Tag:

PDF

AI Chatbot File Compatibility for Educators

by Miguel Guhlin October 18, 2024

written by Miguel Guhlin

AI Chatbots have found their way into the hands of teachers and students around the globe. In classrooms, about half of U.S. teachers and K-12 students now use an AI chatbot like ChatGPT on a weekly basis. Only about 20 percent of students say they haven’t used AI. With widespread use of AI, many continue to struggle with getting information in and out of chatbots. With that in mind, it’s worth brushing up on file formats.

Screenshot by author of Claude.ai add files option

Wait… What are file formats?

File formats are standard ways that information is encoded. For example, webpages are encoded in a variety of formats such as hypertext markup language (HTML). Use Microsoft Word or Excel docs? Then those file formats are DOCX and XLSx, respectively. At the dawn of the AI age, many struggle with file formats, and different chatbots may not handle your favorite program’s file format.

This is an easy problem to overcome, you simply need to be aware of the file formats chatbots can take in (import) or pop out (export). The table below can provide some clarity for you in this regard.

Screenshot by author of ChatGPT file attachment screen

Why Does It Matter?

In the table below, you can see popular chatbots. You will see whether they support text and markdown (all of them do except Meta and You.com). This means that if you know how to get files into markdown format, you can convert to other formats. Why does that matter?

Perplexity.ai Attach Files screenshot by author

Consider that chatbots like Claude can import PDFs, DOCx, etc., but cannot export to those proprietary formats. That means you have a beautiful documents with tables and formatting (bold, italics, underline), section headers, and it’s reduced to simple text. How can you keep most of that formatting? Use markdown format. But paste that markdown into a word processor, and it won’t look great. You first need to convert it to a usable format.

Chatbot Comparison: Import and Export Formats

This table clarifies what formats work best for various popular chatbots. In addition to file formats, it also offers suggestions for a variety of web browser extensions. You will see more about browser extensions in a moment.

Chatbot	Text	Markdown	Proprietary Formats	Additional Export Formats	Browser Extensions
Claude	✓	✓	PDF, DOCX, XLSX, CSV, HTML, ODT, RTF, EPUB	JSON	Claude AI, Claude Export (browser script)
ChatGPT	✓	✓	PDF, DOCX, XLSX	HTML, PNG, LaTeX, Code Snippets, JSON, ASCII art	ChatGPT for Google
Google Gemini	✓	✓	PDF, DOCX, XLSX, Google Docs/Sheets/Slides	CSV, Export to Google Docs, Gmail drafts, Google Sheets (tables), Google Colab (Python code), Replit (various coding languages)	Gemini AI Sidebar
Meta AI	✓	–	PDF, JPG, JPEG, PNG, WEBP	GIF	N/A
Microsoft Copilot	✓	✓	DOCX, PPTX, XLSX	Export via solutions (managed/unmanaged)	Copilot for Microsoft 365
Perplexity	✓	✓	PDF	–	Perplexity AI, Save my Chatbot
You.com	✓	–	–	–	YouChat AI Chatbot

There are various websites that can ease your transition. If you rely on markdown as a way to keep formatting, you can use the Free Markdown to HTML Converter. I keep a browser tab open to this conversion website. It’s free, and provides a markdown syntax cheatsheet. That cheatsheet can be helpful to those who may not be familiar with markdown.

Screenshot by author of Convert Markdown to HTML website at https://markdowntohtml.com

Learning More About Markdown

If you want to learn more about markdown, take a few moments to study the Markdown Syntax Cheatsheet. Want more information? Learn more about markdown via the Markdown Tutorial website.

You can avoid learning all the intricacies of markdown through the use of browser extensions. Let’s take a look at a few that make your life easier.

Browser Extensions

Several great browser extensions appear below. They facilitate getting information in usable format into and out of formats chatbots and people can use. In time, these browser extensions may become unnnecessary. For now, though, they can ease some of the pain of transition between IMPORT->PROCESS->EXPORT steps.

Here are my top three picks for converters that I use daily:

Tool #1: Copy Selection as Markdown

On a website and want to grab a portion of the webpage with its format intact? Use one of these popular “copy selection as markdown” browser extensions. Once installed, you can highlight text on any website. Then, right-click it and choose “copy selection as markdown.” This will make a copy in your device’s clipboard. You can then paste that markdown text with its formatting intact into your AI chatbot of choice.

Here are a few great browser extensions for Chrome/Chromium browsers:

Using Firefox? You might find one of these options worthwhile.

