Chrome Can: PDFs

Portable Document Format (PDF), is a widely used file type and, therefore, learning how to work with PDFs on a Chromebook is something every student should learn. Some of the things you can do with PDFs is, annotate them, split them, combine them, convert them to different formats, convert different files to PDFs, and lock and unlock them. In this post, I will introduce web apps that will allow you to do many things with PDFs

Online PDF tools

There are many online web apps that allow you to do many things with PDFs. One of my favorites is PDF.io. This particular app allows you to do many things including compression, conversion, organization and adding security. It also enables you to add page numbers. All of this without having to install anything on your computer! Below are images, taken from the PDF.io website.

The tools work relatively easy. You upload your PDF. Then follow the online instructions. When the app gets done, it will notify you and give you the option of downloading the completed PDF.

Annotate a PDF.

The tool I like to use the most on my Chromebook to annotate PDFs is called xodo.com. Xodo allows you to do all of the typical tasks needed when annotating a PDF including drawing, highlighting, adding text, adding your signature, adding comments, adding shapes, adding arrows, and adding pictures. According to the developers, “With Xodo, you can edit, annotate, sign, and share PDFs on desktop, mobile, and web. Xodo makes working with PDFs quick and easy, so you can get things done.” To learn more visit their website!

What makes this a great tool for the classroom, is that it integrates with Google Drive. This means that students can open and save files from and to Google Drive directly. If students want to open and save to their computers they can, by clicking the words. If they want to save to Google Drive they need to click the little triangle to the right, then choose the online drive they want to use.

I have tried other tools out there like Kami. What makes Kami great is it is even more integrated into Google enabling teachers to create Google Classroom assignments from within Kami.

Another tool I have used is the PDF Reader from the folks at TextHelp. One of the coolest features of this specific reader is its ability to read aloud text with a simple click of a button. To use this app, you need to install the extension from the Chrome Web Store. If you sign up as a teacher all the features are free for you but to make them available to your students you will need to subscribe.

In another post about creating eBooks, I wrote about how easy it is to create PDFs Google Docs. PDFs are a great eBook format because it can be opened and read by any computer with a modern browser. As you can see, if you have a Chromebook you can do more than just read them. Giving your students a chance to work with PDFs will enable them to practice the ISTE Creative Communicator standard. It is also a great way to help them make their thinking visible.

How could you use these tools to improve the learning happening in your classroom?

Thanks for reading

Dr. Shannon H. Doak