Googledocs more like googledon'ts for this technoidiot

I was excited about googledocs when I watched the video and read through our class materials. I even thought of a list of potential lesson uses for this. Then I did our project. I found the instructions and the googlehelp to be kless than helpful for technoidiot me. I had a hard time conforming to the limited offereings for document format, wishing I was just creating it in word, publisher, excel, powerpoint or something that I understood. I understand why people may the fees to get accounts with surveymonkey-type systems so they don't have to figure this out on their own. I found myself thinking I could write the information on paper, drawing my own charts by hand, and walk it to their houses one per day before I would get this stuff figured out. Thanks to one helpful partner, and some long hours at the computer, I was able to do my part to the best of my miniscule ability. I am not ready to do spreadsheets, charts or presntations again anytime soon.
I like the idea of such documents being accessible wherever I am and that others can collaborate with me on them but I struggled with converting data from one format to another and the limitations I don't have in other programs. I need more (extremely Remedial) work on these before I feel ready to try to teach with these and have students make them. I know their generation was born with mouse in hand but I can't imagine some of my kids who shut down at the hint of frustration working through this beast.
I will be happy to use this to share word documents as collaborative pieces but have too many trepidations with the other formats. I know the use of it as collaborative communication that is accessible form anywhere will be helpful to me in my teaching career and will be helpful to my students. They will find the other formats easy, too, I am sure but this is a battle I am not ready to fight today. I will pick my battles and I choose less frustrating technology for now.
Guess that is why I am taking this program, I need to be pushed to change - but I can't change overnight. I'll have to write a note on my calendar for no more than six months from now, at which time I will revisit googledocs and best this beast. I am strong, I am deternmined and I will prevail...eventually!

wikis

Wikis seem like a good collaboration tool for class and for teacher communication. I like the opportunity to keep everything on one document rather than having it as a mess in your email. I see this helpful for students in my classes as they work on their written communication skills in Spanish. They could help each other find errors in a submitted starting document, share research notes on a group or even on individual projects. In the past I have had students research different aspects surrounding Picasso's infamous Guernica. A wiki would have been a great place for them to share all of their research since so many topics were interwoven. Students could even share drafts of their project for peer editing and revision so what they presented was ploished. I see this as a great monitor for the teacher that students are making progress by the record-keeping aspect in which times of edit are kept and colorcoding can be used for work. I think this may be better than a blog because it makes it seems less like one expert with followers and more like a community of learners. This would help some of my more shy students gain confidence in their ability and their contribution - rather than the vocal and attention seeking students dominating the discussion.