What are some ways to use this?

Copy text from a website when I want to analyze its veracity (fake news?)
Grab selection to rework content I’ve written, or
Select text as markdown with the intent of using AI to offers suggestions or feedback to colleagues.

Give it a try. It makes converting content from websites into markdown easy.

Tool #2: Convert Google Docs to Markdown

As an avid Google Docs user, I often have complex Google Docs with headings and formatted text. There are times I want to drop a formatted document. I could export it as a DOCx or RTF, but I often like to copy-n-paste from one document to another. Saving files to my device can get tedious. To avoid that, I convert Google Docs in my browser using a Google Doc extension.

There are several “convert Docs to markdown” extensions in the Google Marketplace. One that I have relied on consistently is Bean Road Communications’ Docs to Markdown.

Tool #3: Convert WebP to JPG or PNG

Try to save a picture from ChatGPT, you will get a WebP formatted image. This can be a pain if you don’t have an image converter installed on your device. A workaround? Use one of the following browser conversion tools. You can right-click on an image, and save that WebP as a JPG or PNG image. That’s important because the JPG/PNG image formats are more widely accepted. At least, accepted by various programs that haven’t made the switch to WebP yet.

The first two browser extensions convert from WebP to PNG and JPG, respectively. The third converts from PNG/JPG to WebP.

Screenshot by author of ChatGPT author-prompted image, candles floating in a river — Screenshot by author of ChatGPT author-prompted image

AI Chatbot File Compatibility

Want to use AI chatbots well? You simply need to know two things. First, learn what file types each bot can read and make. This helps you get your work in and out. Second, use browser-based converters or add-ons to change file types fast. This keeps your text looking good. Do these two things and you’ll get more from AI bots. It works for school, work, or fun. Let me know what you use in the comments below.

October 18, 2024 0 comment

Converting PDFs/Images to Digital Worksheets

by Miguel Guhlin October 13, 2020

written by Miguel Guhlin

“I need help! PDFs! Parents are frustrated with how we have kids submit assignments,” says Sammie. She left her PDF lament in a popular Facebook group for Schoology. If there’s a question that reoccurs often in any forum, it’s how do I edit PDFs? How should I be converting PDFs into easy-to-edit documents that students can use? This includes exit tickets, assignments, digital homework, printables, quizzes, and more.

That’s the million-dollar question for educators. They are struggling to convert paper worksheets into digital learning opportunities. In this blog entry, we’ll explore a few ways educators are getting the job done.

Step #1: Digitizing Content with an App

Need to digitize that worksheet? In previous blog entries, we’ve covered some quick tools you can use to digitize content. How do you digitize that paper worksheet in your manila folder? One easy solution is to convert documents to PDF. Use Microsoft’s Office Lens app on iOS and/or Android. You can snap a picture and convert it into a PDF you can put anywhere.

edit easy

Photo Credit: Windows Community

Need another choice? Give my favorite app, Fast Scanner, a try for free,or get the pro version ($4.99). This app makes saving black and white, color, and greyscale images/PDFs to Google Drive easy.

edit easy

Now, remember that there are many websites online that share worksheets in PDF. For example, GreatSchools offers worksheets for all ages. Other sources of worksheets include:

And let’s not forget Seesaw’s Activity Library. With a free Seesaw account, you’ll be able to take advantage of the Activity Library they offer. What’s more, with a SeeSaw Plus or for Schools account, students can edit and annotate those PDFs and turn them in.

Did You Know?

Get up to speed with all that SeeSaw offers via the TCEA SeeSaw Educator self-paced, online course. Learn more online.

Step #2: Converting PDFs to an Easy-to-Edit Document

Making PDFs into an online form boggles the mind. How do you take images and PDFs and then turn them into something students can type on or draw on? And, is it possible to track assignment completion on a PDF or image? The answer is, “Yes, but it depends on the tools you decide to use.” Each of these tools has its own advantages and disadvantages.

You can use a popular PDF to JPG/PNG website (e.g. PDFCandy, PDF2PNG, ILovePDF, SmallPDF.com). Each of these websites makes conversion a breeze. If you need to install a PDF tool on your Windows computer to split PDFs, get PDFsam Basic. It makes splitting, joining, adding, and deleting pages in a PDF easy.

edit easy

But what do you do afterwards? It all depends on what you need students to do and where. Let’s explore what’s available.

