I was delighted to again be asked to run some virtual Adobe Spark workshops at the 2021 Pacific Links Foundation Summer Camp for teens at risk of trafficking in Vietnam.
As it says in the Pacific Links site – As part of Pacific Links Foundation’s comprehensive counter-trafficking efforts, Summer Camp is an annual activity of our Girls Empowerment Mekong Scholarships Program. Over four days, scholarship recipients come together from the remote and impoverished areas of the Mekong Delta bordering Cambodia to build confidence, compassion and vital connections that will safeguard them from the dangers of human trafficking. At its core, Summer Camp is a youth development endeavor. The camp’s goal is to provide a space for students to make new friends, learn about different career and training opportunities, and to work on personal growth through the guiding values of GRACES (Gratitude, Respect, Accountability, Courage, Engagement, and Safety).
Together we produced a set of Spark Posters about the things we love doing in our spare time.
I ran a total of 4 workshops over the weekend with about 30 students in each session. During each workshop I encouraged the participants to keep developing these digital creativity skills and apply them in future studies, leisure and work.
I’d like to thank the translators who helped me run these sessions and the organisers of the camp.
Adobe is thrilled to announce we just crossed the 1 million member milestone on the Education Exchange (EdEx)! Thank you to all of you who have helped to promote this amazing portal to your colleagues and wider education networks. We will have a special celebration at next week’s Inject Creativity Live show.
Since the last edition of this newsletter, over half of Australian classrooms have gone back to remote learning. This can be very stressful for teachers, students and parents. It’s worth noting that schools all over the globe are in the same predicament which is why Adobe continue to develop resources for remote, distance and blended learning through the Free Distance Learning Resources & Project Ideas site.
2021 APAC Adobe Education Summit – save the date
The 2021 APAC Adobe Education Summit will be held on Wednesday September 29. This will be a virtual all-day event open during the school holidays for any educator in any sector. It will feature presentations from the local and global Adobe in Education team, Adobe Education Leaders, Adobe Creative Educators and other guests – all aimed to inspire teachers to enhance their digital creatively skills.
The Summit will also include a day exclusively for Adobe Education Leaders (Sept 28) as well as a day for Adobe Creative Educators (Sept 30). If you don’t yet have at least your level 1 ACE badge, now is the time to earn it via the Creativity for All course on the Adobe Education Exchange.
Australia’s very own Michelle Dennis (Adobe Education Leader) and Head of Digital at Haileybury College features in the most recent edition of The Creative Educator Podcast with Tacy Trowbridge titled Educators on Hope and a Transformative Year. Click here to listen to this and past episodes
Adobe Education Exchange Courses worth noting
Spark in the Classroom
In this course, you will learn to help your students analyse, and create powerful stories, as well as present new information with clarity and ease. When students need to make science fair posters, social studies infographics, journals, language arts essays, lab reports, physics explainers or poetry analysis, Adobe Spark can help. With Adobe Spark, Post and Video, students are able to quickly and easily present information in professional, catchy and creative ways. Click here for more information.
Level-up your skills with Adobe Premiere Rush
In this more in-depth course, we’ll introduce you to the essentials of creating video with Premiere Rush and we’ll explore a variety of techniques you can use in your classroom. The course also includes step-by-step examples and instructions for mobile video production. Click here for more information.
Take center stage with Adobe Premiere Pro
This course is designed to help teachers edit and produce professional-quality video and create engaging classroom activities to inspire students in all content areas. Whether you teach in a media lab or a history classroom, this course has helpful tips for you. Click here for more information.
For Victorian government school teachers
Now that Adobe Spark is available to all Victorian primary and secondary schools, we are running two special Spark up your classroom with Adobe session in conjunction with the Vic DET Digital Learning Services team. Part 1 – Tuesday July 29 at 4 PM AEST and Part 2 Mon Aug 9 at 4 PM AEST.
