A PDF annotation tool for teaching from your own files
Open a worksheet, a past paper or a slide deck exported as PDF, and write on it in front of the class. Your marks stay with the lesson.
PDF annotation is included on every plan, including the free Teacher Basic plan. How large a PDF you can upload depends on the plan; the pricing page shows the current limits.
The problem
You already have the worksheets, past papers and slide decks. As plain PDFs they are hard to write on in front of a class, and anything you add during the lesson is gone when it ends.
Your PDFs, ready to teach from
Open a PDF in ClassKite and teach from it. Write with a pen or calligraphy ink, highlight, draw shapes and arrows, and add text boxes and sticky notes. Scroll through the pages and zoom in on the line you're explaining. Your marks are saved with the lesson, so they are there when you open it again.
How it works
- 1
Upload your PDF
Drag in one or more PDFs, and export slide decks to PDF first. ClassKite shows the PDF's own pages, so there is nothing to reformat.
- 2
Write as you teach
Use the pen, calligraphy ink, highlighter, shapes, text boxes and sticky notes on any page.
- 3
Scroll and zoom
Move through a long document in one scrolling view, and pinch or Ctrl-scroll to zoom in on a diagram.
- 4
Keep the marked-up copy
Your writing stays on the PDF in that class. Download a copy with your writing on it, or bring it with you when you copy the class for next year.
In the classroom
A Year 9 teacher opens last year's photosynthesis worksheet on the board, underlines the key term as the class reads it aloud, sketches the leaf cross-section in the margin, and scrolls to the diagram on page 3, all without printing a page. Next lesson, the annotated copy is where she left it.
An illustrative example of how a lesson can run, not a customer case study.
What you get
Pens, ink and shapes
Pen, calligraphy ink, a smart pen that straightens rough lines, circles and boxes, highlighter, eraser, rectangles, ellipses, arrows, text boxes and sticky notes.
Highlights you can read through
Highlighter marks are see-through, so the text underneath stays readable.
Continuous scroll
Read and write on a multi-page PDF in one scrolling view.
Zoom in and out
Zoom in to model a step, then back out to the whole page.
Saved as you work
Your marks are kept on the device straight away and saved to your account within a few minutes. If the wifi drops, they wait and are sent when it is back.
Made for a stylus
While you write with a stylus, the annotator ignores your resting hand. Drawing with a finger is a setting you can switch on.
Explore more of ClassKite
Frequently asked questions
Can I use my own PDFs?
Yes. Upload the PDFs you already have and teach from them. For slide decks (PowerPoint, Keynote, Google Slides), export them to PDF first. There's nothing to rebuild.
Can I bring in Google Slides without rebuilding the lesson?
Yes, as a PDF: export the deck from Google Slides (File, Download, PDF document) and upload that file. Each slide becomes a page you can write on. There is no direct link to Google Slides, so animations and videos don't come across, and after changing the slides you export and upload the PDF again.
What can I draw with?
Pen, calligraphy ink, a smart pen that straightens shapes, highlighter, eraser, rectangles, ellipses, arrows, text boxes and sticky notes.
Do my annotations save?
Yes. Your marks are kept on your device the moment you write them and saved to your ClassKite account automatically within a few minutes, or straight away when you press Save. If the connection drops, they wait on the device and are sent when it is back. Moving to another device? Press Save first, so the newest marks are on your account.
Does it handle multi-page documents?
Yes. Scroll through every page in one view, and pinch or Ctrl-scroll to zoom in on any detail.
Try ClassKite with your class
Start free as a teacher, or see how it rolls out across a whole school.
Teacher Basic is free, with no payment details needed