Student PDF Annotations on Web Browser Version

[danielle_kenned]

Recently, a new feature was added to the Canvas App, which allows students to "mark-up" PDFs directly in Canvas and submit them. This is amazing! However, it s only a feature on the App, and not in the normal web browser version for students with Laptops or Desktops. This is a great feature that Canvas has, and I just wish the students at our school (who all have district-provided laptops) could do it too!

This idea has been developed and deployed to Canvas

For more information, please read through the  Canvas Release Notes (2021-05-15).

[epulham]

Any headway being made on this? This would be amazing!

[wlangley]

I found you can use the Kami app and it will do the same thing  

[epulham]

Tell me more about the Kami app, I've never heard of it before!

[gallagherc]

Yes, I was just trying to figure this out and asked about it from a chat with a Canvas rep and he gave me a way to do it in Canvas (this will take time to teach to students)... but wouldn't it just make life easier if students could just do this without the work around I was quoted below?

Well we don't have a pdf editor directly for Students to edit and then submit, but they can use the DocView to submit a normal pdf and then go to the submission and follow this guide.

https://community.canvaslms.com/docs/DOC-10537-4212710319

So what they would do is take your pdf -> submit that -> then when it says submitted -> click submission details -> click VIEW FEEDBACK -> then they will be able to add annotations like that guide shows.

Otherwise, the students will need to download it and edit the document in Google Docs.

[wlangley]

Check it out here: Kami | Your Digital Classroom Hero 

Essentially, the Kami integration lets you select a google doc for an assignment, makes a copy for each student allows them to type directly onto the pdf, then it sends a copy of the edited doc to you and to the student, but you can also look at it in speed grader  

[mwilliams0814]

The integration of using a pdf markup tool for laptops would be a game-changer!  Not all districts are Google Districts, so the use of Kami does not allow for optimum use of the Canvas LMS.

[LBallard]

Wish they could add this in tool for Chromebooks, laptops, and PC versions. It doesn't seem like my school or district will purchase Kami and trying to teach elementary students all these workarounds could be exhausting. 

[JAuclair]

As an elementary teacher, this is the biggest cause of frustration among students, parents, and teachers alike. Please include a way for teachers to automate the process of forcing a submission of a document (especially pdfs) so that students can have access to annotate in Doc Viewer without needless and confusing steps.

[jburgess]

I am a third grade teacher and it would be so very helpful to have the PDF annotation tool available on the web browser version of Canvas. Our division's students are provided DELL laptops at this time and the steps to have them annotate a PDF through the Doc Viewer are far too complicated for a primary student to follow. Please please please enable this feature on the web browser version of Canvas. 

[Blwarden1]

Hello, 

I am extremely disappointed you archived the discussion (https://community.canvaslms.com/t5/Idea-Conversations/Students-pdf-annotating-tool/idi-p/391499#comm...) that was taking place. It had a higher ranking than the one you linked and now I feel like it is once again put on the back burner of Canvas. This is something that over a thousand teachers are requesting and this post was submitted 3 years ago and nothing has been done. The least you could do is transfer the ranking of the mentioned post to this one so maybe it would jump up on the Canvas priority list.