# Share PDFs in online classes: annotation and copyright basics

> Share PDFs you have permission to use, sync the student's page, and annotate in a separate layer. Check copyright and Quran-text terms before uploading.

URL: https://halqora.com/blog/pdf-books-online-classes-copyright
Last updated: 2026-10-21

Published: 2026-10-21 · By Halqora team

To share and annotate a PDF in an online class, use a file you have permission to teach from, sync the student's view to your page, and draw in a separate annotation layer. For Quran Foundation API content, keep the Quran text unchanged and follow its licensing terms.

> **Key facts:** - Halqora's [synced PDF library](https://halqora.com/features/classroom) keeps the teacher and student on the same page in a one-to-one classroom.
> - UK teaching exceptions require noncommercial use, fair dealing and acknowledgment, according to government copyright guidance.
> - [Quran Foundation's developer terms](https://api-docs.quran.foundation/legal/developer-terms) require unchanged Quran text and limit ordinary API-content caching to 1 week unless Content Sync is used, as of 21 October 2026.

> **Definition:** An annotation layer holds teaching marks over a displayed page without rewriting the underlying document.

## What are the ways to use a PDF in a live online class?

You can show a PDF through screen share, upload the PDF into a synced document viewer, or place permitted material on a shared whiteboard. Choose according to the lesson task. Screen share shows your document window; a synced viewer coordinates page changes; a whiteboard gives you space to work around the material. Check permissions before using any method.

- **Screen share:** open the PDF and share the document window. Check the student view.
- **Upload and sync:** select a library book. Confirm page sync, rather than document upload alone.
- **Shared whiteboard:** arrange permitted material beside working space. Check document handling and saved marks.

As of 21 October 2026, Excalidraw is an open-source whiteboard under the MIT license. That license does not cover textbooks placed on the board. See [choosing an online whiteboard for tutoring](https://halqora.com/blog/online-whiteboard-for-tutoring).

## How do you keep every student on the same page?

Page sync should carry the teacher's page change to the student, rather than depend on spoken directions. Before the lesson, test navigation from the student view and check that the correct edition is loaded. A printed page label may differ from the viewer's page position, so identify the exercise by its heading as well as its page.

Ask the student to name the visible heading or exercise after switching documents or returning from a whiteboard.

Test whether a student who browses away can return to the teacher's view. Include navigation in your [virtual classroom features checklist](https://halqora.com/blog/virtual-classroom-features-checklist).

## How should you annotate PDFs during a live lesson?

Use annotations to point out the current task, then clear marks when they stop helping. A pen suits worked corrections, a highlighter identifies a passage, and an arrow directs attention without covering the text. Keep the original file separate from the teaching marks. Do not assume that teacher annotation also means students can draw or that marks will be saved.

Test who can write, who can erase and what happens after a page change. Ask whether saved annotations belong to the lesson or the library copy.

In Halqora, pen, highlighter, arrow and eraser tools work over PDFs and screen share. That annotation layer does not work over the built-in Quran viewer. Students need teacher permission to screen share; that is a separate control from document annotation.

## How do PDF features compare across virtual classrooms?

| Classroom | Share PDF without screen share? | Page sync to students | Annotation on PDF | Content library | Source |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Halqora | Yes, uploaded PDFs | Yes, one-to-one | Pen, highlighter, arrow, eraser | PDF book library | [Halqora classroom](https://halqora.com/features/classroom) |
| Pencil Spaces | Shared documents advertised | not stated | Drawing, highlighting, comments advertised | not stated | Pencil Spaces virtual classroom |
| LearnCube | PDF sharing advertised | not stated | Annotation advertised | Content library advertised | LearnCube virtual classroom |
| Zoom/Google Meet screen-share workflow | Screen share only in this workflow | Follows the shared screen | Depends on host tools | Not assessed for this workflow | Screen share |

The comparison separates document sharing from page sync. Competitor entries reflect vendor claims supplied for 21 October 2026. In the table, “not stated” means the supplied public-page details do not establish that feature. The screen-share row describes a workflow, rather than a full assessment of either video product.

Pencil Spaces says teachers can draw, highlight and comment on PowerPoints, PDFs and shared documents. Pencil Spaces is worth considering when PowerPoint annotation is central to your lessons. LearnCube advertises PDFs, PPT and video alongside a content library, making it worth considering when you need those material types together.

Ask either vendor to demonstrate page navigation and student controls.

