I just listed... for free, in the cloud, with a simple registration process.

The SkyDrive version of Word does not have all the bells and whistles of full Word software, but it has the most important functions. Also, teachers, whenever you create a SkyDrive document, you have the option of creating it using full Word or the online version (as long as your computer already has the full version, of course).

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Signing up is easy (and if you already have a hotmail account, you're already there): SIGN UP

Learn more about Office Web Apps

Download the app for your device

Very good tutorial with some time-saving hints

Notice that once I have Skydrive, it automatically lists on my drive:

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I've been playing with SkyDrive a bit and find it pretty easy to use -- please let me know what you think/ come see me with questions.

2. Smart Notebook Online

Both of these Smart Notebook Web options are relatively new and still in development, but according to the website, you can now "View, save, and interact with Smart Notebook Files" online.

The "express" version HERE allows you to save. Lessons are also easily shareable online and across devices. Here's a nice little overview video.

There's a beta version HERE (they're still testing it);does not allow saving for now.