Inspiring Lifelong Learning. Idaho Kickstarts Students’ Education with Adobe Creative Cloud and Support for Adobe Certified Associate Credentials
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Adobe Customer Story Inspiring lifelong learning. Idaho kickstarts students’ education with Adobe Creative Cloud and support for Adobe Certified Associate credentials. “Create Idaho is about creating a positive, competitive experience for students in Idaho. Working with Adobe Creative Cloud, we’re not only giving students skills that will help them in the workforce, but we’re getting them interested in learning and post-secondary education.” Rick Kennedy, Instructional Technology Coordinator, Idaho State Department of Education SOLUTION Adobe Creative Cloud for enterprise RESULTS Builds CONFIDENCE and digital literacy for students Encourages LIFELONG LEARNING and self-starting 1,469 ADOBE CERTIFICATIONS for a competitive edge Reduces the DIGITAL DIVIDE with greater access Adobe Customer Story Idaho State Department Exploring the creative possibilities of Education The workforce is growing increasingly digital and global. People from anywhere in the world can compete Established in 1891 for jobs and collaborate on projects. It’s important for young people entering the workforce to understand these opportunities and learn the skills that can help them compete globally. Students: 298,000 Boise, Idaho Idaho is one of the least densely populated states in the United States, with a large rural population and 300,000 elementary, middle, and high school students spread across 84 million square miles. This makes www.sde.idaho.gov it more difficult for Idaho school districts to consolidate resources and reach students with cutting-edge technologies that will give students the skills that they need to succeed. CHALLENGES “We have students from widely diverse backgrounds throughout Idaho,” says Rick Kennedy, Instructional • Encourage higher academic achievement Technology Coordinator for the Idaho State Department of Education (ISDE). “We need solutions that can and lifelong learning in students close the digital divide, encourage digital literacy, and inspire kids to learn.” • Help students compete in the modern Top officials at ISDE had a vision for investing in students by providing access to industry-leading technologies workforce by improving digital literacy in the schools. Working with teachers, school districts, and legislators, ISDE implemented the Create Idaho and reducing the digital divide program to extend Adobe Creative Cloud software, certifications, and curriculum to teachers and students. • Motivate teachers and students with ISDE purchased Adobe Creative Cloud through an Enterprise Term License Agreement (ETLA) with Adobe. access to cutting-edge technologies in This ETLA not only gives all students and teachers access to the latest versions of industry-standard Adobe the classroom Creative Cloud apps in classrooms and computer labs, it provides access to Adobe apps outside of the classroom on personal computers. Moreover, as part of the Create Idaho program, ISDE helps students study for their Adobe Certified Associate “With Adobe Creative Cloud, (ACA) certification in half a dozen Adobe solutions with ACAtestprep.com. Starting from a pilot program in 25 students can access apps and schools, Adobe Creative Cloud and Create Idaho currently reach 65 middle schools and high schools, with plans to expand the program state-wide by 2019. projects at school or at home. This allows kids to really take “Create Idaho is about creating a positive, competitive experience for students in Idaho,” says Kennedy. ownership of their projects.” “Working with Adobe Creative Cloud, we’re not only giving students skills that will help them in the workforce, but we’re getting them interested in learning and post-secondary education.” Annette McFarlin, Digital Media and Computer Science Teacher, Vera C. O’Leary Closing the digital divide Middle School With Adobe Creative Cloud in schools, students from every walk of life gain an opportunity to work with the latest versions of industry-standard creative solutions. Students often start learning the basics with Adobe Photoshop CC and Adobe Illustrator CC. Many classes go on to teach other popular apps such as Adobe InDesign CC and Adobe Premiere Pro CC, but some classes explore apps such as Adobe Fuse CC (Beta) that let them create custom 3D characters for their Photoshop projects. Adobe Customer Story Annette McFarlin teaches digital media and computer science to seventh- and eighth-grade students at Vera C. O’Leary Middle School. “With Adobe Creative Cloud, students can access apps and projects at school or at home,” says McFarlin. “This allows kids to really take ownership of their projects. They’re investing time and learning outside of the classroom by watching tutorial videos or practicing on