Monday, May 5, 2014

Technology in the Classroom: CamScanner


Camscanner is a secure application that you can download for your tablet or smartphone that allows you to create PDF or JPEG files in an easy way in which you only have to take a picture of the document and will extract the text from the document and enhances to image to be made into a PDF or JPEG that is easy to share and print. From the app you are able to share the file straight to an email or other social networking sites. The documents can also be stored on the app so you are able to organize the files and the app also has a quick search which makes looking for documents even easier. It is as easy as taking a picture and takes the hassle out of using a scanner, all you have to do is take a picture of the document and Camscanner does most of the work. The application is free, but if wanting to store large quantities of documents, there is a charge of $4.99 a month or $49.99 a year. However, educators and students get a free upgrade from Camscanner, so there is no cost for the teacher to use the app, only the price of his or her smartphone or tablet.
The application is really beneficial, especially to teachers. It is a way of organizing papers as well as other documents. The scanned documents are easy to share and can be uploaded to programs such as Dropbox and Evernote. You as well as anyone you share the document with are able to annotate the document and the version of the annotated document is saved. It is convenient for teachers because it is a great organization tool for worksheets, handouts, and other documents. It is compatible with other applications and programs that teachers use so that the Camscanned documents can be easily uploaded and worked on with other programs like Evernote and Google Drive. It also helps that it has could integration so teachers can easily document the work which results in prompt times to pass back papers. There are some limitations when it comes to Camscanner. There is only a limited amount of space you can have and faxing images is not free. Also, the quality of the file relies heavily on the quality of the camera that the device has and the watermarks are only created when the file becomes a PDF. But other than that the application is very useful, including in the educational environment.  
The Camscanner application is a quick and easy tool that allows documents to be scanned and organized. It is another tool that will be positive in the classroom and it appeals to teachers because of the free upgraded price for working in the educational field.