Step #3: Convert PDF/Image into Learning Activity

Let’s take a quick look at the tools available, from free to more expensive:

Google Slides (read blogs and view videos)
Microsoft PowerPoint/OneNote
Teacher Made
KAMI (listen to this Ed Tech Club podcast featuring KAMI)
Wizer.me (watch this video, “Making Worksheets Interactive”)
Canvas LMS (read related blog entries)

My favorite tool is the one that does the most and costs the least. For web-based users, free Google Slides/Microsoft PowerPoint, or OneNote work great. Need scoring? You will need a tool like TeacherMade.

How To: Google Slides/PowerPoint/OneNote

Import a PDF into Google Slides and/or PowerPoint. Set it as the background, then add text boxes on top. Assign it to students to complete. OneNote users also have it easy.

Other tools, although they offer a trial or lite version, like Wizer.me ($35.99 a year) and KAMI ($99 year), cost money. My least favorite tool is the PDF tool built into Canvas because it is quite limited. Erin Hartman does a great job exploring it in this blog entry, “Edit PDFs in Canvas Assignments.”

edit easy

Note: Only a portion of the chart is shown.

The above comparison chart may assist you in deciding which is the right tool for you. I’ve made the chart easy to edit if it needs correction or additions. What do you think will be your go-to tools?

New Tool Spotlight: TeacherMade

Since I hadn’t seen Teacher Made before, I thought I’d do a quick walkthrough. I was able to create my free account with my G Suite EDU login credentials. Two seconds later, I was working on creating my single page worksheet. (Of course, TeacherMade supports PDFs up to 12 pages long). Since I didn’t have one handy, I saved one from the Great Schools website mentioned earlier.

edit easy

For fun, I decided to turn this into a matching activity rather than a circle one. I inserted color blocks to cover the words and turned the line border to transparent. Then I set up matching pairs, drawing boxes and then linking the two matching items. It was easy. Finally, I revised the instructions.

edit easy

You can see a worksheet preview here:

Once you have customized the worksheet for students, you can assign it to them, as you can see below:

edit easy

Start your journey of TeacherMade.com discovery with Kimberly Jacquay’s video series:

Lean into TeacherMade with these two follow-up videos:

And don’t forget that TeacherMade is free.

Now You Know

Get started soon transforming paper worksheets into digital learning opportunities. Use tools like PDFCandy to convert anything into a PDF or JPG/PNG. Or, get a PDF worksheet from a free online source. Then, make it interactive and scorable with an available tool.

October 13, 2020 0 comment

Web 2.0 Tool

Quick, Free PDF Converter

by Lori Gracey March 5, 2019

written by Lori Gracey

I often find useful PDF files out on the web that I want to use part of in a presentation or workshop, giving full credit to the author, of course. But since I don’t have the full Adobe Acrobat on my computer, it’s been very difficult to take just the piece I want. Until today, that is.

The Tool

EasyPDF.com is an all-in-one online tool that offers all types of PDF conversion to other formats and vice-versa. OCR conversion of scanned images is supported as well. Using this tool will make your PDF management easy.

EasyPDF has these fabulous features that are rare in a free tool:

Totally anonymous tool with no registration process or email required
No ads
No limitations on how many files you can convert or how large the files can be
100% FREE
Fast, reliable, and secure (converted files are deleted after six hours)
Access via a web browser on any device: Windows, Mac, Linux, or mobile
Import files directly from your Google Drive or Dropbox

Educational Uses

Since no registration or email is required, this is a good PDF converter for students to use. And because it’s so simple, even kids in elementary grades can learn to use it. The fact that it converts to and from a very wide variety of formats will also help students to see the many ways data/content can be saved for others to access, which is another plus. Try it!

March 5, 2019 2 comments

Microsoft Tips and Tricks Technical Support

Top Five PDF Annotation Tools on Windows 10

by Miguel Guhlin May 4, 2018

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.

Get infographic as a Google Slides template you can use

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 tools When 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:

Merge PDFs (NEW!)
Organize pages: insert, delete, reorder, and rotate pages (NEW!)
Access PDFs on Google Drive
Online collaboration
Secure: your files never leave your computer
Print directly from your browser
Multiple view modes and flexible zoom
More annotation options
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 tools The 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.

May 4, 2018 0 comment

Content Areas Good Teaching Google Tips and Tricks

Creating gBooks, er, eBooks Just Got Easier

by Miguel Guhlin April 16, 2018

written by Miguel Guhlin

Creating ebooks just got easier with the addition of new tools. If you haven’t kept up to date, you’ll want to read this blog entry. We will demystify key elements such as locating ebooks, ebook formats, converting eBooks, three fun approaches to creating ebooks, and copyright-friendly media. Ready to get started? If so, let’s begin!

