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Adobe Acrobat Chrome Extension

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A couple of days ago Adobe announced a big update to the Google Chrome Acrobat Extension. We now have basic editing capabilities for PDF’s. Some of the functionality you’re used to on Acrobat on a PC can now be completed on your Chromebook.

There’s a lot of waffle in the article so we’ll list the key features below but you can read the full article here if you wish.

  • Rotate, delete, or reorder PDF pages
    • You can also merge multiple PDF documents together. Or split a document into smaller documents.
  • Convert from PDF
    • Convert from PDF to a Word, Excel or Powerpoint document, webpage or a JPG.
  • Comments, markups and highlights
  • E-Signatures and Form Fields
    • No more printing, completing by hand then scanning back in.

Some of these features are free which means you can do these on your personal devices, others fall under the college’s Adobe subscription so as long as you sign in with your Barton Peveril account you’ll be able to use them.

If you haven’t got it already, you can add it from the Chrome Web Store. 

This was announced on the Adobe Blog on October 12th.

Screencastify

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Screencastify is the #1 screen recorder for Google Chrome. Capture, edit and share videos in seconds.


Screencastify is a Google Chrome extension that is available from the Chrome web store. It enables you to create screencasts and videos on a Windows, Mac, or Chromebook. In addition to recording your screen, it combines annotation tools, record from your microphone for voice over, and you can record yourself with a picture-in-picture overlay of your webcam. Everything you record is saved to Google Drive so you can easily share the video with students, embed it on a Google Site, or upload to YouTube.

You can use Screencastify to create recorded lessons, tutorials, or giving feedback. It is often quicker and easier to convey how to do something in a video, rather than writing a long list of steps. To see an example of Screencastify in action view my video below.

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Mote

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Mote lets you record a quick comment in Google Docs. It’s tagline is; the faster, friendlier way to comment on docs.

The mote Chrome extension makes it easy to add voice note feedback for students within Google Docs, Google Classroom, Slides and Sheets. You can quickly add a comment in simple terms without having to worry about how it may come across in the written word.

mote’s mission is to make document collaboration faster, friendlier and more powerful.

Online Courses

CourseTime to completeBenefitsWhat you’ll learn
Mote Certified Educator20 minutesBadge and certificateBecome familiar with all of Mote’s features. You just need to get at least 12 out of 15 questions right and there is video help too.

WeVideo

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WeVideo – Make videos on any device, anywhere.

WeVideo is a cloud-based video editor that enables you create pro like videos on any device, including Chromebook, Windows, Mac, and Mobile. Cloud-based storage means there is no software to download and install, with the added flexibility of accessing your projects on any device. Get advanced with features like green screen to take your videos to the next level. Once you’ve finished your video, export in multiple formats and save directly to your Google Drive.

Sign-up

Sign-up and sign-in to WeVideo using your college Google account. This will make it easy to sign-in across all your devices and save your projects on Google Drive.

Let’s get started

To get started, select the type of project you’d like to create:

  • Video – Start a new video project;
  • Recording – Record your screen and webcam;
  • GIF – Create an animated GIF to embed in a presentation, website, or share on social media.

Import media

You can upload video and images directly from your device or add media stored on your Google Drive. After adding your media, simply drag it onto the timeline. WeVideo also includes a huge library of stock media footage.

Add transitions

To add a new transitions, click on the Transitions tab and drag the transition onto the timeline. Preview each transition by hovering your mouse over it and clicking Play.

Add audio

Add music and sound effects to your video. Browse the audio available in WeVideo or upload your own.

Add animated text

Use text for a title screen, credits, or label elements in your video project. Go to the text tab and then drag the text element onto the timeline. Afterwards, double click the text on the timeline to edit it.

Export and share your video

Exporting your video to share with the world is quick and easy. Press the finish button, name your project, select the appropriate resolution and press export. You can even ask WeVideo to save the export straight to your Google Drive.

WeVideo Academy

To learn more about WeVideo and discover how to creatively use video creation projects in the classroom go and explore the training available at the WeVideo Acadmey.

Forest

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Want to stop yourself checking your phone every 5 minutes? You need to try Forest.


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Chromecast

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We have been investigating the use of classroom technology that might help reduce the dependency on Windows PCs. We also wanted to utilise Chromebooks better and enable teachers to wirelessly present to the classroom projector or screen. We wondered whether we could adapt a standard, consumer Chromecast device for use in the classroom. After some trial and error, we eventually found a good way of connecting Chromecasts to the College network in a secure and easily accessible way.

This screencasting service will allow:

  • Wireless connection to the screen – no need to fiddle with cables;
  • Casting from Chromebooks, tablets, and phones;
  • Cast just one Chrome tab or your entire screen.

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Getting the most from Google Chrome

There’s a stunningly simple thing you can do with Google Chrome that can solve headaches and annoyances related to logging in to various google services, or not being able to see the printerpool printers.

If you’ve not already discovered, you are able to log into chrome itself with your google account. Once you’ve done this, everything that happens inside of chrome is done in the context of your user account. In short, this ensures that you get a consistent experience within chrome whether you’re using it at college, at home, on a chromebook, or on your phone or tablet.

All of our institutional plugins for chrome are automatically installed once you log in with your username / password; as well as the ability to print to college printers – to run that by you again, if you log into chrome on your phone, you can send work to print out from home, and simply walk up to a printer to release it the next morning.

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