Writely and Google Spreadsheets allow you to choose who can access your documents, share them instantly and collaborate in real time. Students can share with each other, with their parents and with tutors or teachers (and, of course, vice-versa).

You can edit your documents and spreadsheets from anywhere -- the library, a friend's house, the school computer lab, an Internet cafe and so on. All you need is a computer with an Internet connection and a supported browser.  

You can get started quickly by importing your existing spreadsheets or documents or creating new ones. If you know how to use ordinary word processing and spreadsheet programs, you'll know how to use Google Spreadsheets and Writely online.

Writely and Google Spreadsheets for Students 
Students can work on their assignments from any computer -- the school lab, the library, at home, at a friend's house, etc. Kids who use Writely and Google Spreadsheets don't have to remember to save a copy of their homework when they go from one location to the next – their work is always online, and thus accessible from any computer with an Internet connection.

Students also find the sharing aspect of Writely and Google Spreadsheets valuable. Getting feedback on an assignment from a busy parent, a grandparent who lives in another town or a writing tutor is much easier when you can share the document or spreadsheet online and check back periodically to see the reviewer's comments.  

Being able to share online is also helpful for group assignments where several students need to contribute. You can enter updates anytime, from different locations. And through the Revisions history, you can clearly see who contributed what to an assignment, and when. 

Writely and Google Spreadsheets for Teachers 
Teachers are using Writely both to publish announcements about upcoming assignments and to monitor student progress on assignments and give feedback along the way, rather than only when the final assignment has been handed in. Writely and Google Spreadsheets both enable an interactive process which gives teachers far more insight into how students are progressing on an assignment, enabling them to give guidance in the middle of the process, when it might be of maximum benefit.