MS Word and other word processing files
Microsoft Word has become the de-facto standard for word processing. If your school has standardized on Word, posting Word files to the Handouts/Notices or Lectures module can be a very effective way to provide your students with things like the courses syllabus and lecture notes. As described in Opening attached files, it is rather easy to configure a web browser to automatically launch MS Word to view an attached Word document.
A good thing about MS Word documents is that they can be visually interesting. Word has good support for features like tables, fonts, and text colors, and images can easily be inserted within a document.
Another benefit is that both teachers and students most likely already have at least some experience with word processing, enabling them to go online with minimal additional preparation.
Word Macro Viruses
A bad thing about MS Word is that the documents can carry computer viruses. These viruses, which also infect other Microsoft Office products, are made possible by the macro programming capabilities of these programs. (As a simple example of a macro, you might create one to automatically enter your full address into a document every time you press a certain ALT key combination.) Within Word, there are options to protect you from macro viruses. The screen shot below shows Word 2002's Security Options dialog, accessed by selecting Options from the Tools menu, then clicking on the Security tab. Click on the Macro Security button to get to the relevant options.
Earlier versions of Word also have controls designed to protect you against macro viruses. In all cases, look for the options within the Tools-->Options menus.
Since as the teacher, you will be providing your students with many files of your creation, you have a responsibility to be sure your personal computer is virus free. MS Word's Macro virus protection feature cannot remove viruses from your computer, it can only warn you that viruses might be present. Invest in a good virus scanning software package, learn how to use it, and use it regularly!
Version Incompatibilities and Remedies
In some respects, delivering a file via Manhattan is no different from delivering the same file by floppy disk. If someone hands you a diskette with an MS Word file, and you do not have MS Word, there's not much you can do with the file. Microsoft releases a new version of Word every two years or so. Unfortunately, users of earlier versions of Word cannot always open the files created by the newest version. In particular, users of versions prior to Word 97 cannot open files created with Word 97, Word 2000 or Word 2002. Fortunately, Word 97, Word 2000 and Word 2002 files are interchangeable. There is no end in sight to the every-other-year-or-so release of the latest and greatest version of Word.
These incompatibilities can become a major problem once your school starts using tools like Manhattan to exchange files online. One way to address the issue is to have an official standard for your school. For example "All students are expected to have Word 2000 or Word 2002". Don't print too many copies of your standard, however, because you might have to change it with the next release of Word. Historically, Microsoft has removed earlier versions of Word from the market once a new version has been released. Requiring students to own Word 2000 will not work when Word 2000 cannot be purchased.
Adding to the confusion, the word processor included within Microsoft Works cannot open files created with any version of MS Word. Microsoft Works is commonly packaged with a new computer, and often students are surprised to learn that they need to purchase additional software for their brand new computers in order to work online with their teachers. Some have found that saving the files in RTF, or Rich Text Format, has provided a middle ground enabling people using different versions of Word to read each other's work.
Also, there are free converters and viewers at Microsoft's web site at http://www.microsoft.com.
Other Word Processors
Believe it or not, there are other word processors besides Microsoft Word. (There are even other operating systems besides Windows!) Manhattan will work just fine with WordPerfect files, for example.
If cost is a consideration for your school and your students, you might also want to consider the free OpenOffice package available from http://www.openoffice.org
The related StarOffice office suite, available at a very low cost to schools is from Sun Microsystems at http://www.sun.com