Adobe updates free AI education tool for K-12 classrooms

As the next generation becomes increasingly exposed to artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in their everyday lives, students and educators have been turning to AI tools to strengthen learning in the classroom. Despite initial rejection from educational institutions about using the technology in some capacity, most educators are now in favor -- and Adobe is taking note.

Last week, the company revealed new features in Adobe Express for Education, a platform designed to be a responsible and classroom-safe AI tool that encourages students to take charge of their learning experience. 

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Built by and for educators, Adobe Express for Education leverages Adobe Express technology to let students engage in creative projects and assignments while being "collaborative, easy, and improv[ing] student engagement and communication." This includes a first-of-its-kind Assignments feature that connects teachers and students in real-time, enhanced multimedia presentations and animation capabilities, and thousands of readily available subject-specific templates. 

"For today's K-12 educators, it's critical that we integrate AI into our classroom curriculum, but simply having access to AI tools isn't enough," said Christine Morgan, a teacher at Cypress-Fairbanks ISD at Hairgrove Elementary. Adobe hopes its emphasis on generative AI (gen AI) features will help bolster creative potential and equalize the playing field in the classroom so all students can "unleash" their artistic talents and critical thinking skills. 

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One of Adobe Express for Education's most defining features is its accessibility -- the platform is free to use for all K-12 teachers and students. Adobe Express for Education can also be integrated with existing education software, including Canvas, Google Classroom, Schoology, and more. 

Some new updates include a Generate Template feature enabling students to create their own templates for art-oriented projects and activities, and a Generate Image and Generative Fill feature that easily turns ideas from a student's head into an image. 

Similarly, the Adobe Firefly AI feature in MagicSchool gives students and teachers "seamless access to Adobe Firefly image generation to make their MagicSchool lesson plans, essays, and school projects more visual and expressive," the release states. Coming soon to the platform is a Generate Coloring Page feature, which relies on generative AI prompts to help students create their coloring pages and decorate them with multicolor and decorative brushes.

It is important to note that the platform does not use AI to generate text, so Adobe Express would not be a practical tool for text-intensive assignments like research papers.

For those more concerned about maintaining student privacy and ethics in the classroom, the platform follows Adobe's "your data is your data" privacy approach, as stated in the release. This means Adobe, which implements safety measures that further promote a "secure learning environment," will not train its models on student or teacher assignments or labor.

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Most of the new features in Adobe Express for Education are now available worldwide, including a self-service option that allows admins to set up Adobe Express for entire school districts. The Generate Coloring Pages and Assignments features are still to come, as is iPad support for the platform.