Google has recently announced a new integration with Adobe that aims to make the distribution of Adobe Express platform easier on student Chromebooks in schools. This integration is expected to enhance students’ digital art skills and provide them with more immersive ways of presenting their projects.
Adobe Express is a cloud-based design application that offers basic content creation tools for graphics, videos, and other visual projects. By incorporating Adobe Express into their assignments, students and teachers can explore more creative avenues in their educational endeavors. John Maletis, Google’s VP of ChromeOS product, engineering, and UX, expressed his excitement about the potential of Adobe Express-powered science fairs, where students can present their experiments or projects in more interactive and visually appealing ways.
In the past, licensing third-party apps for a fleet of student Chromebooks was a complicated process, involving purchase orders and roster updates. However, with the new integration, Adobe Express is now directly available in the Google Admin console. IT administrators can simply toggle it on to grant access to the software for a specific school, grade, or class. Additionally, they can pin Adobe Express to the Chromebooks’ shelf, providing easy access for students and teachers.
Google Classroom, an essential platform for educators, now allows teachers to assign, comment on, and grade Adobe Express projects. Similarly to collaborating on a shared Google Doc, students can now work together on Adobe Express projects, fostering teamwork and creativity.
While ChromeOS is widely used in the education sector, its compatibility with certain popular third-party software has been a drawback for some users. To address this, Google has been actively adding new apps to its creative space, such as LumaFusion, the Google Photos editor, and Figma. Moreover, Adobe Creative Cloud, a leading content creation software suite typically associated with Windows and macOS, can help attract teachers who want to assign creative projects to their students. The presence of a shelf icon can also encourage students and instructors to utilize Adobe Express instead of other competing options.
Govind Balakrishnan, Adobe’s senior vice president of Creative Cloud products and services, hopes that the integration will inspire teachers to incorporate new creative elements into their curricula. He believes that combining creativity and productivity can provide a more holistic educational experience. Maletis also mentions the growing demand for more creative methods of teaching, and the integration of Adobe Express aligns with this trend.
The integration between Google and Adobe was just one of the many announcements made during the ISTELive 23 Edtech conference in Philadelphia. Google also revealed other notable features for Google Classroom, including integration with the Read Along feature, sharable links to class templates, an expanded Google for Education App Hub, and improved data controls and privacy toggles for Chromebooks.
Overall, the new integration between Google and Adobe is set to benefit both students and teachers by simplifying the distribution of Adobe Express on Chromebooks. This integration opens up new avenues for student creativity and collaboration, enabling them to enhance their digital art skills and present their projects in more engaging ways.