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AdobeAI/VRArtificial Intelligence

The Ethical Power of Adobe Express and Generative AI

by Amanda Hunt
written by Amanda Hunt

If you’re a K–12 educator looking to integrate creativity, storytelling, and ethical digital practices into your classroom, Adobe Express might be the best tool you’re not using (yet). With built-in generative AI, student-friendly guardrails, and a free price tag for all K–12 schools, Adobe Express offers one of the most accessible, secure, and ethically sound platforms available for student media creation today.

Let’s unpack what makes Adobe Express a standout in the ever-growing field of AI-powered education tools and why it’s more than just another graphic design app.

What Is Adobe Express?

Adobe Express is Adobe’s easy-to-use, cloud-based design platform tailored for quick creation of everything from social graphics and posters to videos, web pages, and more. But what sets it apart in 2025? Its newest features include generative AI tools like Text to Image and Text Effects, along with smart templates and quick actions that help students and teachers bring their ideas to life with ease.

But don’t mistake “easy” for “uncontrolled.” Adobe Express has carefully considered the ethics, privacy, and developmental appropriateness of AI tools used in K–12 spaces.

Ethical AI with Built-In Guardrails

The use of AI in schools raises critical questions:

  • How do we protect students from harmful or inappropriate content?
  • How do we teach ethical use while still encouraging creativity?
  • Who owns the AI-generated content?

Adobe Express addresses these concerns head-on. The education version of Adobe Express includes customized guardrails that ensure student searches are developmentally appropriate and safe. AI tools are built with moderation features that filter inappropriate prompts and visuals. In fact, student accounts are designed differently from adult accounts—when a student logs in, the experience is intentionally limited to prioritize safety and learning.

“When my students use the image generator, they’re amazed—but they’re also learning about bias, responsible prompts, and copyright. It’s a teaching opportunity.” – 8th Grade ELA Teacher

Adobe’s generative AI tools are trained using Adobe Stock and openly licensed or public domain content, so students can use what they create with confidence. Unlike other tools that pull images from the web without attribution, Adobe Express uses content it owns, ensuring clear, ethical usage rights.

Privacy That Meets Educational Standards

Privacy matters. Especially in schools.

Adobe Express for Education is COPPA and FERPA compliant, meaning it meets strict standards for student data privacy. Adobe doesn’t sell student data or use it for advertising. When students log in through school-provided accounts, their data is stored securely and used only to support learning.

Unlike some open-ended AI tools that ask for personal logins or collect usage data, Adobe Express for Education allows district-managed single sign-on options and centralized IT control. Teachers can assign projects, monitor student work, and collaborate without worrying about exposing students to external risks.

In short? It’s safe to use because it was quite literally built for schools.

A Tool That Supports Digital Literacy and Ethical Creation

AI is here, and it’s not going away. So, rather than shielding students from AI, Adobe Express provides a scaffolded, ethical on-ramp to explore its potential.

Teachers can use Adobe Express to guide students in:

  • Creating original artwork using Text to Image tools
  • Reflecting on how AI transforms design and writing processes
  • Evaluating prompt writing and responsible content generation
  • Understanding copyright, ownership, and citation of digital assets
  • Practicing digital citizenship and media literacy

Instead of simply consuming AI-generated content, students become critical creators—an essential skill in the AI-powered future of work and life. We don’t want a society of copy and pasters from ChatGPT. We want kids analyzing, comprehending, decoding and taking their learning to the next level. 

100% Free for K–12 Educators and Students

Yes, really.

Adobe Express for Education is free for all K–12 educators, students, schools, and districts. This includes access to premium features, templates, fonts, stock images, and yes—AI tools.

Schools and districts can deploy Adobe Express through Adobe Admin Console or existing LMS platforms. Individual teachers can also sign up using a verified K–12 school email address. It’s a game-changing offering that removes financial barriers to creativity and access.

While other platforms offer similar tools, Adobe’s reputation in professional design gives students a future-ready skill set and teachers confidence in its safety and quality. Using Adobe Express early prepares students for Adobe Creative Cloud later, giving them a valuable head start.

