Kami for Google Chrome

Annotations and Workflow 

@LisaBerghoff/@MrKimDHS

Let's all keep our fingers crossed that the days of languishing on Zoom or Meet are soon to be over. But even when things get back to "normal" there will always been ways to leverage our 1:1 Chromebook program and our students' rising familiarity with technology. So let's check out Kami, a digital tool that allows for user interaction with Google Drive products like Slides and Docs as well as staples like PDFs and Powerpoints.

Kami allows users to do more than just view the digital work given to them. Instead of just being able to read a PDF of a chapter reading, with Kami, students can freely annotate the PDF via highlighters, text boxes, drawings, and even. Video/Audio recordings. Now while I'm not saying digital notes should ever really fully replace hand-written notes, this can be a pretty vital and helpful tool for students who prefer to live on QWERTY.

Getting Started

First, click here to access and install Kami as an extension on Chrome. After signing up through your District 113 Google account, access your documents through their options menu:

If you live on Google Drive like me, you'll probably be accessing their Drive option most of the time. Once you open a Doc or Slides, you can use the different interactive tools to begin modifying your work. 

PDF Split and Merge

Built into the Kami UI, you can even do simple splits and merges with PDFs (other files like docs and slides can also be converted).

Sharing Your Work

True to Google fashion, you can easily share your notes and work with others and collaborate in real time:

Free to Play

While the upgraded, paid version unlocks some useful features like adding media or a Schoology LTI integration, the free version has plenty of utility as an extension for you and your students! Have you been using Kami already? Feel free to tell us how you're using it successfully below!