Marking Up Your PDF files
Hi, it’s me Cassi, the newest member of the Minds in Bloom Team.
If you’ve been following me for a while, you probably know how much I love using technology as a tool to differentiate instruction for my students. Several years back, I created a resource that was used every single day in my classroom. It was created out of sheer necessity. I needed something that would help my kids practice their basic math skills over and over so that at the end of the year when the achievement test rolled around, they weren’t struggling with forgotten skills. Lotsa Math was born, and I spent FOREVER creating videos that students could watch any time they needed help with their math. The worksheets and the videos worked together to meet each student’s individual needs.
◄ PIN THIS FOR LATER!
Instructional videos for every skill???
And practice sheets for those skills???
Seems like a remote teaching dream, right?!!
Before I get to the lesson, I want to share this resource with anyone who might need it for their distance learning. It’s hard to describe how the practice sheets work alongside the tutorials, but this little video will give you a sneak peak.
You can grab 5 of the practice sheets and access to all the needed skills videos for free! Just click here.
Teachers across the world are now scrambling to find instructional videos to help with online teaching, but when I created Lotsa Math, I was teaching students in a face-to-face environment. They could grab their practice sheet as they entered the class and get busy. I didn’t design them to be for distance learning, and worksheets aren’t very useful when students can’t write on them.
Long story short, a resource that could have been perfect for what we’re going through wasn’t because not all students have printers!
Lotsa Math might not be for you because it is a very specific product. But we all have invaluable resources packaged in long PDF files; resources that were designed to last the whole school year or to include lots of different options. They were never meant to be given to the students in one giant chunk. So how can we use those amazing resources we love while we teaching remotely?
Introducing the Kami Extension for typing on PDF files
It’s with an insane amount of excitement that I share this post with you. I have found an entirely free and super easy way to use those PDF worksheets AS IS with your students. You won’t have to add text boxes, ask them to print them at home, or do anything special. You’ll simply virtually pass them out, they’ll virtually complete them, and all will be good in your teacher world. (or at least better!)
So in comes Kami to save the day!
Kami is a Google Chrome extension that offers digital tools that students can use to annotate a PDF. In this video, I’m going to show you how you and your students can use the totally free version in order to complete worksheets and other resources you already have.
There are just a handful simple steps, and I’ll walk you through them one at a time.
1.Install the Kami extension to your Google Chrome
2.Share your digital worksheet in Google Classroom
3.Train your students how to use it
4.Check their work
Kami for Teachers
You can watch the video to learn exactly how, but if you want a quick overview of how it all works, here it is.
Here are the steps for the teacher:
Step 1: Get the Kami Extension
Step 2: Get your PDF into Google Drive. If your PDF is multiple pages, Kami has a quick tool to break them into single pages before putting them into Google Drive.
Step 3: Assign your PDF through Google Classroom. Make sure you click “Make a copy for each student.”
Step 4: Wait for your students to complete their assignment.
Step 5: Check on your students’ work in Google Classroom just like you would any other assignment.
Kami for Students
Here are the steps for your students:
Step 1: Get the Kami Extension
Step 2: Check your Google Classroom for your assignment
Step 3: Click on your assignment to see it in the preview Window.
Step 4: From your preview, click “Open with Kami”
Step 5: Use the tools to do your work
Step 6: Save your work
Step 7: Go back into Google Classroom and turn in your assignment
Pin for Later!
So, have I inspired you to pull out some of your favorite PDF resources?
I hope you see just how useful they can be for digital learning!
Be sure and leave any questions or comments you might have in the comment sections.
I can’t seem to find Kami in my Extension search bar. I’m disappointed because I feel like this would be a game changer for me with this remote learning! Any ideas on what could be the problem? Thanks for all your awesome ideas!!!
Oh no! 🙁 So you downloaded the extension already and couldn’t find it? First off, are you using the Chrome Browser?
Email me at cassi@minds-in-bloom.com and I’ll try and get you set up!
If I use Kami, will students still be able to download the worksheet and edit it the way the are used to? Some parents do not want to download more extensions. Thanks!!
Hi Nancy, using Kami is always just an option. When they open the Google Drive file, it will always open in a preview window. They would have to click “open with Kami” in order to complete the assignment digitally. They could also click, print file, or use any other system that you typically use. But if you want to use the Kami extension with your students, they’ll have to have the extension too.
Good luck! Cassi
Will this work with other platforms, such as zoom if I open it with a chrome browser?
Hi! 🙂 I know it works with several different platforms, such as Google Classroom, Schoology, Seesaw, and Canva. I’m not sure how you would use Zoom with Kami, but you could give it a try! 🙂 Please share if you find good results! 🙂
Is there a program that will check the answers for your?
Thanks
Yes, my favorite one is called Duck Soup. It’s similar to Kami, but it isn’t free. It is only $5.00 a month and in my opinion worth every cent!!!!
https://ducksoup.us/
I googled this question, but no luck. Once Kami is downloaded, will students be able to open any pdf (from Google classroom assignment) with Kami, whether it was made with Kami or just in google classroom. I’m just wondering if I have to recreate all of my pdf assignments with Kami.
You’re still the bombdiggetydog!!
HAHAH! ♥ They can open any PDF file. It works the same way whether it’s a file you already had in your drive or whether it was one you first split up in Kami. 🙂
Any time they see that file preview screen, they can click “open with Kami.” Hope that answers your questions!!! 🙂
So I have to have something like Google classroom? I can’t just open a pdf file using Google drive or regular pdf program and use kami?
no, you don’t need Google Classroom. It works with Google Drive just the same way. 🙂
Thanks. I have a few questions:
1. Do students need to download the Kami extension, too?
2. Do I have to separate the large PDF documents into single sheets?
3. Can I use Kami with more than one page?
Yes, they do have to. But, there is a video they can watch to show them how. You can assign documents into any size chunks. Kami makes it possible! 🙂
Thanks a lot for this tutorial. I read long PDFs all the time and I’m expected to highlight and annotate them for classes. Kami has saved me so much paper!
It’s such an awesome tool! 🙂