Some time spent in front of screens brings many benefits, whether it be for educational purposes or to connect with friends and help improve their social skills. Even gaming has been proven to help kids develop decision making skills and can encourage team play. Of course, moderation is the key to healthy computer time.

But there’s also a time and a place for screen time and research shows that it should not be at night.  Around 60% of children in the US use electronic devices in the hour before their bedtime and it’s greatly affecting their sleep.  Let’s find out just how bad it is to let your kids use electronics before they go to sleep.

Less sleep

The amount of sleep a child needs ranges from 8 to 14 hours, depending on their age. Screens at bedtime interrupt this crucial sleep for several reasons. The first is that technology is a distraction. A child can waste hours watching videos and playing games on a device when they should be sleeping.

Another problem is the blue light in the screens of electronic devices. Blue light decreases the production of melatonin which is needed to induce sleep. Scientists have found that children exposed to blue light at bedtime have melatonin levels that are between 70% and 99% lower than they are in a screen-free room.

Increased risk of nightmares

Nightmares are commonly experienced by children. The Sleep Foundation reports that 20% of 6 to 12-year-olds have them and younger children are even more likely to be affected by them. Giving children access to screens before bed could increase the number of nightmares they have. Nightmares are caused by many things, including stress, trauma, and sleep issues. The impact of a bad dream is different for everyone, although a racing heartbeat, being scared, and finding it hard to go back to sleep are usually experienced.

One study found that young children with a television in their bedrooms had more nightmares and sleep terrors than those who didn’t. Further research from Seattle Children’s Research Institute linked late-night TV viewing to an increased risk of nightmares. These studies may have only focused on TVs, but all screens, including smartphones and tablets, should be avoided by kids before bedtime.

Sleep disturbances

Sleep disturbances occur when a child wakes up during the night. Using screens before bed could trigger this, according to researchers. They say that youngsters using devices 1 hour before bed had more sleep disturbances than those that spent this time screen-free. The likelihood of disturbed sleep was even higher in children who used an electronic device in a darkened room. The same study also revealed that screen time at night caused higher rates of anxiety and obesity in children. Both of these conditions can further impact the amount of shuteye that children get.

Optimum sleep environment

So now you know how damaging screen time at night is to your child’s sleep, you must act now to prevent this problem from worsening. First of all, remove all devices from your child’s bedroom, such as televisions and game consoles. Portable devices, like phones and tablets, should be restricted and taken away from your child at least 2 hours before bedtime.

It’s important that your child has the chance to unwind before they go to sleep. A darkened room with comfortable bedding and blacked-out windows are a must. Your child may feel frustrated by the lack of entertainment in their room, so replace it with sleep-inducing items instead, such as books, comics, and magazines.

Sleep is essential for the health and well-being of your children. Make sure your children get a good night’s sleep night after night by restricting screen use at bedtime and setting good habits.

As a parent of school students, you might already be on a tight budget which may not allow you to squeeze in the expense of premium PDF software like Adobe Acrobat. As such, alternatives to Adobe Acrobat can help your kids to get their school work done on PDF files at a much lower cost, and in some cases, as we’ll show you in this post, for free.

PDF files are the most popular choice of document format and they hold an important place in the education system. This choice of digital file allows you to easily share and view documents on any device, thanks to the multi platform compatibility of PDF files.

Thus, getting your hands on a low-price, reliable PDF editor that gives your kids enough flexibility and tools to get their assignments and homework done is essential. Read on to find out more!

Online and Free Adobe PDF Alternatives

Online PDF viewers and editors are great Adobe Reader alternatives, as they don’t require you to download any apps or take up valuable hard drive space on your devices. One such site that school students can take advantage of, not just for editing but doing so much more with PDF files, is FormatPDF.

Using these web-based PDF services is a straightforward process. They come with clean and clear user interfaces with easy-to-access tools for PDF files. For school students, the following tools on such cloud-based sites might be the most helpful when they need to complete their assignments, make notes on their PDF study materials, or just fill out a digital form.

Edit PDF

Whether your school-aged kids want to add some text or insert icons or shapes, an Edit PDF tool will allow them to do it all online. Each editing tool also comes with customization options; for example, the text tool in these editors gives you the option to italicize text or use boldface.

PDF editing tools are a great way to fill in forms or even digital PDF worksheets. By opting for a digital document rather than printing them out, you save not just your wallet from emptying quickly but also the environment. Additionally, PDF files are multi-device compatible, so students can access their edited PDF files on any device and share them easily too.

Repair PDF

Digital files getting corrupted is a bane of school life, whether because of using different computer systems or file issues. If it’s an important PDF file, then its corruption needs to be fixed quickly and easily! But don’t worry. A Repair PDF tool helps students to fix broken documents online from absolutely any device.

Compress PDF

As many students like to have PDF copies of their textbooks, a Compress PDF tool is a really useful one. Unlike physical books, digital books take up memory space on your devices. In particular, smartphones often have limited memory when compared to personal computers, so downloading a PDF textbook with a large file size might affect the performance of your mobile.