Beyond Design: Real Classroom Applications

Adobe Express isn’t just for art class. Here are just a few ways teachers are using it:

  • English Language Arts: Students create character trading cards, blackout poetry, or book trailers using templates and image generators.
  • Science: Students design infographics explaining lab safety or data-driven posters visualizing environmental issues.
  • Social Studies: Students make “historical social media posts” or interactive timelines.
  • Math: Students create graphic stories that illustrate real-world math problems.
  • Library Media: Librarians guide students through digital storytelling projects or ethical AI exploration during research units.

Thanks to its intuitive interface and classroom-safe controls, Adobe Express empowers students to create polished, portfolio-worthy work across content areas. It even gives step-by-step written and video recordings for the Educator Resources so kids and teachers can learn alongside each other. 

The Best-Kept Secret in Ed Tech—But Not for Long

Adobe Express for Education is one of the most robust, responsible, and forward-thinking tools available in K–12 digital learning. It supports both creativity and compliance, imagination and ethics. And it’s not just a tool for making things “look good”—it’s a platform for helping students do good with the digital tools at their fingertips.

As AI becomes more integrated into learning, platforms like Adobe Express provide the balanced, educator-approved pathways we need: student creativity supported by ethical design, safe usage, and meaningful guardrails.

If your school hasn’t started using Adobe Express yet, consider this your sign. The best-kept secret in education is finally out—and your students deserve to experience it.

Ready to get started? Visit https://edex.adobe.com/express to explore how you can bring Adobe Express and generative AI into your classroom—ethically, safely, and creatively.

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Screenshot by author of Adobe Express website
AdobeArtificial Intelligence

Adobe Express: Generative AI and Digital Literacy Resources

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Need resources on how to best blend generative AI into your middle or high school classroom? Want to foster creativity and media literacy among your students? Then you will want to explore Adobe’s newest generative AI resources. These offerings focus on using Adobe Express for AI education. What’s more, they include media literacy resources available on their education website.

The Adobe Education Exchange

Before you start exploring the new AI features, a quick question: Are you aware of Adobe Education Exchange’s K-12 Resource Hub? The hub offers a wide variety of resources for celebrating holidays and special events, including Earth Day and National Creativity Month. You’ll also see ways to get students started with drawing through three activities: reading a map, the stages of mitosis, and color theory. The exchange provides a host of teaching resources and four ways to support students in getting started with generative AI in multiple subjects with these activities:

Give the K-12 Resource Hub a walkthrough. You won’t regret it! Now, let’s take a closer look at Adobe Express’ generative AI enhancements.

Adobe Express and Generative AI

Are you familiar with Adobe Express? It’s a free platform for teachers and students that offers tools to create classroom visuals and other content. Here are some examples of generative AI features you might find useful:

  • Text effects. Transform basic text into art with a description. You only need to describe the desired graphic style, theme, or texture. Students can create “All About Me” posters or classroom quote posters for digital or print use.
  • Text to image. Students can type in written descriptions and generate high-quality images. Use these AI-generated images inspired by student writing for a variety of purposes like alternative book covers, report illustrations, presentations, or writing anthology art.

On the site, you will find a variety of quickstart guides for how administrators, parents, educators, and students can use generative AI in Adobe Express.

Screenshot of Adobe QuickStart Guide for Students
Screenshot of Adobe QuickStart Guide for Students

Here is an overview adapted for readability from the Middle and High School Educators’ guide:

These educational materials offer an introduction to generative AI. They explore critical questions, including: How does generative AI affect me? How does it affect others? What are some of the challenges and concerns about generative AI? How can I use generative AI in safe, ethical, and effective ways?

Lessons encourage students to think in a critical way about topics covered. Supplementary readings appear, deepening their understanding of AI’s impact on their lives.

These lessons…equip students to think about their relationship to future technologies.

Middle school students build on what they already know about generative AI. They identify questions that arise from their studies, and reflect on their learning. High school students are further led to identify topics formorel exploration. They reflect on issues related to generative AI. Students consider the benefits and drawbacks of this new technology.

You can even take a thirty-minute course to introduce you to Adobe Express’ new generative AI tools. The purpose of the course is to broaden your awareness of how to best use AE’s AI tools for teaching and learning.

