However, don't fret because all hope isn't lost! I've recently stumbled upon an amazing tool that may be able to cut down on the number of embarassing losses you'll face each week at the photocopier - Office Lens. What Is It?Office Lens - or as of yesterday is called Microsoft Lens - is a free scanning tool that utilizes the camera on your mobile device to scan images. Users can capture these photo's using the whiteboard, document, business card or photo settings - which convert the photo to fit the individual needs of the user. Once the photo has been taken, Office Lens also provides users with various options to edit their image - including cropping, rotating, drawing, annotating, and filters. While these features are great, I believe the crowning achievement of Office Lens is what it does with the images when you are ready to export them. Since this is a Microsoft product, it connects with all other Microsoft applications which means it can convert your image to a PDF, send it to Microsoft Word, PowerPoint or right into a Classroom OneNote. These scanned images can also be shared to email or Outlook, Office 365, or as I've recently discovered, Immersive Reader. Benefits of the Tool
More Benefits!
Weaknesses of Tool
Potential for Content CreationWhen thinking about traditional content creation, this tool wouldn't fit the same mould as something like Explain Everything or even Quizizz. However, educators could use Office Lens to scan documents or specific images and upload them directly into the Classroom Notebook as part of a lesson. For me, this is the strongest attribute of this app and something I see myself using quite frequently within my classroom. However, I do understand that this may not be the same for others as my 1:1 classroom environment isn't something that everyone has. In the end, even if it is just used for a student to submit their work, it could still be a useful assessment tool for teachers and students.
Has anyone else had experience using Office Lens? If so, what have your experiences been like? Are there other ways than the ones that I've mentioned that you have used this tool for, or could see it being used? Thanks! Matt
5 Comments
I like how this tool works with both iOS and Android, and is compatible for Microsoft Office. I do like how you outlined that one of the negatives behind this product is that it doesn't work with Google products, which is definitely a downfall for me as that is what our school board uses. I do like how you included an example that you made and it was easy to follow along.
Reply
2/7/2021 02:22:26 pm
Thanks for reminding me about Office Lens, Matt! This is a super handy tool. One of my colleagues introduced me to it when we were at a PD session in Saskatoon last year (in the Before COVID times). It is great for taking pictures of presenter slides because it automatically adjusts the lighting and also the angle so that it appears straight on, even if you were taking the picture at an angle. I love the easy export options too!
Reply
2/7/2021 04:28:03 pm
Thanks for sharing this new tool, Matt! I have never heard of it and in fact, I am a bit overwhelmed with everything Microsoft Office offers (of course not in a negative way, I just need to take the time and learn each feature). I will have to check into this on my personal computer though because I also don't have access.
Reply
Jennifer Owens
2/7/2021 07:06:07 pm
Thanks for the great post, Matt! I'll say, I've been a fan of Office Lens for a while...mostly, as you mentioned, due to the convenience. I definitely enjoy have the scanner on my phone that connects directly to my OneDrive, and even better, a shared OneNote with a student. It allowed for very easy adaptations without having to leave class. Definitely helpful on those days when I simply forgot to scan something before class started.
Reply
Michael Wolf
2/8/2021 10:06:10 am
Thanks for breaking this down. I've used this tool previously in a very limited way. I may need to install it again and explore it. I'm pretty paperless as it is, but I think even being able to share this tool with some of my more paper-dependent colleagues would be a good idea. I think our Math department uses this app quite a bit.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |