Tools to work with, annotate, create and convert PDF files

PDF, or Portable Document Format, files are ubiquitous these days. The format is a great way to share files since every operating system, including mobile devices, has free software available to read the files. Creating these files, manipulating them, marking them up, editing them, and converting them to other formats are all needed activities for many people. Here are some great resources to use with PDF files. 

Convert the PDF into a Word or Google Doc format for editing

• http://www.pdfconverter.com/free-pdf-conversion-online/
• https://www.freepdfconvert.com/
• https://docupub.com/pdfconvert/

Use a markup app or site

• Evernote - free accounts available - allows you to markup PDF files and save them https://www.educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/p/evernote-for-education.html
• https://www.pdfescape.com/
• https://www.sejda.com/pdf-editor
• https://formswift.com/upload-pdf

And here are a whole lot more resources:
- PDFs - lots of tools and resources for working with them

- And here are lots more PDF Resources.

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Productivity Apps And Gadgets for College Students Everywhere (guest post)

Productivity Apps And Gadgets for College Students Everywhere



Learning how to be productive and work efficiently, is one of the biggest trends of the year for business men and women this year. This trend has even passed on to many college students as they try to juggle schoolwork, jobs, volunteering commitments, etc. Listed below are some of the best apps and gadgets that college students can use to up their productivity during the craziness of their semester.


Any.do

Any.do is an app that can be used to organize all of your tasks into a very stylish to-do list. The app is convenient because it is simple to use, and can be synced across all of your electronic devices. Students can even use their voices to create tasks when they are in a rush, or on the go. As tasks are entered they can be edited with different priorities so that your tasks are completed in a timely manner.


Dropbox

Students can use dropbox to upload all of their important course artefacts into one place. Dropbox allows users to upload files, videos, pictures, etc. into an online catalog. This eliminates the fear of losing work due to a crashed computer or other technical difficulties. Dropbox only needs an internet connection to work.


Scribd

Scribd is one of the largest libraries of documents and books online. This online database contains over a million files that can help with your studies. These files are uploaded from people all over the world and are categorized by topics for easy searching. Within Scribd, students can create personalized libraries that contain notes and books they need to use.

EasyBib

One of the hardest parts about writing a college paper is correctly citing and annotating your sources. EasyBib is designed to correctly create a list of citations for you. Citations can be created in MLA or APA style format. EasyBIB is available in app form, and also online. The app has a search feature that lets you look for your source. Once the source is found the citation is automatically done for you. The citation can then be directly copied to your bibliography.


Studious

Studious is an app that assists students with remembering the correct date and time for quizzes and exams. It also reminds students of important homework deadlines, as well as class schedules. Students just need to enter any information about their class, professor, and deadlines and the app will help them remember.


Evernote Moleskine Smart Notebook

With this gadget, notes can be taken with pen and paper and then translated digitally. The notes are translated using the page camera on the Evernote app. The notes are then stored within the app which gives you a multitude of supplies for customization. The notes can be synced across multiple devices for easy access.


Otterbox Charger

The Otterbox charger is perfect for the college student with long hours. The case can charge your phone while you are on the go. It contains the power to extend your battery life more than twice of the normal battery life. Once your phone is at a certain level it automatically stops charging in order to save battery.


External Hard Drive

An external hard drive is used to backup any files, photos, and other artefacts that you work on. If anything happens to your computer, you have your external hard drive as a form of insurance for your work. External hard drives are normally fairly inexpensive and light. Some hard drives can also be used with mobile phones as well.



Many college students have felt that the apps/gadgets mentioned above have helped them to minimize distractions, keep track of their work, and get through student life more conveniently. In addition to these apps and gadgets there are also different web extensions that can assist students in the same way.



Related:

Evernote for Education

My Favorite Resources for Teachers and Students















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K-12 Blueprint - tools, research, devices, best practices and more to support effective EdTech projects

K12Blueprint is a great, free resource for technology in education. There are toolkits with information and resources for developing and deploying technology initiatives, information on choosing the right device for your schools, software and apps, curriculum, news, research, and blogs from educators and edtech leaders. The information and resources are timely, relevant and easy to use.

There are even free downloads of 3 different books on edtech and education:

Here are the list of toolkits:

There are a ton of resources and information on this site - take a look around and see what it has to offer.

