Earlier this year, I had the terrific opportunity to join Adobe. Over the course of the last few months, I’ve been impressed with the company’s commitment to student and teacher success around the world. What really stands out for me is the way in which Adobe software lets students create and express themselves in amazing ways. I’ve seen 5^th graders make video games in Flash and  10^th graders create terrific movies in Premier.  I’ve had the opportunity to see university students create works that are just stunning (especially when at the ADAA event in Taipei). And I’m confident that this was a turning point year in terms of the impact and power of creative software in education. With 2012 coming up fast, I want to reflect on some high points of 2011 that will set the stage for the new year.

The Launch of Adobe Digital School Collection – We just announced the latest edition of Adobe® Digital School Collection (ADSC) for K-12 students and educators. ADSC gives students a way to visually express what they’ve learned across curriculum and prepares them with the social media skills they need to communicate effectively in the digital world.  We estimate that about 1,000,000 K-12 students were empowered by Adobe software as part of ambitious 1:1 programs around the world.

Adobe Certified Associate (ACA) Program Hits Critical Mass – This year, more than 145,000 students entered into the ACA program through our partnership with CertiPort. This is a great way to help students gain the skills needed to both enter college or the workforce.

Announcement of Adobe Touch Apps – One of the most exciting developments this year was Adobe’s introduction of  six intuitive touch screen applications that put professional-level creativity capability in the hands of millions of tablet users across both iOS and Android. Photoshop Touch, in particular, is a product that I think students and teachers will be thrilled with. Check it out here:

Schools Worldwide License Adobe Solutions – This year, more than 45 universities worldwide made the full Adobe portfolio available to their students across all departments – not just design.  Just imagine interacting with a computer-generated avatar to learn about nutrition or creating an interactive image of genetic data. See what Case Western University is doing and how others are benefiting from our education programs here.

Adobe Digital Publishing Suite Delivers Higher Education in Tablet Form – More and more schools are turning to DPS to publish rich, engaging publications for both iPad and Android tablets. The Holidays came early to Adobe EDU team when we received an unsolicited video from the University of Oregon, highlighting their use of the Adobe Digital Publishing Suite titled “The Making of a Digital Magazine.” Check out this video that made our day:

Adobe Education Community Keeps Thriving – I was privileged to attend the 2011 Adobe Design Achievement Awards ceremony and was truly amazed by the talent and sophistication of the entries. Please check out the 2011 ADAA Yearbook for a closer look. We received a record-breaking 4,600 entries in 2011. Job well done!

This is certainly an exciting time for Adobe Education, educators and students as digital advances provide an opportunity to transform children’s learning and education. Stay tuned and don’t forget to follow us @AdobeEDU for the latest updates. I wish you all a happy and safe Holiday Season, and a terrific new year!

We’re excited today to announce the immediate availability of the free Adobe EchoSign application for iOS devices.  We realize that you are doing more and more business over your mobile devices and tablets and we’re committed to helping you streamline your business processes and increase productivity.  Now, you can easily get access to you EchoSign accounts and sign documents directly from your iPhone, iPad and iPod touch devices.

For more details on the Adobe EchoSign app, check out the Acrobat Solutions blog or the view the press release.   And be sure to download the app now at the iTunes Stores. After all, it’s free. Happy Holidays!

Adobe has announced the call for entries for the twelfth annual Adobe® Design Achievement Awards (ADAA). Each year we look forward to this prestigious competition, which recognizes the incredible work of students from around the globe — work that is produced using Adobe software, and advances creativity through digital technology. The competition attracts the best and brightest among student graphic designers, photographers, illustrators, animators, digital filmmakers, developers, and computer artists.  For 2012, we will also continue to recognize teaching excellence through three categories of competition designed specifically for instructors in higher education.

The ADAA competition is free to enter and open to students, faculty and staff of higher education institutions worldwide. Students are invited to compete in 13 categories that include Game Design and Development as well as Application Development and Mobile Design. Almost 25,000 students from 73 countries have participated in the ADAA competition since it began in 2001 and the number of submissions just keeps rising. Last year we received a record-breaking 4,600 entries from students. They have told us they believe “design is about making this a better world for all of us.”