1- Locating eBooks

Below, you will find some sites I have used in the past to find non-DRM (Digital Rights Management)-formatted ePubs. Finding non-Digital Rights Management (a.k.a. non-DRM) books can be a challenge for schools. This may be why OverDrive is heavily used in many libraries, and solutions like BiblioTech are quite popular.

Best Free Children’s eBook Sources (100)
Baen Free Library of Science Fiction
Project Gutenberg
Kindle Free Books
Open Library
Oz Stories
Smashwords
Waterstones

As in any library or book store, there exists content that may be inappropriate for younger readers. Have learning conversations with students and parents when counseling that they “find free stuff” to read on the web. With that caveat in mind, I have tried to link to the Children’s/Juvenile section of each ebook distributor below.

Did You Know? You can get free audio versions of traditional books via LibriVox. Why not use a QR Code to link directly to a story’s audio version? Or have students make their own!

2- eBook Formats

eBooks come in a wide variety of formats. Let’s review them, shall we?

ePub

ebooks EPUB is an ebook file format with the extension .epub that can be downloaded and read on devices like smartphones, tablets, computers, or e-readers. It is a technical standard published by the International Digital Publishing Forum. Wikipedia

It is the standard format for these book publishers/sellers:

Amazon Kindle Fire (not previous versions of Kindle, though)
Apple iBooks
Barnes and Noble
Kobo

It is easy to make ePub-formatted documents. In fact, many word processors like Google Docs, Microsoft Word, and OpenOffice/LibreOffice support the export of documents to ePub format. Read about how Jonathan Moeller, one of my favorite authors, uses Sigil (a free cross-platform tool) to create/edit his ebooks.

ePubs come in two formats:

Standard (without media like sound/videos) (text/images are included)
Multimedia ebooks which feature sound/videos/text/images

Some eBook readers that work well with this format include Aldiko, Lithium, iBooks, Google Play Books, Freda, and Kindle. Some web-based tools include Readium or ePub Reader for the Chrome browser, and ePUBReader for Mozilla Firefox browser.

Mobi

ebooks MOBI is an e-book file format with the extension .mobi that can be downloaded and read on devices that support the Amazon Kindle app. The format, customized by Amazon, is often used by Amazon’s ebooks and on little else. There are various programs for making a .mobi ebook file and Amazon provides some tools you can take advantage of. “You can upload and convert your eBook manuscript file from several supported formats. Before you publish, browse the topics below to learn more.” Learn more at this link.

Some ebook readers that work well with Mobi format include Aldiko, Lithium, iBooks, Google Play Books, Freda, and, of course, Kindle.

PDF

PDF is not an ebook format. Rather, it is a format that seeks to capture the printed version of a document, capturing the look-and-feel of the printed item as if it had appeared on the author’s printer. A large percentage of documents presented as ebooks appear as Adobe Portable Document Formats (PDFs).

The reason PDF is not an ebook format is that it was never designed to appear in eReaders or reshape itself into a format viewable in such a device. It CAN be viewed on most modern devices, however.

Considering what version to publish ebooks to? The best answer is that ePub is the best format to create ebooks in. You can convert most documents into the ePub format and it will work on almost all devices using an eReader piece of software.

3 – Converting eBooks from One Format to Another

ebooks Need to convert ebooks from one format to another? Use Calibre, the free, open source software that works on any computer (not Chromebooks, though). Here’s how it’s described:

Using Calibre to convert is very easy.

Plug in your ebook reader.
Open Calibre and click the “Add books” button on the top left. Select your book.
Click open. Select your book in the library list. By now, Calibe should have detected your ebook reader.
Click “Send to device” from the middle of the top toolbar.
Calibre is smart enough to know if the book is in a format supported by your reader. If it’s not, it will ask you if you want to auto convert it. Say yes, and it will take care of the conversion and put the book on your reader.

Calibre worries about the formats and converting for you. Auto conversion is the easiest way to go and, in most cases, will be all you need to do. Here is a short video explaining how to use Calibre:

4- Creating eBooks: Fun Approaches

There are several approaches you can take to create ebooks in your classroom. Let’s explore a few, as well as learn about a new one from Apple that just became available.

See some eBooks made in Book Creator via Pinterest

Approach #1 – Book Creator

If you haven’t used Book Creator, it is an excellent, collaborative ($) ePub creation tool boasting over 15 million ebooks. It works on Chromebooks, iOS, Android, and Windows devices. Book Creator allows you to create a simple ePub without media or an enhanced ePub with video, audio, and more embedded. Read their blog for TONS of ideas.