It is sponsored by Intel Education, Tech&Learning, and Clarity Innovations.


Related:

Ed Tech Pilot Framework - excellent resources for all schools 

Tech&Learning - free Edtech magazine, website and resources for educators




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Android on Chromebooks! Here are some resources and apps to check out

Android has come to Chromebooks and is available on EDU Domains!

This opens up a whole new world of possibilities with Chromebooks, adding thousands of great apps, features and capabilities.

Here are the resources for Admins to get Android apps enabled for their domain:

• Android Apps and Chromebooks
• As of right now, these Chromebooks support Android apps: Asus Chromebook Flip, Acer Chromebook R11 / C738T / CB5-132T, Google Chromebook Pixel (2015)
• All Chromebooks launching in 2017 and after will support Android apps (very soon)
• Chromebooks listed below will work with Android apps at a time to be announced in the future*:
• https://sites.google.com/a/chromium.org/dev/chromium-os/chrome-os-systems-supporting-android-apps

• Manage Android Apps on Chrome https://support.google.com/chrome/a/answer/7131624

Here are some great suggestions for Android apps (and some web apps):

Android App Suggestions for Chromebooks (all are free)

• MyScript Calculator: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.visionobjects.calculator&rdid=com.visionobjects.calculator
• Turns handwritten equations into typed and solves them
• Evernote https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.evernote
• take notes (typed, handwritten, audio)
• checklists
• clip web pages
• attach files to notes
• sync offline
• annotate images and PDFs
• Google Keep https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.keep&hl=en
• take notes
• checklists
• annotate images
• handwriting
• speech to text
• ArtCanvas https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.samsung.smartcalli&hl=en 
• drawing, painting, sketching
• Autodesk Sketchbook https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.adsk.sketchbook&hl=en 
• draw, paint 
• lots of features
• iPad app equivalents on Android: http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/2015/08/some-app-substitutions-for-ipad-apps-to.html
• Android alternatives/equivalents for iPad apps https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1qBmhx4jm4eJ7A8It9gz8PtOm164CO9tlvv46Mhv6uCs/edit#gid=640510231
• GeoGebra has multiple apps
• Math Apps https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.geogebra&rdid=org.geogebra
• Graphing Calculator https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.geogebra.android
• 3D Grapher https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.geogebra.android.g3d 
• CK-12
• Practice Math and Science https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.ck12.app.practice
• Flexbooks https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.ck12.reader  (all kinds of subjects and topics)
• Physics Simulations https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.ck12.simulations 
• Chrome Apps for Touchscreen Chromebooks  https://goo.gl/3UX0He
• Android Apps "Education" Category https://play.google.com/store/apps/category/EDUCATION?hl=en 
• PhET Simulations (Science, Math and more) https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=org.kiwix.kiwixcustomphet
• Accessibility resources and apps http://goo.gl/LskLPm
• Toontastic 3D https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.toontastic 
• Science Journal https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.google.android.apps.forscience.whistlepunk&hl=en 

• Android for Education Resources  http://educationaltechnologyguy.blogspot.com/p/android-for-education.html 

• Adobe has released a suite of Android apps optimized for Chromebooks. The Adobe Creative Cloud apps, including Photoshop Mix, Lightroom Mobile, Illustrator Draw, Photoshop Sketch, Adobe Comp CC, and Creative Cloud Mobile will be available for free download, expanding creative options for students and the capability of stylus and world-facing camera.

I've been using Android apps on my Acer C738T with my personal account for quite a while now and they work great. Handwriting input, offline sync and much more. 

Related:

Webinar on Android Apps on Chromebooks - great resource with some panelists and how-to set this up. (slide deck: https://goo.gl/rl4HkD)

Benefits of Google Apps and Chromebooks for Schools

Android for Education resources

Google for Education Resources

A new generation of Chromebooks, designed for millions of students and educators https://blog.google/topics/education/new-generation-chromebooks-designed-millions-students-and-educators/ (Acer and Asus convertible’s with stylus)

A new generation of Chromebooks, designed to work with millions of apps https://blog.google/products/chromebooks/new-generation-chromebooks-designed-work-millions-apps/ (Samsung Plus and Pro)

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Ed Tech Pilot Framework - excellent resources for all schools

Digital Promise has released an EdTech Pilot Framework which provides a step-by-step process to help education leaders and technology developers run successful educational technology (ed-tech) pilots.