Using a Compress PDF tool, students can reduce the hard disk space required by their PDF files and comfortably download them to their iPhones or other smartphones. This will allow students to always have access to their PDF study materials, even when they don’t have access to the internet.

These are just some of the PDF tools that these free, cloud-based services offer. There are many other tools available, including PDF converters that enable students to transform their documents into other formats, such as Microsoft Word files. All you need to do is upload the PDF file to a site, use the tool you need, and download the resulting modified document!

How to Edit PDFs in Microsoft Word for Students

Did you know that the word processing app on your children’s desktop or laptop can also be used to edit a PDF? If you didn’t, then now you do!

However, there is one drawback to using a word processor such as Microsoft Word to edit PDF files. When you open a PDF file as a Word document, you might notice that it sometimes looks all wrong. The text overlaps, the margins are crazy, and the images have moved around. This usually happens because of the differences in formatting between the PDF and Word formats. Also, trying to open large PDF files in Word might take your device some time.

As such, students are less likely to get into any issues if their PDF files are mostly text and are smaller in size. This could be useful for them to keep in mind.

To get to editing your PDFs in a word processor such as MS Word, simply open the file in the Word application, and it will automatically convert to .doc or .docx format. Then you can use all the tools available, as the PDF file is now a Word document. This approach is also ideal when students want to alter the text that’s in the PDF file. Once they’ve made their changes and edits, they can either save the document as a Word document or “Export” the file to save it as a PDF file once more.

How to Use the SVG Editor ‘Inkscape’ as a PDF Creator

You might not think of Inkscape, a free and open-source software for SVG editing, as one of Adobe Acrobat’s alternatives. Surprisingly, though, this graphics editor can be used to create PDF files as well as edit them, and it’s free to download and use.

What makes Inkscape an interesting choice for a PDF editor is that students can easily use digital drawing equipment to edit their PDFs. If your school-aged kids want to write on a PDF document in their handwriting or draw comfortably, it’s possible with this software.

The one drawback of this app is that it can only work on one page at a time. So, once students have edited or created a single PDF page, they’ll need to use another app or a Merge PDF tool on an online service to combine all the pages into a single PDF file.

Conclusion

Fortunately then, there are many alternatives to Adobe Acrobat that students can use to edit and create PDF files, and most of these are free to download and use. Moreover, although these are free options, many are sophisticated enough to cover most or all of the tasks that students would need to do on PDFs. As such, take a look at the alternatives available online and pick the ones that best suit your students’ needs! You could save time and money compared to using Adobe.

The pandemic has brought significant changes to the education system, including the widespread adoption of virtual classrooms. While the transition to online learning has been challenging for both students and teachers, with the right approach virtual classrooms can provide kids with an engaging, interactive, and productive learning experience.

The Digital Samba virtual classrooms offer a solution that can be just as effective as traditional in-person instruction by keeping children engaged in an online environment.  There are several factors that are necessary to make this happen.

Interactivity: Engaging Students in Virtual Settings

Interactivity is a crucial component in a child’s success within an online environment. This can be achieved through online discussions, quizzes, surveys, and interactive presentations that provide opportunities for students to ask questions, share opinions, and collaborate with their peers. Research has shown that increased interactivity in online learning environments can lead to increased student engagement and motivation, resulting in better academic performance.

Structure and Routine: Maintaining a Productive Learning Environment

Providing a structured and routine learning environment is crucial for children in an online setting. This includes clear expectations, a well-defined schedule, and dedicated time for breaks and physical activity. A structured environment helps children stay organized and focused, leading to improved academic performance and reduced stress and anxiety.

Technology: Enhancing the Online Learning Experience

The effective use of technology is essential in online education for children. Tools and platforms that enhance the learning experience, such as digital whiteboards, video conferencing, and screen sharing, can make online learning fun, engaging, and interactive. Using technology in online learning can also provide opportunities for real-time assessments, which can be a valuable tool for tracking student progress and providing feedback.

Assessment and Feedback: Measuring Progress and Improving Performance

Assessment and feedback are key components of the learning process and are equally important in online education. Regular assessments, both formative and summative, help track progress and identify areas for improvement. Providing constructive feedback to students helps them understand their strengths and weaknesses and can serve as a motivator for improvement. Research has shown that students who receive regular feedback in an online learning environment have higher levels of motivation, leading to better academic performance.

Advantages of Virtual Classrooms for Children

Flexibility and Convenience

One of the primary benefits of virtual classrooms is the flexibility and convenience they offer. Children can attend classes from anywhere with an internet connection, eliminating the need for a daily commute. This allows them to balance their learning with other activities, such as work or family commitments.

Personalized Learning

Virtual classrooms provide an opportunity for personalized learning, where students can work at their own pace and receive individualized attention from their teachers. This can be particularly beneficial for children who struggle in a traditional classroom setting.