Note that government Primary school teachers (up to three per school, with Principal approval) can now apply for access to the Adobe Creative Cloud apps. To apply, teachers should sign into Google using their EduPass account and complete this form. Applications close 5pm Friday 30 July. Find out more via the Adobe CC section of Arc.
NSW DoE teachers – stay tuned to the T4L Adobe Resources site for a range of events that will help you access and work with Adobe Creative Cloud applications.
For all NSW teachers – Adobe and CathWest are running an Adobe 1 min Video Challenge for any stage 4 or 5 students at any school in Sydney’s west – Catholic, Independent or Department schools.
Date – Tuesday August 10, 2021
Time – 9 AM to 3 PM
Venue – CathWest Innovation College – Loyola Campus – 91 North Parade, Mount Druitt
Updates for QLD teachers
Education QLD teachers – note that Adobe Spark is now available to your schools without the need to request student access on the department’s network. Spark for Education is available through the Adobe Creative Cloud licence. Click here for more information. Also note that Adobe will be involved in i-Educate 2021 on August 26 & 27. Make sure you register for the Adobe Spark workshop and visit the Adobe booth.
Updates for SA teachers
SA DfE teachers, click here to access information about a series of Adobe in Education webinars we are doing exclusively for you.
Dan Haesler’s new book
Dan Haesler is a regular education thought leader on the Inject Creativity Live show and his new book The Act of Leadership is launching at the start of August. Click here to book in for the free launch event.
EduTech 2021
EduTech 2021 was to be held in Melbourne but because of COVID it is now a virtual event and therefor open to lots more teachers in our region. Adobe is sponsoring again this year so please book in for our presentation and encourage your colleagues to meet the team at Adobe virtual booth.
On Wednesday 14th July, I worked with a number of teachers from around the Brisbane region in Queensland for an all-day workshop seminar based around level 1 of the Adobe Creative Educator course.
One of the activities we did at the start involved the following word cloud activity.
In between working on various aspects of the Adobe Creative Educator level 1 course, the teachers wee guided through some practical workshops with Adobe Spark, Premier Rush and Character Animator.
Feedback comments
Highlights
Learning how to use the Adobe Spark tools
Playing with Spark
Learning how to make a spark poster and video easily!
Everything was great
Other comments
Thanks! Fabulous to come to a free PD session
Great learning event
Loved the mix of listening, watching and doing!
I would like to thank Matthew Jorgensen from the Australian Computer Society for helping to organise this event.
The Inject Creativity Live episode recorded on July 14 featured Adobe Education Leader (AEL) Dr Karen Sutherland from The University of the Sunshine Coast as well Dan Haesler from Cut Through Coaching and Consulting. Karen shared her university’s use of Adobe Stock and Dan shared another one of his inspiring sessions about student engagement. We also had a special appearance from AEL Michelle Dennis, Head of Digital at Haileybury College.
The next episode will be recorded live on Wednesday 28th July and will feature AEL Brett Salakis from NSW and our thought leader will be AEL Paul McClean from New Zealand
Click here to find out more about the Adobe Creative Educator program.
Click here to keep up to date with coming Adobe in Education events.
The AUF involves the following schools from around Australia:
My keynote topic was Creativity for All – Preparing for Student Successand to start the session, I asked the participants to do a Word-cloud activity based on typing words that they associate with creativity.
It was lovely to see so many thoughtful responses with a focus on the theme of imagination, originality and innovation.
I then asked the teachers to rate their thoughts on creativity, how it relates to curriculum and if creativity can be taught. Note the results below and especially the spread of opinions about whether creativity can be taught or not.
It was a privilege to present this topic to such a wide range of educators. I would like thank Alper Ciftici who is the professional learning coordinator at Amity College in NSW for all the work he put into the convention and for inviting me to be involved.