It is very simple to use and read and has links for more information on each step.

Here is the link to the original article: http://edtech.digitalpromise.org/

One thing to remember - you don't have to do these projects alone. There are plenty of resources available to help you. In addition, check with your technology vendors to see what they have for planning and support resources to help you.

Here is the Framework:

1. Identify Need
2. Discover and Select
3. Planning
4. Train and Implement
5. Collect Data
6. Analyze and Decide
7. Negotiate and Purchase
8. Summarize and Share

Related:

K-12 Blueprint site updated - resources for planning and implementing EdTech 
Tech&Learning - free Edtech magazine, website and resources for educators












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Some Excellent Resources for Google for Education for Teachers and Admins

Google for Education, which includes G Suite for Education, Chromebooks, and content, is one of the most popular, and most updated, platforms for education. Here are some great resources for IT, Teachers, Students and more.

Google for Education main site: https://www.google.com/edu/ 

Getting started with G Suite for Education: https://support.google.com/a/answer/2856827

G Suite for Education: https://www.google.com/edu/products/productivity-tools/ 

Chromebooks: https://www.google.com/edu/products/devices/ 

Google Device Showcase - Chromebooks, Chromeboxes and more 

Google for Education Transformation Center - resources, examples and tips for transforming your classroom and school

Class Content: https://www.google.com/edu/products/class-content/ - content and apps that have been approved by Google



Benefits of Google Apps and Chromebooks - lots of resources, tips and ideas

Google Apps Administrator Help Site - for G Suite Admins

Google Chrome for Education Help Site - for Admins

Apps Status Dashboard (shows issues and outages) - for Admins

Google for Education Training Center - excellent resource for teachers on using Google Apps in the Classroom 

• Training page - great place to start - fundamentals, advanced, devices, apps 
• Certification page - get certified as a Google Educator, Trainer and Innovator 
• Resources page - tools (apps) and devices, community, ideas for using GAFE in the classroom 
• Google Chromebooks Basics course - another excellent resource for teachers using Chromebooks in the Classroom

There is also a thriving community of admins and teachers on Google+. Take a look around. 

Related:

Google for Education Resources

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Resources to find Funding for Schools and Technology

Schools are always looking for ways to find funding for projects, especially for technology. Here are some great resources that I have used in the past.



1. Edutopia - The Big List of Educational Grants and Resources - Get a roundup of educational grants, contests, awards, free toolkits, and classroom guides aimed at helping students, classrooms, schools, and communities. Check this page weekly to get the latest updates! https://www.edutopia.org/grants-and-resources



2. GetEdFunding - GetEdFunding is a free and fresh grant-finding resource, dedicated to helping educators and institutions identify the funding they need in budget-tight times. http://www.getedfunding.com/



3. Lowe’s Toolbox for Education http://www.toolboxforeducation.com/



4. Toshiba America Foundation grants – K-5 and 6-12 - http://www.toshiba.com/taf/



5. Device Grant Listed (list maintained by Google, has a lot of different grants listed) https://goo.gl/WD6YpS



6. THE Journal K-12 Grant Opportunities and Ed Tech Event Listings https://thejournal.com/articles/list/listings.aspx



7. Edsurge - Where to Find Money for Your School's EdTech Purchases https://www.edsurge.com/news/2016-11-21-where-to-find-money-for-your-school-s-edtech-purchases


More resources:

• Federal grants from various agencies are listed at www.grants.gov. 
• State and local grant opportunities can often be identified by state legislative offices. 
• Micro-funding through school- and classroom-specific grants can yield substantial results. Often donors are willing to fund projects whose impact they can directly observe. Such organizations as Donors Choose, Class Wish, and Adopt-a-Classroom facilitate individual donations. 
• Contact local businesses to see what programs they have available to support schools. 

Don't be scared to apply for a grant - you may just get it!

Good luck and happy hunting.

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SmartFeed - quality, curated content for kids

SmartFeed is the trusted platform & tool for parents to easily and conveniently curate and manage kid's digital media - across all content and device platforms. By serving up better media to kids, SmartFeed is helping to positively shape the next generation’s mindset in the midst of a media-saturated world.

As for how it works, think Pandora (curated recommendations) meets Netflix (ease of delivery) with Facebook (like minded community) for Parents.

