Software

Adobe Spark’s All-in-One Design Tool Adds Creativity to Every Class

Browser-based graphics tool helps K–12 students add professional-looking design elements to videos, web pages and more.

Claudio Zavala Jr. is a creative media consultant, educator and digital designer for the Burleson Independent School District in Texas.

Some students mistakenly think creativity happens only in art class. That’s not true. With the right tools, students can bring creative design to nearly any class or project.

As someone who has used Adobe’s many professional design tools for years, I was excited when it introduced Spark to the mix. By incorporating features from its professional design software suite, Adobe has created a browser-based tool that allows nondesigners such as K–12 students to add creative elements to social media posts, videos and web pages.

Adobe Spark is a suite of three apps: Spark Post, Spark Page and Spark Video. Students can use Spark Post to design and animate graphics, videos and Instagram stories. With Spark Page, they can create gorgeous online stories, such as journals, blogs and web pages. And Spark Video allows them to produce compelling video stories in minutes.

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Explore Every Subject Creatively with Adobe Spark

One of Adobe Spark’s strengths is its easy-to-use interface, which allows students to create visually appealing stories for any subject. The tool comes with adaptable templates that help students focus on their stories, not on the design software.

I’ve seen students in an art class use Spark Video to describe their artistic creations in videos that were used during an art showcase. Using the web links for each video, students created QR codes that visitors would scan and watch. I’ve also seen students in a Spanish class create digital collages with scanned photos using Spark Post. They then downloaded the digital versions and shared them with their classmates.

With Adobe Spark, the potential for student creativity is unlimited: Spark Post can be used to make science fair posters, infographics, math flashcards and so much more. Spark Page can transform field trip journals, essays and lab reports into dynamic web pages. With Spark Video, traditional assignments such as book reports, physics explainers and poetry analysis turn into creative video presentations.

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Access the Software from Any Device

Unlike Adobe Photoshop and Premiere Pro, which requires users to download software to their computers, Adobe Spark is Software as a Service, residing entirely online. As a SaaS product, it doesn’t tap into hard drive storage. Students can even access the apps from their Chromebooks.

Another benefit: All Adobe Spark projects sync to Spark’s cloud storage. Students can begin a Spark Post project on the web and continue working on it on their mobile phone or another device. Plus, Adobe Spark cloud storage does not count against a school district’s Adobe Creative Cloud quota.

Adobe Spark is simple flexible and intuitive

Develop Digital Literacy Through Design

Adobe Spark does more than just put a creative spin on storytelling — it also helps students of all skill levels develop and expand digital literacy skills by designing graphics, building web pages, and telling stories through video.

Students do not need to be talented artists to use this tool. Using templates, they can focus on content and learn design principles as they edit projects. As their confidence grows using Spark, students might even begin to explore Adobe’s higher-level applications, such as Premiere Rush, Premiere Pro and Photoshop.