Get the sparkling wine ready because we are going to be celebrating by the end of this post.

That’s how confident I am that you are going to absolutely love how easy and revolutionary this technology tool is to use.

In fact, you better put that bottle on ice because you are going to have content ready to go for this next week of distance learning in no time. 

I bet you have some killer learning resources that you like to use with your students, but you are struggling to find ways to integrate them with distance learning. Translating them onto digital platforms can be such a challenge, not to mention can take away countless hours of your time.

I hear you on Instagram and on Facebook. I am right there with you. You’re thinking:

“I am exhausted. This is so much more work. I wish I was back in the classroom with my kiddos and where I knew how to do what I do best.”

How can you fix it?

Well, what if I told you that there was an app that could help save you time, effort, and energy by converting your content into digital learning tools right now?

No screen shots, or no editing master slides. Just upload, select the pages you want, save and assign in Google Classroom. DONE!

Ready to pop that cork? Well, let’s wait till we have this extension installed and your first assignment posted in classroom before we hit the bottle. 

There is such an app that can do all that I promised, and it will make your next month or two of distance learning a breeze.

So what is it? It’s called Kami and she’s your new best friend.

What is Kami?

Kami is a Google Chrome extension that allows you to annotate in a variety of ways on any pdf document.

There are two versions, a free and a paid version, but due to school closures, KAMI is offering a premium trial extension for the next sixty days. You heard that right. You can implement this tool now and make your last few weeks of school THAT. MUCH. EASIER.

How does it work?

Kami has a number of training documents and videos online, so I am going to let them cover those details, but I am going to help you get it installed on your computer, walk you through creating your first assignment, and then point you in the right direction to get your students all set up and ready to go for Monday. 

Getting the app:

It’s so easy – ready? Go to the Google Web Store by clicking here and get the Kami app extension for Google. Click ADD TO CHROME to get the extension on your Google Chrome browser.

Using the APP:

A small icon has now been added to the right of your address bar. Click it. Go ahead. It won’t bite.

Now you can select where to upload a file from. Don’t worry if this file is a LARGE PDF with many pages. You can easily slice it, dice it, and serve it up hot or cold with only the pages you want to assign for that day, week, or period. 

Find your perfect assignment, it’s there either in drive or lurking somewhere on your computer. Is it a science notebook page? Perhaps it’s a passage from a book? You decide!

On the far right there are three lines. Select them, all three of them huddled up together, and choose the first selection from the drop down menu: Split and merge (we are about to play Dr. Frankenstein with that assignment). We are going to take only the pages we want to make an assignment for the week. Can I get an AMEN? 

Seriously, is one of the app creators married to a teacher? Dating a teacher? Clearly someone’s mom is a teacher. This feature right here is epic!

Drag the pages you want down below to create a document for the week. Save it to GOOGLE DRIVE. We are going to fetch that later.

Next, dance yourself over to Google Classroom. Add a shimmy and a shake cause we are excited!

Now, click create an assignment. Look at that, there is an option to create a KAMI assignment. Fanflippingtastic!

Finally, create your assignment in Google Classroom. Click the paper clip and add the file you made in Kami and that you saved to GOOGLE DRIVE. Told you we would fetch it later.

Be sure to click MAKE A COPY FOR EACH STUDENT. You can have students collaborate, but this post does not cover that. That’s a lesson for another day. Add all those delicious directions for at least one of your students to read.

When you post an assignment, you have the option to include the directions for getting your students to install the Kami Chrome extension. Do this! The directions are SO easy. They walk your students through each step for getting the chrome extension themselves. Thank you KAMI creators!

Now, look at what your students can do:

There you go! Kami is a brilliant technology tool that will make distance learning and providing digital tools and content to your students a breeze.

Let’s get that sparkling wine flowing now! As you raise your glasses to the creators of Kami and all the extra time you will have this weekend, don’t forget to share your thoughts.

Do you agree that Kami is the one technology tool that will save your life during distance learning?

Drop your thoughts in the comments below or head on over to Instagram to join the conversation.

Cheers!