Screenshot by Emily Horn | Adobe Education Exchange |
“Generative AI in the Classroom with Adobe Express” Course

Media Literacy with Adobe

In addition to these generative AI resources, Adobe offers a variety of lessons on media literacy in their Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) Media Literacy Curriculum. You can find them organized by middle school, high school, and higher ed. These can assist students in developing critical thinking skills and develop necessary skills to fight mis/dis-information:

Media literacy is a key component of addressing mis/disinformation. These curricula help students develop critical media and visual literacy skills. This is so they can better navigate the ever-changing digital information landscape. Each curriculum includes a foundational unit as well as lessons. Use the lessons in social studies, the arts, and English & language arts (ELA). Media literacy lessons and themes appear integrated throughout all components.

The Adobe-led Content Authenticity Initiative (CAI) plays a significant role in this effort. You can learn more about its efforts online.

More Adobe Express Benefits

Adobe Express is extremely versatile when it comes to creating and sharing visual media. While you’re exploring its resources and generative AI capabilities, be sure to take advantage of the following additional benefits:

  • Premade templates. Find the starting point for your next poster, graphic organizer, or presentation. Teachers can find lesson templates and self-paced videos, too.
  • Collaboration opportunities. Set up activities that enable, if appropriate, students to work together on projects.
  • LMS integration. Use a popular learning management system? Adobe Express may integrate, enabling you to assign and manage projects within the LMS itself.
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animate your voice
AdobeOnline Tools and Apps

Ahoy, Mateys! Animate Your Voice

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

Ready to create an animation that will engage viewers? You may want to take advantage of a new tool from Adobe that makes voice-based animations easy. Let’s explore this new digital tool from Adobe.

First, though, let’s take a quick look at how animations can engage K-12 students. Engagement, while the final destination for learners, ensures you capture student attention.

Flipping Interest Levels

Students may not find the content interesting. Without an engaging story, anecdote, video, or movement-based activity, students ask, “Why?”

Learning something new is often exciting for the learner. Novel experiences cause a rush of dopamine. This not only makes learning seem exciting, but also makes you want to repeat the experience.  (source)

To hook student learners into a dopamine stream, you want an engaging activity. Animation can be that activity. Some of the ways animation works best for K-12 students include:

  • Ensuring a clear understanding of abstract ideas
  • Use of short, attention-grabbing animations to cover specific, relevant content
  • Make learning interactive and participatory
  • Enable experiential learning

While there are more benefits, this short list demonstrates the value. Let’s take a look at how the free, Adobe Express tool can help.

Introducing Animate Your Voice

This tool makes it easy to:

Make an animated character from your own voice recording using Adobe Express.

There are only three simple steps:

  • Choose a character from those available.
  • Upload your audio file or record your dialogue.
  • Preview the audio and animation, making changes to the character or background as you see fit.
  • Save or share your animation with others.

Let’s take a look at each of these steps in turn. Ready? Let’s go.

Animate Your Voice

Step 1: Choose a Character

As you can see from the image above, there are ample choices of characters. Choose from any of those available, and see them appear center screen.

For fun, I chose a character resembling me and decided to upload the audio I recorded. That’s an option available in addition to recording your audio via the website.

It was the beginning of a free story I found at Kids Love To Know. The story is that of “Captain Silverhook’s Symbol of Strength” (PDF). You can save it to your device or read it online for free.

Here’s a little information about it:

Captain Silverhook’s Symbol of Strength is a 600-word short  story. It is suitable for children of all ages. Kids in second grade or higher may be able to read the story on their own. The story is about a pirate  with a problem to solve. Captain Silverhook must replace his ship’s destroyed, nautical figurehead. That’s the shape carved on the front of his ship. He must  come up with a new design before he loses the respect of the other  pirates.

Using Audacity, a free open-source audio editor. I read the first paragraph of the story with a little flair:

Then, I uploaded the audio file for processing to Adobe Express’ Animate Your Voice site:

You can see the finished product below:

Step 2: Preview the Animation

You can make changes to the animation you’ve recorded, cropping the audio as needed. It’s not too difficult, and you can bring this process to a close if you’ve done your editing in Audacity or a similar tool, which I recommend.

