Working with 2 PDFs in eBackpack

         

         During our first eLearning day, some students expressed that they had difficulty with some assignment materials in eBackpack.  They had two PDFs with which they were supposed to work.  One PDF was a text they needed to read.  The other PDF was an answer sheet.  Because you can't have more than one PDF on the screen at one time, it was difficult and time consuming for students to switch back and forth, closing one to open another.  One way to fix this problem is for teachers to merge the answer sheet and the text together prior to loading it in eBackpack.  To do this, teachers can go to http://www.pdfmerge.com.  Once the PDFs are merged into one document, that document can be loaded into eBackpack.  Now, students can see a thumbnail version of the document at the bottom of eBackpack and can choose which page to view.
          One of the newer features on iPad is the split screen function.  This function allows users to view items and work in two apps at once.  Not all apps allow this function, so you will have to try it out to see which ones work and which don't.  For example, when working in eBackpack, you can choose to open Notability beside it to work.  However, the reverse isn't true (at least not yet).  When working in Notability, you cannot choose eBackpack as a secondary app in split view.  So, if students want to work in both eBackpack and Notability side by side, they must open eBackpack first.  Then, tap on the right side of the iPad and swipe right to left.  Pull down on the black bar at the top of the screen to choose Notability.  Now students can work in both apps on the same screen.  While in eBackpack, you cannot make the secondary app window bigger.  However, if you are working in other apps such as Pages, Keynote, Safari, etc., you can enlarge the secondary window by clicking on the vertical white line on the dividing line between apps.  Drag the window the size you'd like. Tap on the screen when you are satisfied.  This is another way to help students who need to read a PDF and work on another one.  They can read in Notability and write in eBackpack or vice versa.