If you are interested in seeing most of the content that I presented, I did a similar session for the 2021 ACCE Conference that was recorded and is opening available …
On Monday June 28, I had the pleasure of working with a group of teachers who are part of the Creative Design and Digital Media department at Wodonga TAFE in regional Victoria.
We started the session by finding out what the teachers what their favourite Adobe applications are and what they would like to know more about. Within the group, there were some teacher who has been using Photoshop since the early 1990s and were confident with a number of Creative Cloud applications. The apps most of theme were keen to know more about included the Spark tools, Aero, Character Animator and Adobe new 3D tools.
I’d like to thank Adobe Creative Educator Ben Eyes and Teressa Finnimore (Wodonga TAFE Educational Leader Creative Industries) for inviting me and organising this event. It was delightful to work face to face with a group of passionate educators again after so many online engagements.
I had the pleasure of working with Microsoft Education Specialist, Steven Payne, Adobe Education Leader Jason Lane and the Data#3 team to put this new resource together that focuses on Adobe Spark, OneNote and MS Teams integration.
On Thursday 17th June, I (virtually) joined Rashan Senanayake and his team at Inspired Education for a session on Adobe in Education with a group of educators from the Rockhampton & Yeppoon region in Queensland.
The aim of these sessions is to focus on design thinking with the help of a range of Adobe’s design tools.
I had the pleasure of facilitating an Adobe Spark and Adobe XD workshop. For many of the educators, it was their first experience with these communication and design tools.
I’d like to thank Rashan and his team for these sessions he is running for QLD teachers. It’s worth noting that Adobe Spark is now available to Education QLD schools without having to get special permission to use it. Click here for more information.
Also note that Adobe will be involved in i-Educate 2021 on August 26 & 27. Make sure you register for the Adobe Spark workshop and visit the Adobe booth.
All QLD K12 teachers – On Wednesday July 14, The Australian Computer Society and Adobe are running a free all day PL event based on level 1 of the Adobe Creative Educator badge. Click here for more information.
Have a look at some of the responses from teachers on the day …
Here is clip that provides more information about theses session by Inspired Education
It was a delight to be back in front of a group of secondary school students again face-to-face, or should I say face to mask.
The media teacher at Kew High School in Melbourne invited me to kick-start the Media Studies Unit Two program with a conversation about the importance of creativity and how Adobe tools can you help prepare students for a brighter future.
The students had experience with some of Adobe professional tools but we’re not aware of the full range of applications that were available to them as provided by the Victorian Government.
I’m looking forward to staying in touch with this class and seeing what creative work they are able to produce in this subject with Adobe tools.
This was my first face-to-face event with secondary students since March 2020. I’m looking forward to many more.
Here is an article about my visit that made the Kew High School newsletter
Click here if you would like to organise either a face or face or online Adobe adoption related event for your student or colleagues.
In this June edition of the Australasian Adobe in Education Update we celebrate reaching over 40,000 Australian members of the Adobe Education Exchange, nearly 45,500 ANZ members, over 166,000 in the APAC region and just over 981,500 members globally. Thank you for supporting this amazing education resource and please keep sharing it to your colleagues and wider education networks. You will find lots of new updates as well as links to a number of exciting professional learning opportunities for you and your colleagues.
There is still a misconception that Adobe tools are only for high-end users studying or teaching media, arts and design subjects. The following image demonstrates that there are in fact more low-lift apps available within the Creative Cloud.
When you are promoting the use of Adobe tools at your school/university, divide the Creative Cloud set of apps into:
Low-lift & high impact apps for everyone in all curriculum areas, and
Professional & high impact apps
Share this image with your colleagues and encourage them to learn more about the apps via:
Click here to access the recent announcement about Adobe Substance 3D: Tools for the next generation of creativity
2021 APAC Adobe Education Summit – save the date
The 2021 APAC Adobe Education Summit will be held on Wednesday September 29. This will be a virtual all-day event open during the school holidays for any educators in any sector. It will feature presentations from the local and global Adobe in Education team, Adobe Education Leaders, Adobe Creative Educators and other guests – all aimed to inspire teachers to enhance their digital creatively skills.