Step 3: Save or Share Your Animation with Others

Click the Download button, and if you aren’t logged in with your free account, you will need to create an account. The process is easy if you use Google Authentication (which I did). Adobe offers access to other authentication schemes, so creating an account isn’t hard.

To share your animation, you will save an MP4 video formatted version. You can watch my creation below:

Once you’re done saving video to your device, Adobe will prompt you to buy their $54.99 Creative Cloud All Apps plan which includes Character Animator.

Final Reflections

Animate Your Voice is an easy-to-use tool, and I can definitely see my third-grade students and older students using it. Give it a go!

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Good Teaching

Digital Tools to Foster Creativity | Podcast Ep. 70

by Andrew Roush
written by Andrew Roush

It takes creativity to overcome obstacles. Just ask Claudio Zavala, Jr. He’s a creative media consultant, Digital Designer at Burleson ISD, YouTuber, photographer, graphic designer, and master woodworker. He is passionate about fostering creativity in the classroom and using digital tools to engage learners.

As a Thought Leader at the TCEA 2021 Convention & Exposition presented with IDEAcon, he’ll be sharing tips creativity and useful tools, like Abode Rush and Adobe Spark.

To give you a preview of what to expect during his sessions on Wednesday, Feb. 3, we sat down with Claudio for a special episode of our TCEA podcast, the Ed Tech Club. Listen using the player below or by clicking here.

Still not registered for the 2021 all-virtual Convention? There’s time left — and plenty of time to explore on-demand sessions, with all the learning available through March 5. What are you waiting for? Register here.

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remote learning
Good TeachingOnline Tools and Apps

Putting a Spark in Remote Learning

by Candice Sheridan, Guest Author
written by Candice Sheridan, Guest Author

How do you get feedback from your students during remote learning? Whether collecting responses from an assignment or gauging student well being, it can be a struggle to “hear” when your students aren’t in front of you. But Adobe Spark can significantly help teachers receive feedback from students through a post, video, or page. 

I teach Graphic Design, and it’s been a challenge to find meaningful projects for my students to do remotely. I have used Adobe Spark Post and Adobe Spark Video at least once a week since shifting to online education. My students have been exceptionally creative and have reported they’re actually having fun and enjoying the projects. 

Making Remote Learning Effective

In this unprecedented time of online learning, it’s important for students to have access to equitable tools. Adobe Spark can fill that need. It’s not only a free, online program, it also comes in three, separate, free apps for iOS or Android devices. Adobe Spark can be used in any subject and at any grade level, elementary to secondary and beyond. Spark allows you to create a post (static or animated), a video (with collaboration capabilities), or a page (similar to a web page). 

If you’ve never used Adobe Spark, don’t be intimidated; the learning curve is shallow. Your students will adapt to this new program much like they do when they get a new cell phone. I’ve never heard of a student reading the directions to a new cell phone BEFORE they started using it. I’ve actually seen younger students have the easiest time using Adobe Spark for the first time.  

Adobe Spark offers ease-of-use, allowing students to spend more time having choice, using their own voice, and taking ownership with an authentic learning experience. Choice allows students to pick how they want to present the information to show evidence of learning. This can come in the form of a Spark Post or Spark Video. Spark allows students to select colors, fonts, icons, images, music, and design elements that can be unique to that student. Spark offers an authentic learning experience and helps make the learning meaningful. 

Using Adobe Spark

Using Adobe Spark during online learning promotes critical thinking and allows students to collaborate. Similar to a traditional classroom setting, students can work in teams or partners, just online instead. Student collaboration maximizes productivity and creativity by equally sharing the workload. 

The next time you create an assignment, try tossing in an Adobe Spark option. 

Classroom Examples

  • Sophomore English: Tasked with a reflective writing once they finish reading Romeo and Juliet, consider assigning an Adobe Spark Video where the students add images and voiceovers to create a reflective piece.
  • Kindergarten: Start with a “What do you want to be when you grow up?” writing prompt. Instead of writing it on a pre-printed form, have students use an iPad to create a video about their future career.
  • Third-grade science: Students create flash cards explaining the workings of the solar system, and they can create an Adobe Spark Video or Page using text and images, then share it with other students, past and future.
  • Career Investigation: Students create an advertisement for a new product. They could use an Adobe Spark Post or Page to create the ad using a desktop computer, Chromebook, iPad, or cell phone.
  • Eighth-grade history: Students need to show understanding of the Civil War. They could use Adobe Spark Video to show their understanding of the narrative of the conflict. 