Why do we need this? Media is increasingly everywhere, especially in front of our children. Kids find and consume it easily– -- just like junk food –-- but much of it is garbage. SmartFeed aims to change the paradigm: rather than just filtering out the junk, what if we could feed our kids positive, engaging, healthy content instead? Enter SmartFeed!

A breadth of great content for kids and teens exists....parents just need help finding it. SmartFeed makes finding great media and managing the content your kids consume easy and convenient.

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ExploreEDU - free #Google #EdTech event in Bethpage, NY - Nov 1 or 2nd - come join us

Come join CDW-G and Google in Bethpage NY for an Explore EDU Event.

ExploreEDU is an interactive, discovery-based event designed to teach those new to Google about the transformative power of technology in the classroom

Bethpage Union Free School District

10 Cherry Ave Bethpage, NY 11714 

Register for one of the following available dates: 

Nov. 1, 2016, 8am - 2pm | Reserve Your Seat

Nov. 2, 2016, 8am - 2pm | Reserve Your Seat

CDW Event Contact: Joe McAllister 

josemca@cdw.com

Hosted by Bethpage Union Free School District and CDW, ExploreEDU is an event designed to introduce school technology directors and administrators to Google solutions.

If you’re interested in discovering how technology can make a difference in your students’ lives or would like to imagine the classroom of the future, please join us.

You’ll learn about new products and tools, engage in dialogue with peers and embark on a journey of educational insight and adventure.

Find out more

Google Inc. is excited to cover the costs for attendees; the cost of items provided is valued under $45 per person. As a reminder, Google Inc. may be a vendor and/or lobbyist employer and Google Inc. employees may be registered lobbyists. If your school/district cannot accept this donation or if accepting the donation would prevent Google Inc. from supplying products or services to your school/district, do not register for this event or forward this invitation to others.

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Fall VirtCon 2016 - free online conference from Discovery Education - Oct 22

Discovery Education is hosting a free, online conference - 2016 Fall VirtCon - on Saturday, Oct 22nd.

VirtCon is a bi-annual conference that brings the Discovery Education community together to hear cutting-edge keynotes, be inspired by thought-provoking presentations, and participate in engaging discussions with the Discovery Education Community around the globe. Streamed live from their headquarters in Maryland, VirtCon provides you with the opportunity to hear from your peers, share ideas and instructional tools, and discover new resources available.


Fall VirtCon Themes

During Fall VirtCon’s ‘Discovery Education in Action’ program you will learn how your peers are using Discovery Education in their classroom, hear how they solve problems, and experience Discovery Education through their eyes.

• Conversation Topics:
• Literacy Through Digital Content
• Learner Agency & Student Ownership
• Collaborative STEM
• Professional Learning Strategies

How to Participate:

Attend Online: All sessions are virtual and you can come and go as you please throughout the day. Visit this page on October 22nd to watch all sessions. Register Here

Viewing Parties: Viewing parties are hosted throughout the country and provide an opportunity for you to meet new community members in your area, connect with colleagues locally, and reflect on your learnings from the conference.
Register to Host a Viewing Party

Discovery Education Resources

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Education on Air: It Takes a Teacher - free, online conference from Google 12-3-16

You’re invited to Education on Air, an online conference from Google.

Learn with educators from around the world. Join Google for Education on Saturday, December 3rd for Education on Air, a free online conference. Learn from over 100 sessions led by other educators. Learn new approaches & celebrate around that #ItTakesATeacher:

• Australia & New Zealand sessions: 10am AEST 
• United Kingdom sessions: 10am GMT 
• Americas sessions: 12pm ET / 9am PT 
• Register here

Register (it's free) and you’ll have the opportunity to:

• Engage with other educators and school leaders to share with and learn from each other 
• Hear from inspiring speakers like Linda Darling-Hammond, Jennie Magiera, Kevin Brookhouser and many more 
• Explore the latest Google product news and get tips and tools from educators 

In the meantime, check out our It Takes a Teacher page where you can share your stories with the hashtag #ItTakesATeacher.

In the coming weeks I'll post updates on the 100+ speakers and sessions. Stay tuned.

Google for Education Resources

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Google announces a lot of updates and changes, including a new name for things

Yesterday afternoon Google announced a ton of updates and one big new thing - a new name for Google Apps. It is now "G Suite". They also changed the name for all of their services to Google Cloud.

