As artificial intelligence technology becomes increasingly integrated into daily life, Adobe has recently announced new features for its Adobe Express for Education platform, aiming to provide students and educators with a responsible and secure AI-assisted learning tool.
This platform, developed with input from educators, leverages Adobe Express technology to encourage students to take control of their learning experiences through creative projects and assignments. New features include a real-time assignment system connecting teachers and students, enhanced multimedia presentation and animation capabilities, and thousands of topic-specific templates.
A major highlight of Adobe Express for Education is its accessibility—the platform is free for all K-12 teachers and students and integrates seamlessly with existing educational software such as Canvas, Google Classroom, and Schoology.
New generative AI features on the platform include tools that allow students to create templates for art projects, generate images and fill capabilities to turn ideas into visuals, and tools to help create personalized coloring pages. It is important to note that the platform does not offer AI text generation features, making it unsuitable for text-intensive assignments such as research papers.
For users concerned about student privacy and ethical issues, Adobe promises to adhere to a privacy policy of "your data is your data," and will not use students' or teachers' assignment content to train its AI models.
Christine Morgan, a teacher at Hairgrove Elementary School in Cypress-Fairbanks ISD, said, "For today's K-12 educators, integrating AI into the curriculum is crucial, but AI tools alone are not enough." Adobe hopes that these features will enhance students' creativity and provide equal learning opportunities for all students.
Currently, most of the new features of Adobe Express for Education are available globally, including self-service options that allow administrators to set up for the entire district. Features such as generating coloring pages, assignment capabilities, and iPad support will be rolled out in the future.
This initiative reflects a shift in the educational sector's attitude towards AI technology. Although educational institutions initially approached AI with caution, an increasing number of educators are now supporting the judicious use of AI tools in the classroom to enhance learning experiences and cultivate students' digital skills.