Digital tools foster student creativity

Technology and digital tools play an important role in fostering creativity amongst students according to 92% of respondents to a recent survey conducted by software firm Adobe.

The survey, which formed the basis of a special report into the state of creativity in the education sector, also found that 37% of Australian and New Zealand educators wanted to do more to infuse creativity into the curriculum but were hampered by a lack of time.

Additional tools and training were required by 45% of respondents, and 17% called for a reduction in mandates that hamper creativity.

“We know that creativity is no longer an elective for educators and students. It is a mandatory requirement for a successful future,” says Wayne Weisse, Adobe’s education business manager for Asia Pacific.

To build on this and enhance creativity in the classroom the full range of Adobe Creative Cloud options have been made available to students and teachers in New Zealand, including Creative Cloud Student Teacher Edition.

For educational institutions, Creative Cloud for teams and Creative Cloud for enterprise options are now available through a new plan called the Education Enterprise Agreement.

“As new features and updates are released through Creative Cloud, students and educators will be able to keep up to date with the most leading-edge technology and features, with access to the latest tools for career success,” says Weisse.

Adobe’s new licensing option for primary, secondary, and higher education institutions, the Education Enterprise Agreement, is an easy-to-manage, term-based licensing program that gives educational institutions access to the new Creative Cloud apps.

“This program helps give our institutional customers the creative tools they need to be more productive, foster creativity in teaching and learning, and help their students develop essential digital communication skills,” said Weisse.

“During the term of the license, the institution can access all the product features and updates released by Adobe.”

Adobe solutions are used extensively in schools and institutions across Australia and New Zealand.

In addition to helping students with creative thinking, creating projects, portfolios and resumes, the software is also used extensively by educators to help develop more engaging, rich-media curricula, and to improve collaborative working skills among students.