2012 submission deadlines are January 27, April 27, and June 22. Entries will be judged by a panel of international design experts.   In October finalists will be invited to attend the ADAA awards ceremony in Los Angeles, California where winners will be announced and awarded Adobe software and cash prizes.

For more information, check out the press release or visit the ADAA website. Visit the 2011 ADAA Yearbook for a look at the 2011 ADAA ceremony in Taipei, Taiwan. Also, don’t forget to check out our Facebook page or follow us @AdobeEDU for the latest updates about the awards.

Calling all digital marketers, advertisers and publishers! Want to learn how to gain a competitive advantage, strengthen customer relationships and extend brand value – and top it off by hitting the slopes? Then you’ll want to book a trip to Salt Lake City, Utah for the Adobe Digital Marketing Summit (formerly Omniture Summit) from March 20-23, 2012!

Attend Summit 2012 to take advantage of up to four days of informative sessions, insightful keynotes from industry leaders, training workshops and numerous networking opportunities exploring the latest trends around social, mobile and web analytics, site conversions, audience and advertising optimization, Web Experience Management (WEM) and implementing multi-channel marketing. More than 70 breakout sessions across eight tracks (Analyst & Reporting, Media Monetization, Mobile, Web Experience Management, Multi-Channel Campaigns, Personalized Engagement, Social, and Tech Track) will focus on real-world customer case studies and how digital marketing data can drive business decisions.

Summit 2012 will also include a customer and partner showcase, opportunities for attendees to connect with Adobe’s Digital Marketing teams, a Summit Bash with a surprise headliner concert and a ski day at the end of the week. Thousands of marketers, advertisers, publishers, agencies and developers across industries will come together to better manage, measure and optimize digital experiences so don’t miss out. Register today and lock-in early bird before Friday, January 13, 2012. Visit the registration, pricing, and accommodations page for more information about special discounts and group passes.

Check out today’s announcement for more details and visit the Summit 2012 website. We hope to see you in Utah next March!

We’re excited to announce that today we’ve updated Adobe FormsCentral with some of our customers’ most-asked-for features. Now, you no longer have to deal with the headaches of getting files and information from customers, clients, or vendors.  With the new File Attachments Field in FormsCentral, users can now collect and store one or more files (including audio and video) from respondents, making things like requests for proposals and resumes, easier to gather and manage. Everything is stored in one central place, taking the pain out of managing the collection process. In addition, the new Field Validation features let users set minimum and maximum values for the number of characters, dates or multiple choice fields within their forms – making life simpler for everyone involved. Check out the Acrobat Solutions blog to learn more about how today’s updates make it easier than ever to collect and organize data in such uses as applications, client intake, and registration forms.

Today, we announced the latest edition of Digital School Collection (ADSC) for K-12 students and educators, available for Windows and Mac OS. The bundle gives students, including those with learning disabilities, a way to visually express what they’ve learned across curriculum.   Included is the recently announced Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 and Adobe Premiere Elements 10 software, as well as Adobe Acrobat X Pro. ADSC empowers students to create projects and classroom presentations that include polished photos, compelling movies with professional-quality effects, and media-rich documents and ePortfolios.

ADSC helps educators improve student engagement by encouraging creative expression, and teach critical media skills that prepare students for success in college and beyond. To equip teachers up for success, Adobe has published additional resources that can help educators deploy ADSC quickly and efficiently, including:

• ready-to-use lesson plans, tutorials, tips and tricks and video lesson examples – all instantly available on the free Adobe Education Exchange
  • one- and two-day instructor-led onsite workshops through Knowledge Network Solutions, which give teachers hands-on experience using the software
  • online training through Total Training

Adobe also announced a new pricing model– Digital School Collection is now exclusively available as a 50- or 100-pack K-12 Site License through flexible Cumulative Licensing Program or Transactional Licensing Program plans, ensuring schools and districts can maximize their software budget through wide, cross-platform distributions. These site licenses also come with supporting resources for teaching 21^st century skills and engaging students in cross-curricular learning through digital storytelling.

I have been amazed by some of the media projects students are working on and look forward to broaden the engagements of students in their own learning.