personal projects.” Rather than handing out complex serial numbers to thousands of users, administrators at ISDE use Named User Licensing to distribute, monitor, and manage licenses. Licenses are tied to user names, so when a student matriculates or graduates, licenses are automatically assigned or disconnected based on their student status in the system. “Named User Licensing is just one of the ways that Adobe Creative Cloud makes administration so much easier,” says Kennedy. “As a public institution, taxpayers want accountability. Adobe makes it incredibly easy to get full reports whenever they’re needed.” “We focus on real-world, hands-on learning to get students involved. For students and teachers, Named User Licensing allows them to take their personal log-ins and access apps on any school computer, at home, or at a library. In McFarlin’s Web Design class, students start building The ACA program provides students websites with Adobe Dreamweaver CC during class. Adobe Dreamweaver projects are saved to Creative with proof that they’re learning Cloud so that students can continue to work at home and create websites that truly speak to their design applicable skills.” preferences. One student was having trouble with her HTML code while working at home, so she shared her project with another student. Together, the two troubleshooted the code, all outside of the classroom. Sandra Wheeler, Business and Graphics Communication Teacher, Kuna High School “There’s still a digital divide, as not everyone can take advantage of the at-home opportunity,” adds McFarlin. “But we’re starting to even the playing field by giving everyone an opportunity to work with professional-level graphic design tools and earn Adobe certifications that can build into future education and job opportunities.” Earning Adobe certification One major component of the Create Idaho program is support for Adobe certification. Both staff and students working with Adobe Creative Cloud are encouraged to take Adobe Certified Associate (ACA) tests for certification. Students and staff have earned 1,469 Adobe ACA certifications (students 1,432, staff 37) during the 2017-18 school year. For students, these certifications help them stand apart on job or internship applications, but they can also be applied toward college credit at Idaho’s Lewis-Clark State College. In Sandra Wheeler’s Graphic Design classes at Kuna High School, students were thrilled with the opportunity to get ahead on their college degrees by taking ACA tests. “We focus on real-world, hands-on learning to get students involved,” says Wheeler. “The ACA program provides students with proof that they’re learning applicable skills.” ACA testing isn’t just for high school students. At Sawtooth Middle School, students earned 260 Adobe Certifications during the first two years after introducing Adobe Creative Cloud. Some students earned up to six certifications each before starting high school. Adobe Customer Story “The sense of accomplishment from our students is amazing,” says Roni Gilbertson, Career and Technical Education Teacher at Sawtooth Middle School. “Kids are coming into classes because it’s cutting-edge technology and lots of fun, but as they keep working they start to gain more interest in technology. Earning Adobe certification builds students’ confidence even further and provides the positive feedback that they need to continue learning.” This connection between creativity and technology is particularly important to encourage STEM involvement from female and minority students. Working with Adobe Dreamweaver CC, for example, provides students with a fun introduction to coding through HTML, CSS, and JavaScript. Inspiring lifelong learning Working with Adobe Creative Cloud, students see how creative skills can be applied to real world projects. In SOLUTION AT A GLANCE Career and Technical Education teacher Dan Armstrong’s Graphic Communications class at Ridgevue High Adobe Creative Cloud for enterprise, School, students collaborate on advertisements, including billboards and a car wrap, for a local company. including: Several students take advantage of Adobe Creative Cloud at home to help out with parents’ businesses or Apps: Adobe Photoshop CC, Adobe start businesses of their own. Ridgevue High School senior Cameron Preston runs his own photography Illustrator CC, Adobe Dreamweaver CC, business, creating professional deliverables with Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC. After working with Adobe Adobe Premiere Pro CC, Adobe After Creative Cloud for just one semester, junior Seth Gaddis started a freelance job creating splash screens for Effects CC, Adobe Photoshop Lightroom CC, online videos using Photoshop and Illustrator. Adobe Fuse CC (Beta) Students aren’t just learning from teachers. They can look at tutorials on ACAtestprep.com, read Adobe blogs, watch videos on YouTube,