Sparking Energy

Remote learning is causing all students and teachers to step outside their comfort zones. Adobe Spark can bring energy back into education. Traditional classroom lessons can get an added jolt of newness and excitement. When you feel like adding something different to your curriculum or when you want to give your students a break from the norm, adding an Adobe Spark project to your lesson will surely ignite a spark in student learning. 

Adobe Spark Resources

Previous TechNotes blogs about Adobe Spark:

Main photo by Jez Timms on Unsplash. All other images are original and created by Candice Sheridan.

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software updates
Educational TrendsTechnical Support

Summer Software Updates from Adobe, Google, and Microsoft

by Andrew Roush
written by Andrew Roush

In a world of digital software, it seems as if patches, updates, and upgrades are happening constantly. For educators, it can be nearly impossible to keep up. Sometimes we know about the updates, and sometimes apps and programs are updated automatically. Ever feel behind the times? TCEA is here to help.

Below are some recent updates for popular educational software. Just because it’s summer doesn’t mean you can’t stay up to date.

The Spark of Creativity

Adobe updated its Spark family of graphic-design products for social, web, and video. The updates include features targeted to educators. According to Campus Technology:

The latest release added functionality of benefit for education users. The program, which is free for students and schools, whether K-12 or higher ed, now supports live collaboration through the web. Students and instructors can begin a project and invite others to work on it by adding their email and sending an invitation to make edits. Shared projects appear in a new tab in the project organizer, and edits made to the project will be visible to collaborators.

Notably, these changes only apply to desktop and laptop versions.

Noteworthy Updates

Microsoft has released a number of recent updates for various programs. In June, it announced 30 updates for OneNote and Class Notebooks, including the ability to pair OneNote with TurnItIn and a way to create math quizzes right in OneNote. You can check out all 30 updates here.

The company’s Teams for Education digital hub is also getting a major facelift, according to a Microsoft announcement. You can read about new features, and see a few in action, at Microsoft’s Education blog.

Searching for New Features

Google has also heralded a number of updates for Google for Education, including rubrics, a new grades page, and changes to Google Forms.

From Silicon Angle:

“Instructors enrolled in the beta program can create a rubric and attach it to an assignment, giving students full visibility into how their work will be evaluated,” Brittany Mennuti, a Google Classroom product manager, wrote in a blog post. “Instructors can then use rubrics while grading to select rating levels and give consistent and efficient feedback.”

 

Meanwhile, Gradebook, a feature previously available in beta that allows teachers to track student’s grades over time and evaluate their performance, is now generally available.  …

 

Google is also making available a “locked mode” in Google Forms… With locked mode, students are prevented from being able to navigate away from the quiz until all of their answers have been submitted, helping them to focus on the task in hand.

What software updates have you been watching? Which changes would you like to see explored in TechNotes? Let us know in the comments.

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tech skills
Digital LiteracyGood Teaching

Helping Students Ramp Up Their Tech Skills

by Lori Gracey
written by Lori Gracey

You’ve heard the talk about digital natives, about how this generation of students who were born with technology in their mouths know everything there is to know about devices and software. You’ve heard that they don’t really need any practice in using tech because it’s embedded in their chromosomes somehow. What you may not have heard is that is all just a bunch of hooey.

The Facts About “Digital Natives”

As EdTech Digest reports, “They use it a lot, to be sure, but their range is quite narrow, and not very deep. They’re okay at the basics (email, texting, surfing the internet, etc.), but when it comes to using technology to learn, it’s mostly passive consumption of information.” The EU Kids Online Report found that “… only one in five [children studied] used a file-sharing site or created a pet/avatar, and half that number wrote a blog … While social networking makes it easier to upload content, most children use the internet for ready-made, mass-produced content.” And a survey from the Pew Research Center found that children probably know a lot about social media and usage convention, but are unaware of the difference between the internet and “World Wide Web” or what Net Neutrality means.

What that all means is that it is even more important today to teach students how and when to use technology than it has ever been. And that’s not something that can be left to the “tech teacher.” For most students, there is no technology teacher for them until high school. That’s way too late to learn best practices in hardware and software use.

