At the beginning of this month I had the opportunity to attend Adobe MAX in San Diego. It was my first time at this amazing event and I was blown away by the general sessions filled with thousands of creative professionals from a wide range of industries. The breakout sessions I attended were all jam packed and led by experts in different fields.
- Virtual reality is no joke. I’ve been pretty obsessed with virtual reality this year. If I’ve visited your school or district you’ve probably heard me share some of my favorite ways to use Google Cardboard. There were so many sessions on virtual reality at Adobe MAX and turning students into VR creators is definitely doable.
- I’m not the only one super excited about Adobe Spark. This past year I’ve had the chance to share Spark Video, Spark Post, and Spark Page with teachers across the country. It was so exciting to see these tools featured at the Adobe MAX keynote session. There are lots of updates coming including a new video feature inside Spark Video, stay tuned for more coverage.
- Authentic audiences can transform students’ lives. In a session on social media Sara Dietschy shared her journey using YouTube to build her business. YouTube is a tool I use as a consumer and not much as a creator. This young woman shared a screenshot of a class project from high school where she created a video for a class and uploaded it to YouTube. Having an authentic audience for her schoolwork totally transformed her life.
- Images can tell powerful stories.Lynsey Addario shared her story as a war photojournalist to the thousands of attendees at Adobe MAX. The images she spoke about were unbelievably moving. Preparing students to become citizen journalists can help them leverage the power of the technology in their pocket beyond a selfie in between classes. Check out her book It’s What I Do.
- We need to prepare students for careers of the future. A common theme I heard throughout the event was the cycle of learning taking place by professionals in creative fields. New tools and new ways of thinking have transformed different industries and the folks who find success are the ones ready to adapt to changes. As educators we need to help students develop transferable skills for the unknowns of the future.
Technology gives students the opportunity to consume seemingly endless content. With the totally free Adobe Spark tools you can transform your students into content creators and storytellers. Here’s a popular post with ideas you can use tomorrow!
cross posted at classtechtips.com
Monica Burns is a fifth grade teacher in a 1:1 iPad classroom. Visit her website at classtechtips.com for creative education technology tips and technology lesson plans aligned to the Common Core Standards.