## What can an academy legally upload to a PDF library?

Use material you created, material with a suitable open license, or material covered by permission for your intended use. UK government guidance, last updated 4 January 2021, says illustration for instruction requires fair dealing, sufficient acknowledgment and noncommercial use. This is general information, not legal or tax advice; check with an adviser in your country.

A fee-charging academy should not rely on that UK exception as permission to upload textbooks. The guidance also says uses that undermine teaching-material sales are not permitted, and photocopying generally needs a Copyright Licensing Agency license. The supplied guidance does not settle online or distance-teaching license terms.

Check permission for live display, student copies and library storage. Buying a book or downloading an available PDF does not establish permission for those uses. Keep written permission with library records.

## What extra rules apply to Quran text and Mushaf images?

Quran Foundation's developer terms, as of 21 October 2026, require apps to display the Quran text without modification and preserve the original context of excerpts. The terms also restrict selling, sublicensing and redistribution except where allowed. Check the content source and the particular permission before using Quran text, fonts or Mushaf images in teaching software.

Ordinary QF Content cannot be stored longer than 1 week unless obtained through Content Sync APIs. Fonts and Mushaf images have separate caching and bundling conditions, including attribution and an active Developer Console account. A viewer does not remove those duties.

A scanned Mushaf needs its own rights check for the particular print and calligraphy. Do not assume permission for API content also covers an unrelated scan. For teaching presentation, see [using a color-coded tajweed Mushaf online](https://halqora.com/blog/tajweed-colour-coded-mushaf-online).

## What should your PDF library policy tell teachers?

A useful PDF policy tells teachers which files are approved, where permission is recorded, and who can add or replace books. Keep the policy close to the library so teachers can check before a lesson. Separate approval of the content from testing the classroom controls: a working upload says nothing about whether the academy has permission to use the file.

1. Record the title, edition, source and permission for each approved PDF.
2. Check whether permission covers live display, student access and library storage.
3. Keep publisher acknowledgments visible and retain any required credit wording.
4. Test the approved file's page navigation and annotation before assigning lessons.
5. Tell teachers how to report a rights concern and pause use while an admin checks.

Label replacement copies so teachers can identify changes to editions and page order.

## How Halqora handles this

Halqora is management software for online academies. Its one-to-one classroom has an admin-uploaded PDF library with page sync and annotation. The academy is responsible for uploading PDFs it has rights to use.

The built-in Madinah Mushaf viewer follows the teacher's page and lets a student return with “Back to teacher's view.” Quran text and page fonts come from Quran Foundation (Quran.com). English translation credits include Rowwad Translation Center · QuranEnc.com; Pickthall is also available. Those viewer features do not establish permission to upload separate Mushaf scans.

See the [virtual classroom with a synced PDF library](https://halqora.com/features/classroom).

## Sources

- UK government guidance on exceptions to copyright, checked 21 October 2026
- [Quran Foundation developer terms](https://api-docs.quran.foundation/legal/developer-terms), checked 21 October 2026
- Excalidraw project and MIT license, checked 21 October 2026
- Pencil Spaces virtual classroom, checked 21 October 2026
- LearnCube virtual classroom software, checked 21 October 2026

## Questions

### Can I share a PDF in an online class without screen sharing?

Yes, if your classroom supports uploaded documents. In Halqora, an admin uploads a PDF to the academy library, and the student's page follows the teacher's page. Annotation works over the PDF. Check document sharing and page sync separately when choosing a classroom: a product's support for PDFs does not establish that page changes follow the teacher.

### Is it legal to upload a textbook PDF for my online students?

Upload a textbook PDF when you hold the rights or have permission covering that use. Buying a copy does not establish permission to share it. UK government guidance says the illustration-for-instruction exception requires fair dealing, sufficient acknowledgment and noncommercial use. This is general information, not legal or tax advice; check with an adviser in your country.

### Can students write on the PDF too?

Student annotation depends on the classroom and its controls. Test student drawing separately from teacher annotation and screen sharing. Halqora provides pen, highlighter, arrow and eraser tools over PDF pages and screen share; students need the teacher's permission to share their screen. That screen-sharing permission should not be treated as proof of a particular student drawing permission.

### Can I upload a scanned Mushaf or Quran PDF?

Check permission for the particular print, calligraphy and scan before uploading a Mushaf PDF. For API content, Quran Foundation's terms require unchanged Quran text and preservation of context, with restrictions on redistribution and caching. A built-in viewer does not remove licensing duties. This is general information, not legal or tax advice; check with an adviser in your country.