Working with PDFs

Most of us have a ton of teaching materials in PDF format - documents and presentations we've found on the internet, materials shared from other teachers, and items scanned from paper copies.  So working with PDF files is essential, more than just printing or copying.  How about simple editing, combine selective pages of multiple PDF files to create a single file to post to your website?

Split, Combine, Select Pages

Sejda is a free Chrome app which enables you to selectively manipulate any PDF file(s).  You can split a file into 2 or more parts based on page #, selectively extract pages from a file, combine multiple files, add headers or footers.  This is great when you have materials you've found on the internet, but you don't want to include everything and you'd like to make it one file to load on you website.

Another nice feature is the ability to extract the text.  You may have a scanned document of a test or study guide and you'd like to make some edits.  Extract the text, drop it into Google Docs or Word, edit away!

Sejda has a few other features, including the ability to encrypt a file (if you want to protect the content).

Edit your PDF

PDFescape, also a free Chrome app, will allow you to make simple edits to your PDF files.  You can add highlights, margin comments, text over, draw shapes (like arrows, boxes, or ovals), and it also has a 'white out' which essential is an eraser.

PDF Shaper

This is a computer-based program that will also manipulate your PDF files.  The nice thing about PDF Shaper is that you can also easily extract images and convert them to editable formats, such as PNG or JPEG.  This comes in especially handy when you have a PDF with diagrams, maps, charts or the like and you want to make a few edits to the graphical elements.  Convert the images to PNG and then edit in PAINT or other image editing software.  PDF Shaper is free from Glorylogic.  [You'll need to install it on your own computer]

Reading PDF files on your tablet or computer

There's an overlooked feature called the Setup Assistant on Adobe Reader X and XI (version XI is installed on your table) that enables you to set the visual properties of the display - text color, background color, contrast.  When you're reading through a bunch of files, it comes in handy.  Under the "edit" menu, there's an accessibility option. Click "Setup Assistant." Then check the box that says "Use high contrast colors for document text." From there you have a choice of green text on a black background, yellow on black, white on black or the usual black on white.

Cleaver Infographic

The infographic below (pirated from Edudemic) is an interesting timeline of ed tech.  It's amusing to think that our first BYOD, or should I say BYOWD (bring your own writing device), efforts began in 1900 with pencils.