I know that there is a simple answer to these qu

[krollgm]

I know that there is a simple answer to these questions, but I still haven't found it. Let's say that a student emails me with her final paper attached. Now, I open it up in Word 2003 and edit the document using ink.
1) If I wanted to save this edited document to my desktop, does it remain a .doc? Or does it become a different kind of file?
2) When I email the student with the edited file attached, will he be able to read my inked comments if he is using an earlier version of Word? What if the student is standing his ground and using Wordperfect?
3) And I assume that we can't ink on pdf documents without the Adobe software that you have to buy. Maybe not even then?
Thanks for the help,
gary

[rbushway]

1) It remains a word doc.
2) yes
3) Correct, but you can print the PDF to Journal or to the Microsoft Office Document Image writer printer. If you have GoBinder or TabletPlanner, you can print the document there as well.

[JDG]

One thing I have noticed in my medical office is that inked documents do not view properly with those computers that have Word Viewer. You need the Word program. Otherwise the ink is all over the place. A bit of a problem for me, I wish Microsoft would update their Viewer. Also, inked documents do not look as "smooth" on computers with word 2000. The ink looks more jagged, though it is located properly.

Joe Graney, MD

[CamperMan]

Has anyone used the Journal viewer to view Journal documents on non-Tablet computers? That might be a way to annotate documents with ink and share them with non-Tablet users. You could print the original (in whatever format you received it) to the Journal printer, then ink up the document and send the student back the journal file. They could view it in the Journal viewer.

The main problem I see with this scenario, if it works, is that it ties people to Windows to view your comments, since the Journal viewer isn't available on Linux or Mac computers. If you could print to a PDF file that would be a better cross-platform solution (if it worked).

Jim

[szuchman]

The way to benefit from a paperless environment for both faculty and student is to receive the paper as attachment. Print them to Journal. Pull up the Journal file and write annotations as needed. Then choose one of the following:
-- send the Journal file back and ask student to download Journal reader from MS (an unncessary imposition, in my view).
-- preferably, export the Journal file as mhtml. Send that file as attachment over e-mail with instruction to read it using IE (only IE can read such files -- so much for universal html). Student can now view and print the annotated paper.
I've provided feedback on entire dissertation chapters in the second method. Students don't have to take any additional steps -- they're already using IE.
Mark

[Trev]

Whatever format you use, you should make sure you lay it out in the syllabus. That way when students get their papers in whatever form, they know how to read it.

Annotated word documents should handle almost all users and is the most transparent (open word to annotate, open word to view attachments), but some sort of HTML (whether saved in Word or using Journal) will have the most universality. Unfortunately there will be loads of extra steps involved especially if you have to grade like 30 papers.

[sue]

I recently worked with some scanned galleys. I printed to Journal, did my inking, and then printed as a pdf (I have Acrobat). Worked fine; readable in the free Acrobat Reader. I understand you can ink directly in Acrobat but I have not yet explored this.

I am a professor and plan to have my students submit pdfs which I will ink, print the modified file as a new pdf, and send back to the student. Same with galleys. No more briefcase stuffed full of papers and problem sets!

[WNewquay]

Sue, doesn't this require your students to buy Acrobat? $$$

I don't disagree that it would be nice but I think I would have a riot on my hands.

[Trev]

There are free pdf writers. Sue will just have to make sure she finds one for her students. Otherwise, let the riots begin.

[sue]

Hmmm, good point. Given the complaints about textbook costs, this could be a problem. I will check out the free pdf writers - suggestions?

We have course web pages. Do you think we could find a way that a student uploads a paper, clicks a link, and it is converted to pdf?