This versatility means you can create content on an iPad/iOS device and share it with a wide variety of audiences. You can also share it to cloud storage (e.g. Dropbox, iCloud, Google Drive, or iCloud). It also supports the creation of digital comic books, something your students will love. That’s amazing!

Check out my ebook on App-Smashing, created with Book Creator.

Approach #2 – Google Docs to ePub

EPUB is the most widely-supported file format for publishing accessible documents and digital books, allowing people to consume long-form content in their preferred apps on a diverse range of screen sizes and devices, including smartphones, tablets, and ereaders.

To make it easier for authors, publishers, and academic institutions to create works that can be consumed digitally, today we’re launching the ability to export Google Docs files as EPUB publications. Simply go to the File menu > Download as > EPUB Publication (.epub). (Source)

Here are two ebooks created in Google Docs using the ePub export.

Protect Your Digital Privacy
Safeguarding Sensitive Data

What documents could you take and export to ePub format to make them easier to read on mobile devices?

Approach #3 – Google Slides to PDF

Get a copy of a long PDF ebook

Use Google Slides as a collaborative ebook development tool. Ready to get started? Follow these four easy steps outlined in this TCEA blog entry, Google Slides Ebook Creation in Four Quick, Easy Steps:

Customize the slides
Add content
Download as a PDF (or publish online as a Google Slides)
Share the ebook

Here’s another guide to ebook creation from Texas’ Kasey “Shake Up Learning” Bell.

Use one of the many available ebook templates available in PowerPoint to create your own Google Slides ebook.

Tips for PDF eBook Creators

Here are some tips from two ebook authors, Erfili Davis and Jennifer Gonzales. Check out Erifili Davis’ blog entry on the topic of ebooks with Google Slides. She’s created some great video tutorials and a free template packet (click link to make a copy) you can start with. Read Erifili’s six tips to help you (or your class) create your first ebook using Google Apps for Education. As she points out, “These techniques are just as useful to anyone looking to self-publish an ebook, including general users of the free Google Drive and Google Apps for Work users.”

“With Google Slides, students can create a simple ebook that includes text, photos, videos, and links,” says Diana Benner in this TCEA TechNotes blog entry. “They can even create or select themes, templates, and layouts for their book. Once created, the ebooks can be shared with other students, both locally and around the world, for feedback.” Find more ideas online at this blog entry to find out about more ideas.

Apple Announces ePub Export Function

“The update to Pages brings some of the features of Apple’s book creation app for the Mac ‘iBooks Author’ to the iPad for the first time,” states the Book Creator blog entry. Apple’s Spring 2018 Education event made this news public. “With Pages, you can export your documents in EPUB format so they can be read using iBooks on your iPhone, iPad, iPod touch, Mac, or with other third-party EPUB readers,” says the Apple website where you can read up on the process.

Make Computer Voice Narrated Audiobooks (Updated: 7/28/2019)

Wish you could turn student-created ePub files into narrated audiobooks? Or, make any ePub into an audiobook? You can on your Windows 10 computer. Take advantage of the Freda ebook reader’s built-in audio reader. First, save your Google Doc file as an ePub file on your computer. Then, open the file using Freda ebook reader. Once the file is open, have Freda read the file to you.

When you first ask Freda to read an ebook to you, you will see the following…you’ll want to choose READ ALOUD:

You can choose several voices (Microsoft David, Zira, or Mark) when having Freda read the ebook to you, as shown below:

Try out the different voices to see which you prefer.

The next question to consider is, How to record Freda reading the ebook to you? To accomplish that, you’ll need to get the free, open source audio editor, Audacity. Once you have it installed on your Windows 10 computer, you will need to adjust some of its settings. You’ll need to set the preferences as shown below:

Make sure to change the Recording settings to ENABLE “Sound Activated Recording.” That way, you can turn on Audacity, have it record once you turn on Freda to read aloud.

This will allow you to record audio from your Windows 10 computer as Freda ebook reader reads the book aloud to you. Here’s what that looks like:

Listen to Microsoft David read About Carroll.

Ready to Begin?

“Student-centered products enable learners to showcase their new knowledge and skills in relation to a particular topic in an infinite variety of ways,” write the authors of Digital Media in Today’s Classrooms. Charge your students with tasks that require creativity, analysis, and application. Get started now!

April 16, 2018 0 comment