Why Stop with Google Workspace for Education and Microsoft Word? Type Math in PDFs Too!

Math teachers have a lot of worksheets that they’ve compiled over the years. Most are probably handouts that they photocopy year-over-year. Some may have been scanned and converted into PDFs, delivered digitally to students for them to print out or handwrite responses to on a separate piece of paper.

But what if I told you the days of faded photocopies and static PDFs with loose paper responses are a thing of the past? That’s right, you can now type math directly within PDFs thanks to the latest integration between EquatIO for Google and OrbitNote.

Here’s how it works

If you have a premium subscription of both Read&Write and EquatIO (or have signed up for Free for Teachers for both products), you’ve already got access to this epic integration.

All you have to do now is open a math worksheet (take this one for example) with OrbitNote. If you’ve never used OrbitNote before, check out this great video.

Watch the video below to see the integration in action:

Benefits for students

From a student’s perspective, this integration can make all the difference in terms of engagement. Students can view math problems and respond to them all from their computers - never having to deal with faded photocopies or separated question and answer sheets ever again.

What’s more, they can use the new EquatIO Screenshot Reader to hear the math problems read aloud and even copy and paste them directly into the equation editor for further engagement and comprehension.

Benefits for teachers

And it’s easier for educators too. Teachers don’t have to mess around with stacks and stacks of papers that get separated or have illegible handwritten responses. Plus, with OrbitNote's integration with Google Classroom, you can share a copy of the worksheet with every student at the click of a button. Then, when students are finished, they can simply turn it in through Classroom with another click. Collecting and grading assignments has never been this easy or efficient.

Looking for more tips on how to use EquatIO and all its features in the classroom? Check out Ben Rouse's pre-recorded webinar series on how to make maths (or math) digital in your classroom. Ben is a renowned educator and technology specialist who now works as a Google for Education trainer with AppsEvents. So, he knows what he's talking about! Access the series right here.