It is a name change to better align with all of their offerings and products and the services and apps are still the same. Different name, same great products. The name change has already gone out in the Admin help page, Google+ community and more.

For Google for Education, there are now 4 areas - G Suite for Education (Docs, Sheets, Slides, Forms, Sites, Gmail, Calendar, Drive), Classroom, Chromebooks, and Content (Creative Apps).

There were also some announcements with product and feature updates:

Introducing Google Cloud - Today we’re announcing Google Cloud, Google’s unique and broad portfolio of products, technologies and services that let our customers operate in a digital world easily and at peak performance.

All together now. Introducing G Suite. G Suite is a set of intelligent apps—Gmail, Docs, Drive, Calendar, Hangouts, and more—designed to bring people together, with real-time collaboration built in from the start.

G Suite website - includes all of the tools that were part of Google Apps

Feature announcements:

View deleted files with the latest Google Docs, Sheets, and Slides Android apps

Save time with smart scheduling in Google Calendar

What you love about Google Search — now for Drive

Save time with Quick Access in Drive

Explore in Docs, Sheets and Slides makes work a breeze — and makes you look good, too

Google Cast is now built in to Chrome

Chrome on Android: Do more on every phone and network

Lots more Resources on Google for Education

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It's National Preparedness Month - here are some great free resources

It's National Preparedness Month, and start of the Hurricaine Season. With all of the crazy weather we have seen, it's good to be prepared.

It is important to consider three scenarios when planning for an emergency: 1) an escape route and meeting point if everyone is in the house; 2) what to do during a school day; and 3) how to handle an emergency during the weekend, when family members might be scattered.

Although many people are familiar with the concept of developing a family plan for emergencies, most fail to take the time to sit down and actually come up with one. One great resource is the FEMA-sponsored website: http://www.ready.gov/. Check out their kids section too: http://www.ready.gov/kids

Schools need to be prepared themselves, as well as teach their staff and students how to be prepared.

Each household, business, and school should have an emergency plan, emergency kits and people trained in emergency preparedness and response.

I started my training in emergency preparedness while on my trail to Eagle Scout. Emergency Preparedness is a required merit badge and the Boy Scouts emphasize emergency preparedness among the scouts. I am also a paramedic, special operations paramedic and FEMA trained in Emergency Preparedness and Emergency Management. Here are some of my favorite resources for learning about Emergency Preparedness.

Ready.gov is the US Government's web site for information and resources on emergency preparedness and response. There are resources for making a plan, an emergency kit, and how to stay informed. Information is included for individuals and businesses.

The Boy Scouts of America, who train all their Scouts and Adults in Emergency Preparedness, has partnered with the Department of Homeland Security to provide resources for the public on getting prepared. The site has planning resources, how to make an emergency kit, and other resources.

Seven Emergency Preparedness Tips You May Not Know from Lifehacker

The American Red Cross website also has information for creating an emergency plan and how to prepare for different emergencies. They also sell emergency kits (they are very good and a decent price). You can always make your own using their lists though. There is a full section on preparing schools and students. The Preparedness Fast Facts page is an excellent, one stop resource.

FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) Emergency Management Insitute
The FEMA EMI offers free, online courses for anyone to take. The courses are well done and there are plenty of downloadable materials to help you. If you pass the test at the end, you even get a certificate.

Here are a list of the courses that I think all educators should take: (I've taken these, and more)

IS-7   A Citizen's Guide to Disaster Assistance
IS-22 Are You Ready? An In-depth Guide to Citizen Preparedness
IS-55 Household Hazardous Materials - A Guide for Citizens
IS-100.Sca Introduction to the Incident Command System for Schools
IS-362 Multi-Hazard Emergency Planning for Schools


Education Administrators should also be involved in community emergency planning because schools are on the top of the list as emergency shelters and field hospitals and the building administrators know their buildings.

You can even join your local Community Emergency Response Team. These are teams of citizens that are specially trained to help out in major emergencies, sort of like the reserves. Find out more here. Here is a list of CERT's by State: http://www.citizencorps.gov/cc/CertIndex.do?submitByState


Emergency Preparedness is everyone's responsibility. The Japanese know this and that is one reason why the disaster over there is not worse that it is. Share these resources with your students, colleagues, and family.

More Emergency Preparedness Resources




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