Access to Resources

Virtual classrooms offer students access to a wealth of online resources, such as videos, simulations, and interactive quizzes, which can make learning more engaging and effective. Additionally, students can access these resources at any time, allowing them to review the material and reinforce their understanding.

Improved Collaboration

Virtual classrooms can facilitate collaboration among students, even when they are in different locations. Through online discussion forums, group projects, and live video conferencing, children can work together and learn from each other, building important teamwork and communication skills.

Increased Engagement

Studies have shown that virtual learning can increase student engagement, as students are often more motivated to participate in online activities than in traditional classroom lessons. The use of technology, such as virtual reality and gamification, can also make learning more fun and exciting for children.

Improved Access to Education

Virtual classrooms can provide children with access to education, especially in rural or remote areas where traditional schools may not be available. This can help to close the educational achievement gap and provide children with the opportunities they need to succeed.

Cost-Effective

Virtual classrooms can also be a more cost-effective alternative to traditional classrooms, as they eliminate the need for expensive infrastructure and resources, such as textbooks and equipment. Additionally, virtual classrooms can reduce the cost of teacher salaries, as one teacher can serve multiple classes and schools.

Learn how to make virtual learning environments safe and conducive.

Challenges of Virtual Classrooms for Children

While virtual classrooms offer numerous benefits for children, there are also some challenges that must be addressed to ensure their success.

Technical Difficulties

Technical difficulties, such as internet connectivity issues, can disrupt the learning experience and cause frustration for students and teachers. Schools and families must have access to reliable technology and support to overcome these challenges.

Isolation

Virtual classrooms can lead to feelings of isolation, as children may not have the same level of social interaction as they would in a traditional classroom setting. This can have a negative impact on their emotional and mental well-being.

Lack of Physical Activity

Virtual classrooms can also limit children’s physical activity, as they are not required to move around the classroom or engage in physical activity during breaks. This can have negative impacts on their physical health and well-being.

Conclusion

Virtual classrooms became a necessity during the pandemic, requiring a new approach to teaching. However, with the right approach, virtual classrooms can provide kids with a fun, engaging, and effective learning experience. Interactivity, structure and routine, the use of technology, and assessment and feedback are crucial elements in making online learning a success. The Digital Samba virtual offer a solution that can help kids continue to learn and grow, even in the absence of traditional classrooms.

Using images with text is an excellent way to an engage learners. The text on the images makes the subject matter more appealing for viewers and increases comprehension.  Now, what if you want to copy the text out of an image and save it to notes or make changes to the text?  Or you may want to extract the text and share it with others.

In these situations, retyping the text takes a lot of time and effort. But if you use an online photo to text converter you will have the text within seconds effortlessly. Converters use OCR technology to make the conversion happen.

What is Optical Character Recognition (OCR):

OCR is the main technology that works on advanced algorithms and extracts text from images. The workings of the OCR technology relies upon artificial intelligence. It has the ability to recognize the characters written on images and keeps their position remembered. In education, teachers and students often need to convert images to text for creating documents or when converting the handwritten text into digital text that can be edited on a computer.

Many image converters are available on the internet that can transform any image into text.  You you can look for a free utility that lets you perform an accurate conversion with the help of the OCR.  Simply navigate to The Online Converter to know how the image to text conversion proceeds with an online OCR converter.

Now, let’s review some of the additional options available when working with images or any pictures to convert the words to editable text.

Batch Converting Image to Text:

Most online image to text converters support batch processing. With the help of this feature, teachers and students can extract the text from multiple pictures in a single process.

OCR in Multiple Formats:

Some converters also provide the facility to download the extracted text from PDF’s, scanned documents.  You can also extract text from multiple image formats.

Enhance Visual Clarity of Information:

Often when you download the converted image the text available on it becomes a little blurry and more difficult to read.  In this kind of situation you can get the assistance of an online image converter that will perform the conversion and provide you with clear readable and editable text.

Provides Editable Text:

Suppose you have an image containing text and you need to make the changes in the text. Modifying the text with photo editors may not work for you. OCR technology offers a simple solution to extract text from images and working with it in editable form.

Image to Text Example

After converting the image, we were able to download a text file to edit or copy and paste the words:

Text on images makes learning more fun!
Here we have written text on an image.
See how these words are changed to typed text
after uploading this image and clicking ‘convert’

What We Have Learned:

• Using text on images is a great way to make the subject matter more engaging to viewers.  Presentations without any images are somewhat boring. Adding text to those images makes education more enjoyable.

• When wanting to save the text from the image it is tedious and time consuming to type it manually, even more so when there are multiple images within the lesson.  There is also more potential for type oh’s.   OCR (Optical Character Recognition) saves times and prevents typing errors.  You simply need to copy and paste the converted text.

• The Online Converter is a free tool that quickly extracts the text from an image to give you editable text in multiple format options.  Options include batch converting of multiple images all at once.