Interactive PDFs with Deck.Toys

If you are a teacher looking to convert your worksheets into interactive PDFs, Deck.Toys is your answer – plus a whole lot more!

What is an Interactive PDF?

FIrstly, what is a PDF? It is a ‘Portable Document Format’ which allows documents to be presented and exchanged reliably regardless of software, hardware or operating system. In an educational setting, PDFs are used predominantly for reading and printing out worksheets. 

Secondly, what does it mean by being interactive? According to Oxford Languages, it means ‘allowing a two-way flow of information between a computer and a computer-user; responding to a user’s input’. 

Thus in an interactive PDF, users would be able to input data into the PDF and get a response out of the inputs. 

How does it work in Deck.Toys?

Making an interactive PDF is really easy with Deck.Toys. All you have to do is drag-and-drop your PDF into the Map or the Deck Editor. Deck.Toys will automagically convert it into a Deck.Toys Slide Activity. 

Once in this format, you can then add interactive Slide Apps into the slides, where you can get responses from your students. 

Watch the tutorial video here:

Another amazing use of Deck.Toys for interactive PDFs is the real-time tracking on the students’ progress! You can follow exactly where each individual student is on your screen while they are in the Deck.Toys Classroom. You can then identify students that need help instantaneously and give them immediate feedback. No more waiting for submissions to do your grading!

Interactive Slide Apps

There is a mind-boggling array of Slide Apps to choose from in Deck.Toys to make your PDFs interactive. Here’s how it looks like when you click on the Slide Apps Menu:

Response

Response Slide Apps are the quickest and most intuitive form of interactive inputs. 

Text is used for the student to type in an answer of up to 500 characters and works well for a fill-in-the-blank input.

Draw is used for the student to sketch out an answer. 

Placemarker works when the question requires the student to identify the answer on an embedded image by placing a placemarker on it. 

Quick Poll allows the students to vote with a thumbs up/down, tick/cross or a 5-star ranking.

Photo prompts students to activate their device camera to take a picture. 

Upload enables students to upload an existing image from their device or a screen snip. 

Voice allows students to record and submit up to 20 seconds of voice recording.

Supercharge

Supercharge Slide Apps are amazing interactive inputs that you can explore to increase student engagement multiple-fold.

Treasure Key App allows you to create an aura of exploration within your lesson as students are required to collect Treasure Keys with matching Key IDs to unlock the Treasure.

Lock App comes in Text, Number, QR Code, Voice and Direction locks. This popular app turns your slides into a breakout challenge for more thrill and excitement in solving questions.

Checkpoint App allows you to approve or reject a request from the student to move on to the next activity. 

Gauntlet App allows the fastest students to finger-snap half the class to lose half their points in the Deck.Toys Classroom. 

MCQ is a flexible Multiple-Choice Question app that you can add to your Slide in addition to the default Slide’s question and answer choice.

Drag n Drop allows you to configure drag and drop answers into a question or image field. Jigsaw turns the slide image you uploaded into a jigsaw puzzle that students need to solve before being revealed.

Tools

Tools Slide Apps are handy apps that add interesting elements to your PDFs, including uploading your own voice to the PDF.

Randomizer is used to select a random student to respond in the classroom.

Buzzer helps to capture the student’s attention during the lesson by requiring them to respond unexpectedly for point-scoring.

Timer works like a physical stopwatch to keep track of the timing for a particular challenge that you need the student to complete.

Web Link is used when you would like to embed external links to the slide. Once the student has completed viewing the links, the student has to mark it as complete to notify you that material in the external source has been read.

Label is useful for you to add points of interest on a Slide Image. For example, labeling the different body parts of the human body.

Audio Clip allows you to upload up to 30 seconds of your own voice recording onto the Slides. Note that this audio clip feature is only available to Pro Plan users.

Mystery Apps

The Mystery Crypt, Mystery Mines and Mystery Piano Slide Apps are great inclusions to your Decks, particularly for escape room activities, and are exclusive to Pro Plan users only. 

Show me an example!

In this deck, you will find a Singapore-syllabus Grade 3 Mathematics worksheet that was originally in PDF and converted into an interactive PDF with many of the Slide Apps demonstrated. Additionally, you will also find super fun study set games placed into the Learning Paths to turn your entire lesson into a Lesson Adventure.

https://deck.toys/decks/mk9HJbXxK/Primary-3-Mathematics

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