How Prepared Are You to Teach Tech Skills?

With that in mind, how ready are you, regardless of the subject or grade level you teach, to show kids the best uses of technology? If the honest answer is “not so prepared,” then consider attending the Technology Acceleration Academy this summer. Held July 25-26 in Austin, the academy is a hands-on answer to teaching today’s students. Led by accomplished educators from around the state, participants will gain great expertise in both their own use of tech and in helping students use Adobe, Apple, Google, and Microsoft software and devices. Bring your own device and practice the skills that are shown, ensuring that you leave with all of the knowledge and skills that you will need to prepare your students for future careers.

Registration is just $239 for both days and includes lunch and a complimentary membership in TCEA for one year, which will help you to continue to hone your skills. Check out all of the great sessions available here. A few of them include:

  • Solving Problems Together – Looking for projects and ideas that will get your entire class engaged and working together? Then facilitating G Suite-based collaborative projects is for you. Explore technology in the context of problem-based learning (PBL).
  • Global Communication and Collaboration – Challenge yourself to use apps such as Flipgrid, Skype, Google Hang Outs, and Zoom. Experience real-world examples of how students can create connections with different cultures to develop a better understanding of our world.
  • Show What You Know Using an iPad – Bring your iPad and prepare for an interactive, hands-on session that will get students sharing and showing what they’ve learned, and how to apply it. You’ll leave with resources for your classroom.
  • Keeping Your Students Active and Engaged in a Google Classroom – Learn how to ensure that your students are active and engaged in an online environment using Google Classroom. You never have to sacrifice quality instruction when teaching in a virtual classroom.
  • Knowledge Management with OneNote and G Suite – Struggling to keep track of … well, everything? Wish you had an easy way to setup virtual meetings with others and share status reports by project? Let me introduce you to Microsoft Teams and OneNote. These tools work on all devices. Teams is a digital hub that brings conversations, content, and apps together in one place. OneNote is a digital notebook, whiteboard and scrum board rolled into one. Want to learn how to do the same with G Suite tools? We’ll also explore that!
  • Ten Research-Based Practices That Accelerate Student Learning – Learn how technology can accelerate learning, especially when it’s used with ten teaching practices that are research-proven to help students achieve more.

So grab a colleague and register today for the Technology Acceleration Academy. Your students will thank you!

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Infographic with PDF tools
MicrosoftTechnical Support

Top Five PDF Annotation Tools on Windows 10

by Miguel Guhlin
written by Miguel Guhlin

“I need to edit PDFs as part of my work. Do you have any suggestions?” asked a colleague two months ago. At the time, I had been relying on two Office Suites to get the job done. Neither worked all that well. My colleague’s  question forced me to take a harder look at available annotation tools. Finding the right PDF tool can be a challenge. There are so many choices available online.

Need to sign a PDF document on the go? How about fill out a PDF on your smartphone or Windows 10 tablet?  Here’s my top five list of tools to accomplish those needs. Before we look at the list, here are my criteria.

PDF Criteria

The main thing I am looking for is simple tools that get the job done. With PDF annotation tools, you have many to choose from. Some feature complex graphical user interfaces (GUIs). Others are bare bones. Here are my criteria for simple PDF tools:

  • The tool has a simple interface.
  • The program facilitates editing, filling out forms, and signing documents.
  • It’s easy to split PDF files into their individual pages or combine multiple pages/PDF files into one.
  • Free or low-cost

These four criteria do not include everything you could look for in a PDF editor. But one reason to keep it simple is that Adobe Acrobat Pro offers so many features that they are baffling. We all need a little less complexity in our lives. Therefore, you won’t find FoxIt, Adobe, or NitroPDF on this list.

Now that you know what I’m looking for in a PDF editor. Let’s take a look at some of my favorites.

