Mr. L’s Math

Adobe Acrobat Reader is the software of choice for documents that I make available for download at Mr. L’s Math since it’s a universal web standard. What follows is the “quick & dirty” guide to getting the most out of the files available for download at mrlsmath.com.

1. Adobe pdf files look exactly like original documents and preserve text, drawings, and color graphics, regardless of the software I used to create them. This is important since you want materials to look their best. Most of the books that my partner, Brad Fulton, and I write are created in MS Word and it takes quite awhile to get the look we want. Presentation files are either created with MS PowerPoint or Open Office Impress. No matter what the source file is, the pdf file created will look exactly the same at your site.

2. The files are searchable - you can use the Find command on your web browser for full-text search features to locate words in documents. In Internet Explorer or Firefox, the web browsers with the most users, Ctrl-F will bring up a search window. If you saw something and can’t remember where it was, use this search feature. You can also access the Find feature from the Edit command in the toolbar.

3. The files are also accessible - Adobe pdf documents have the ability to help make information accessible to people with disabilities. Since there are many versions of the Reader, I can’t give detailed directions for some items; just take a good look at your screen when viewing a pdf document. The View options give quite a lot of choices. There is the Full Screen View option which is nice for viewing Presentation-type documents; the pdf file will then act much like a PowerPoint presentation. You can also increase/decrease the percentage of zooming of the document to fit your taste or those of other participants.

4. You can select and copy text from a pdf document to create a document of your own. Combined with the Search (Ctrl-F) tool, this is a great way to make a document from online information. You can also Save a Copy of the pdf file for future use or for emailing to a friend as an attachment.

5. And you can print the pdf file, in whole or in part. Most of the files available at Mr. L’s Math are designed with the teacher in mind and have Overhead Transparencies for classroom use. You can print the activity files for reference, and print certain pages for transparencies. If you have a color inkjet, you can print some of these in color as a bonus.

The web and its tools make it easy to copy content, and it’s always a good idea to remind your students about copyright information. Give credit by citing sources, and make use of public domain information whenever possible. I show Wikipedia for encyclopedia content and Wikimedia Commons for images in class as example of great information that is freely available for their use.

If you wish to upgrade your version of Reader, here is the download site: Adobe Acrobat Reader. Adobe maintains a large site with many options - take a look around and enjoy the visit.

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