If a school does not have the money, network, or knowledge to support Microsoft OneNote, there are other comparable open source options: Google Notebook (basic but conveniently compatible with the Google Suite) and Zoho Notebook (which has a bump up on features and interface). The Zoho video introduction has a good overview background on the power of Zoho and towards the end it gets really good. Google Docs is good for essays but for research gathering and projects, a notebook is very appropriate with more of an open environment and more potential. So which one is better? It is debatable. Here are a list of features Zoho Notebook has that was on their site:
* Create different types of content
Create content of type text, image, audio, video, etc.
* Aggregate your information in one place
Embed content of any type from multiple applications.
* Fine grained collaboration
Share a whole book, page or just an object on a page by granting read/write permissions.
* Version control
Keep track of changes not only at the book or page level but also at the object level.