You have an opportunity to win a FREE copy of Adobe’s Digital School Collection (ADSC) just by hopping on your Twitter account and helping us spread the word! Beginning now and running until Thursday, April 19, the Adobe Education Twitter handle, @AdobeEDU, will be publishing tweets accompanied by the #ADSC hashtag.  Just follow us and Retweet any of the tweets in order to become eligible for our random drawing.  A lucky winner will receive a copy of the Adobe Digital School Collection which includes: Photoshop Elements, Premiere Elements & Acrobat X!

Adobe Digital School Collection empowers students to create projects and classroom presentations that include polished photos, compelling movies, and media-rich documents and ePortfolios.  It includes the recently announced Adobe Photoshop Elements 10 and Adobe Premiere Elements 10 software, as well as Adobe Acrobat X Pro. So, if you are looking for software and supporting resources for teaching 21^st century skills and promoting cross-curricular learning through digital storytelling projects, don’t miss this chance to win a copy!

Learn more about the latest new features such as new photo and video editing tools and easier ways to find objects & share content with others: http://www.adobe.com/products/digital-school-collection.edu.html.

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!