The Summit will also include a day exclusively for Adobe Education Leaders (Sept 28) as well as a day for Adobe Creative Educators (Sept 30). If you don’t yet have at least your level 1 ACE badge, now is the time to earn it via the Creativity for All course on the Adobe Education Exchange.
Global Adobe Education Summit
Registration is now officially open for the global Adobe for Education Summit, where we’ll celebrate creativity across the curriculum for educators in every subject area and grade level. We’ll discuss how to build skills for digital literacy, empower student learning experiences, and nurture the next generation of lifelong creators.
Note that this event is live within northern hemisphere time zones but there will be some convenient cross over and session will be recorded. Click here to register and discover more.
NSW DoE teachers – stay tuned to the T4L Adobe Resources site for a range of events that will help you to connect with access to Adobe Creative Cloud applications
For all NSW teachers – Adobe and CathWest are running a face to face Adobe 1 min Video Challenge for any stage 4 or 5 students at any school in Sydney’s west – Catholic, Independent or Department schools.
Date – Tuesday August 10, 2021
Time – 9 AM to 3 PM
Venue – CathWest Innovation College – Loyola Campus – 91 North Parade, Mount Druitt
Education QLD teachers – note that Adobe Spark is now available to your schools without the need to request student access on the department’s network. Spark for Education is available through the Adobe Creative Cloud licence. Click here for more information. Also note that Adobe will be involved in i-Educate 2021 on August 26 & 27. Make sure you register for the Adobe Spark workshop and visit the Adobe booth.
All QLD K12 teachers – On Wednesday July 14, The Australian Computer Society and Adobe are running a free all day PL event based on level 1 of the Adobe Creative Educator badge. Click here for more information.
Updates for SA teachers
SA DfE teachers, click here to access information about a series of Adobe in Education webinars we are doing exclusively for you.
Updates for all teachers
Click here to see the range of professional learning opportunities that available to all educators.
If you are keen to host an event for your colleagues and/or students, use this contact form to get in touch with the Adobe Education Team.
New Adobe Spark and Creative Cloud integrations for a range of EdTech platforms
Adobe is excited to announce new integrations with popular educational apps like Canvas, Blackboard, Flipgrid, Wakelet, and more — all designed to make self-expression seamless for both teachers and students. Click here to discover how to use these tools in your classroom.
New Storytelling with Audio course from Adobe and National Geographic
In our newest self-paced online course for educators, you’ll learn how to integrate audio storytelling in your classroom and empower your students to tell compelling stories. Click here to find out more and enroll.
View all six storytelling courses for teachers and young creators
Offered for both educators and youth ages 16–25, these short, free, self-paced online courses are designed to guide learners to visualize and communicate powerful stories that inspire action. Click here to find out more.
Check out this video
Australian Curriculum Review
The Australian Curriculum is currently under review and feedback is welcome. The new name for ICT Capability in the General Capability section of the Australian Curriculum, is Digital Literacy. This should eventually be reflected in all state based curriculum. As a general capability it is designed to be addressed through the content of all learning areas. It is pleasing to see a continued focus on communication, collaboration and creativity throughout the digital literacy general capability. Click here to find out more and have your say.
Minecraft and Adobe Spark Challenge: Mission Earth!
This global challenge combines STEM with creativity and storytelling to give students the opportunity to design and build worlds in Minecraft and create videos with Adobe Spark. Click here to discover more.
Dive into our free “Teach Creativity with Adobe and Khan Academy” course
Since we launched our partnership with Khan Academy last month, over 10,000 educators have used our partner teaching resources and PD. Join a community of like-minded creative educators and explore our free course and lesson plans for all subjects and grade levels.
Project ideas with Adobe’s Low-lift & High impact tools