Tool #1 – Xodo PDF Reader & Annotator

annotation toolsWhen I found Xodo, I was waiting to board a plane. I had to fill out a PDF form, sign it, and then email it. My Windows 10 device was stowed away; the only device I had was my Android phone. After using Xodo to get the PDF on its way, I made a mental note to see if it was available on Windows 10. Sure enough, you can get Xodo as an app in the Windows 10 Store. In addition to working as a native app on your Android or Windows 10 device, you can also access it via a web browser. A little more information about Xodo is available online:

With the Xodo web app, you can now merge multiple PDFs into one, which is perfect for when you need to compile resources into one package to send to your colleagues. And now you can merge PDFs from your computer and Google Drive.

The new Xodo web app provides more flexibility than ever before. You can now insert, delete, reorder, and even rotate pages to manipulate your PDF to fit your needs…Xodo can also open other file formats such as docx, pptx, jpeg, png, cbz, and other image files. Here’s a list of its features. Each link points to an illustrated blog post:

  1. Merge PDFs (NEW!)
  2. Organize pages: insert, delete, reorder, and rotate pages (NEW!)
  3. Access PDFs on Google Drive
  4. Online collaboration
  5. Secure: your files never leave your computer
  6. Print directly from your browser
  7. Multiple view modes and flexible zoom
  8. More annotation options
  9. Use without signing in (NEW!)

On their website, you’ll find testimonials from its users, including classroom teachers. This is a great, free tool to use, no matter what device (e.g. Windows, iOS, Android devices; Mac and Chromebook via the Web) you are on.

Tool #2 – Drawboard PDF

annotation toolsThe first time I tried Drawboard PDF on my Windows 10 tablet, I almost threw the tablet out the window. Drawboard boasts various features, such as the following:

  • Mark up any PDF from your computer
  • Available on Windows 10
  • Ink annotations feel just like pen and paper

While Drawboard isn’t the simplest to use (I find the radial interface confusing), some will like how easy it is to highlight the screen and annotate it. You have maximum control over your digital pens and markers.

Drawboard make inserting editable shapes, lines, arrows, polygons and clouds straightforward. You can even insert dynamic content like ink signatures, images, text boxes, and notes. Want to merge, re-order, or arrange PDF documents? You will need to get the Pro version of Drawboard PDF ($4.99 on sale or $9.99 regular price).

Tool #3 – Inkscape

Need to edit words on a page in PDF? If you need to change the words on the page, then Inkscape will get the job done. It only allows you to edit a single page at a time and insert images onto a page in a PDF. Here’s a video walking you through the process of PDF editing with Inkscape:

In a pinch, you can skip buying the expensive Adobe Pro software to edit a PDF document. Use the free Inkscape. Need a vector graphics editor? Read this blog entry, Vector Images: Make Magic with Two Free Tools, to see how cross-platform (e.g. Windows, Mac, GNU/Linux) Inkscape can help.

Tool #4 – Cloud Convert

While Office suites like MS Office and Google Suites have made it easy to convert from PDF to their respective formats, you may also have a need to use Cloud Convert. It “supports the conversion between more than 200 different audio, video, document, ebook, archive, image, spreadsheet and presentation formats.” You can open PDF files from a variety of sources, then convert them to anything you like. Files can be opened from Dropbox, Google Drive, Microsoft’s OneDrive, or Box.

annotation tools

Cloud Convert has your back when working with PDF files that you may have stored in the cloud.

Tool #5 – PDFsam Basic

One of my go-to PDF tools (works on GNU/Linux, Mac, and Windows) for a long time has been PDF Split and Merge (SAM) Basic. The program has grown over the years. You can get the simple version of PDF SAM. It makes “split, merge, mix, extract pages and rotate PDF files” easy to do. I can’t count how many times I drop into PDF SAM to split a PDF document, extracting a single page to share out of a 100+ page document. The PDF SAM Basic offering does quite a bit. However, if you find yourself wanting to pay for PDFsam Enhanced or PDFsam Visual, you’ll find it taking a hefty chunk out of your wallet.

annotation tools

Recommendations

My top picks from my list of favorites? That depends on what you need. Since my needs range from quick form filling, signing PDFs, and/or splitting PDF documents, I rely on Xodo and PDFsam Basic as my top two tools. Need to do some quick editing? Use Inkscape.

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academies
ChromebooksGoogle Tips and TricksMicrosoftProfessional Learning

Summer Academies to the Rescue!

