We bought a Chromebook last week to do some testing with....I figured there would be the usual Google Docs processes for working on files. The issues that I wonder about is if Docs is enough for the students. It's not perfect - kids struggle with adding pictures, and forget about anything needing columns. Those are workable, though...columns can be somewhat reproduced (in some ways with better results) with tables, and sometimes the picture issues are more to do with students not knowing how to set the border and text flow settings. But is what the Chromebooks offer enough? Is MS Office or OpenOffice needed? Can either run on a Chromebook? What about other software? GIMP? Video conversion? Video creation? what if the Chrome browser has issues, can a different browser be used? CAD or AutoCAD? Testing? Blender? Classroom Management (like Insight)? Those are the kinds of questions that have to be answered.

So, Brian - have you found that working with Google Docs on a Chromebook is different than working on Google Docs with any other type of computer? Google Docs can work as easily as a click to open and edit once a document is stored or created in GoogleDocs, at least that's been my experience. Existing documents in other formats always will require the upload process - and to edit to convert to Docs format. That's been the case for web-based office-style products since the days of Ajax way back in 2003 (which didn't work on IE, because the Ajax developers hated Microsoft...they admitted that right on the Ajax website...it only worked on Navigator, Firefox (which was new) and Safari! But what about existing GoogleDocs documents? Those should be easy to open and work on. But maybe the Chromebook does something different?

I'll have to try our Chromebook on the wifi and see if it acts the same on ours as it is doing for you, Corey!

we're finding that the going back-and-forth with office is terrible with google docs. there's a certain criteria that you need to follow to make it work, and after my server issues, my brain can't recall what that is.

anyway, i found that the chromebook wouldn't switch from AP to AP when i walked up and down our MS hallway. i'm going to do more testing after this week as i haven't turned the chromebook on in a week or so. maybe google updated the chromebook so it works better?? who knows.

As someone who hasn't used Google Docs much at all until the past month (and only for document reference), the experience was utterly frustrating as well as disappointing.  I've not had the need to do editing until this most recent time.  So when the time came, and there was no plainly obvious direction given to enable editing, our chromebook was nearly embedded in a cinder-block wall.

My frustrations are likely due to lack of understanding of process for using GoogleDocs.  However, at the time I needed it to work, I didn't have the time to waste.  It has left me disenchanted with the experience.  I'm unlikely to attempt a 2nd round with it.

Neat concept, but poor implementation.  So much for KISS theory.  They've made it a complex process to do what is a given on any other system.  For the same price, I can get a netbook, that just works.