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

Now is the time to start thinking about how you can recharge yourself after a long school year. At TCEA, we have the perfect opportunity for you: summer academies. You’ll find that everything is designed to get you the information you need to get you further ahead of the curve for next year AND take your skills deeper. For each academy, we have a superb lineup of talented presenters, relevant concurrent sessions, opportunities to mingle and expand your professional learning network, and good food. You’ll leave with great resources and ideas to share with your district/campus as well as implement in your own practices as a skilled educator who’s using technology to impact students.

Adobe Academy – June 19-20

Adobe users unite! You’ll find this the perfect academy if you use any of the Adobe products yourself or if you teach your students how to use them. Innovative uses, clever work-arounds, and new features will be shared to give you the solutions and steps you need. And, if you are new to Adobe, you will find several sessions that will help you get up to speed and boost your confidence. Adobe pros haven’t been left out; our presenters have clever ideas that are worth listening to and taking note of.

Microsoft Academy – July 12-13

Make a point to attend our first annual Microsoft Academy to boost your skills in Microsoft products including Office365 and Minecraft. This is going to be a great gathering! You’ll also be introduced to mobile coding with Creative Coding through Games and Apps and gain a deeper understanding into Microsoft Makers projects and 3D Builder. You will definitely find this packed full of topics that you can’t get at other learning opportunities.

Chromebook Academy – July 26-27

Even if you don’t have a Chromebook, but use Google Suite for Education, you will find these sessions filled with new and great ideas that you can take back to transform the way your students learn. Be sure to bring a friend so you can divide and conquer on the sessions and then share with each other at the end of the day!

As you can see, there are several great ways to recharge this summer. Whichever way (or ways 😉 ) you choose will inspire you for another year of making a difference as well as enhance the skills that you use on a daily basis. If you have more questions, or are interested in group discounts, contact Ashley Weiler at 512-450-5450 or aweiler@tcea.org.

 

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Get Ahead with Summer Learning Academies

by Dr. Bruce Ellis
written by Dr. Bruce Ellis

If you are like most educators about this time of year, you may have already started counting down the weeks (soon to be days) to summer break. After a year of great lessons and seeing your students grow in skills, you start thinking about what you are going to do differently next year. As you read blog posts and follow Twitter chats, you find new lesson ideas and innovative ways to engage your students and make learning exciting and challenging. To help re-energize you and get you ahead for next year, TCEA has several amazing summer learning events just for you.

Adobe Academy

Do you teach any of the Technology Applications or Career and Technology Education courses where students learn to use Adobe products such as Photoshop, Illustrator, InDesign, Lightroom, Premiere, etc.? Or do you want to enhance your creative Adobe skills for personal projects and enjoyment? If either of those are true, then you definitely want to attend the Adobe Academy on June 19-20! Besides networking with other creative educators, you’ll have concurrent sessions to choose from in order to gain fresh ideas, polish your Adobe skills, and take your curriculum to the next level. You’ll learn from other Adobe-using educators in this hands-on event. For more information about this academy go to http://academy.tcea.org/adobe.

Microsoft Academy

If you are one of the many Microsoft-using educators, you will find the Microsoft Academy a perfect fit. On July 12-13, you can experience a wide array of Microsoft tools to help you extend your learning and gain fresh ideas of how to use the tools with your students and fellow educators. Whether you are using Office365 in the cloud or are using a not-quite-so-new version, join in on the active sessions and take away new ideas. For more information about this academy go to http://academy.tcea.org/microsoft.

Chromebook Academy

Calling all Googlers! Learn from some of the Googliest educators around at our interactive Chromebook Academy on July 26-27. There will be great sessions for Google Suite administrators as well as for teachers integrating Google Suite in their classroom. You’ll learn about the most current features and how you can use them to maximize your impact with students. Add-ons, scripts, hyperdocs, Slides, Forms, and more will be explored so that you can get what you need to take your students to the next level! To learn more about the Chromebook Academy, go to http://academy.tcea.org/chromebook.

Don’t let the summer go by without taking advantage of at least one of these great events. You’ll be amazed at how much you learn and how much fun you will have doing it. Also, let us know if you have ten or more folks registering and we will extend a discount for you to use. If you have questions, feel free to contact me at bellis@tcea.org or Ashley Weiler at aweiler@tcea.org.

 

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