Acrobat X in Education

Posted on October 18, 2010 by mabear | Comments (0)

The New Acrobat X is finally here! Acrobat X image

What can it do for education? That’s a good question as many customers are not aware of the benefits Acrobat can bring to educators, students and institutions. Here are a few ideas:

Institutions:

  • Streamline administration and management using forms
  • Reduce cost and time by automating regular tasks e.g. risk assessments, resource requests, IT call logs
  • Archive older documents in an industry standard format
  • Create multimedia documents and distribute in a single, ubiquitous format
  • Integrate with SharePoint and the institutional Learning Platform

Educators:

  • Streamline curriculum adminsitration and management
  • Create materials for use within the institutions Learning Management System
  • Share student ePortfolios between institutions and departments
  • Increase productivity leaving more time for teaching and learning

Students:

  • Create a rich multimedia ePortfolio
  • Create, collaborate and share with fellow students
  • Transport achievements and personal records between institutions in a standards based format

Here is a quick list of new and improved features:

New user interface

  • The Interface tool pane brings top user needs out front
  • Customizable Tool Bar
  • Tools Pane reveals most useful tools to improve productivity
  • Tools and Tasks are easier to access
  • HUD display provides more real estate for viewing

Amazing document repurposing

  • New export options allow for Word and Excel options including headers, footers, and worksheets
  • New scanning engine improves accuracy and file size
  • Efficient tagging and reflow ensure viewing and access on a variety of screens

A more versatile collaboration environment

  • Commenting tools are in a convenient location in UI
  • Markup extends to video and 3D in composite PDFs
  • Reader X users can use sticky notes and highlight tools
  • SharePoint is fully supported so PDFs can be checked in and out  as well as part of an Acrobat workflow.

The next generation of PDF Portfolios

  • New Portfolio environment  built on Flex 4
  • New Support for Accessibility and MSAA compliant devices.
  • Easy to customize AX for user – background image, themes, header
  • Developers can create new layouts with plug-in for Flash Builder
  • Creatives can create new visual themes with Illustrator templates and Flash Pro
  • Allow addition of Web content including Embed Code for video to be viewed directly in Portfolio
  • Save PDF Portfolios as websites and placed on web for preview in browser before deciding to download.
  • Perfect compliment to LMS/CMS systems
  • Each PDF’s page can be previewed without opening actual document. When document is opened from portfolio, it is fully dynamic.

Guided Actions - Guided Actions are scriptable batch processes that can easily be made and shared so that groups of users can benefit from improved compliance and best practices

  • Great for group efficiency
  • Supports Java Script
  • Great to ensure best practices across the institution

Enterprise deployment for Windows and Macintosh environments.

  • Windows deployment is made easier with an improved customization wizard
  • Macintosh clients can now be deployed using the popular Remote Desktop application.

In the coming weeks check back for more previews including tips, tricks, and tutorials!

Also be sure to visit www.AcrobatUsers.com for the latest links to everything Acrobat.

Discontinued: Acrobat Pro Extended

Posted on October 18, 2010 by mabear | Comments (0)

With the release of the Acrobat X family, Acrobat Pro Extended will be discontinued. Successful adoption of two technologies in Acrobat Pro Extended-3D PDF and geospatial PDF-has driven market demand for more robust and highly specialized solutions. While Acrobat X will continue to support viewing of geospatial and 3D PDF files, it won’t include authoring functions that were supported in Acrobat 9. A customer’s choice of next-generation software will depend upon which Acrobat Pro Extended premium features were most important to them. Customers who valued Adobe Presenter software and video conversion capabilities will want to move to Acrobat X Suite. Customers who value 3D PDF or geospatial PDF will be encouraged to purchase Acrobat X Pro or Acrobat X Suite, plus additional software from selected Adobe partners who are dedicated to these market segments.

Adobe will continue to support Acrobat 9 Pro Extended through June 26, 2013. For more information, read the Acrobat Pro Extended End-of-Life FAQ.

Acrobat X for Education

Posted on October 18, 2010 by mabear | Comments (0)

Monday 18 October sees the launch of Acrobat X, but why would an Education customer be interested?

Firstly we need to consider the different education sectors – HE and Schools – so that Acrobat X can be positioned to best effect.

Higher and Further Education

Tagline

Enhance campus productivity and collaboration.

25-word description

AdobeR AcrobatR X Pro software gives faculty, staff and students the ideal toolset – including mediarich PDF Portfolios and electronic forms – for enhancing campus productivity and collaboration.

50-word description

 AdobeR AcrobatR X Pro software gives faculty, staff and students the ideal toolset for enhancing campus productivity and collaboration. The PDF Portfolio feature makes it easy to combine a wide range of content – even video and interactive media – in a single, compressed package. With Acrobat X Pro, it’s also easy to create a paperless workflow with electronic forms.

100-word description

 AdobeR AcrobatR X Pro software gives faculty, staff and students the ideal toolset for enhancing campus productivity and collaboration. The PDF Portfolio feature makes it easy to combine a wide range of content – even video and interactive media – in a single, compressed package for sharing or distributing course material, research projects, proposals and student portfolios. With Acrobat X Pro, it’s also easy to create a paperless workflow with electronic forms that can be filled in by anyone using free Adobe Reader® software. New features in Acrobat X Pro – like Dynamic PDF capabilities and integration with Microsoft products – help users across campus streamline workflows.

Schools

Tagline  Enhance collaboration and workflows across the school and throughout the entire borough.

25-word description

Adobe® Acrobat® X Pro software enables students and educators to bring together media of all types to easily and collaboratively create course materials, student ePortfolios and professional development content.50-word description

Adobe® Acrobat® X Pro software enables students and educators to bring together rich media, web content, presentations and documents of all types. Students and faculty use real‐world collaboration techniques and workflows to easily assemble, create and modify engaging collections for course delivery, eLearning and student ePortfolios.

100-word description

Adobe® Acrobat® X Pro software enables students and educators to bring together rich media, web content, presentations and documents of all types. Students and faculty use real‐world collaboration techniques and workflows to easily assemble, create and modify engaging collections for course delivery, eLearning and student ePortfolios. The software’s PDF workflow – which enables review participants to see and build on one another’s comments – provides a highly collaborative environment for developing curriculum, interacting with students and communicating with parents. An ePortfolio created with Acrobat X Pro gives educators an organised and secure place for combining a student’s work and records. Similarly, ePortfolios help students organise and manage their own academic growth.

To get all the Acrobat X collateral go to our specially created Connect Room at:
Login as a Guest – password = XEdu

New: Adobe School Collection

Posted on October 18, 2010 by mabear | Comments (0)

Adobe Photoshop® Elements and Adobe Premiere® Elements

Several years ago the Adobe School Collection was hugely successful, selling in volume. After its withdrawal there was no obvious entry-level replacement for Schools to purchase.

The Adobe School Collection combines Adobe Photoshop® Elements and Adobe Premiere® Elements to provide multimedia software and teaching resources that add excitement and magic across the curriculum. 

This affordable and comprehensive solution covers photo, video and sound editing, which will empower your students to express, explore and showcase their learning through audio, visual and interactive multimedia projects.

Promotion Period

The promotion is limited to 4 months from Monday October 18 2010, to Friday 25 February 2011.

Designed for Primary & Secondary Schools

Available in classroom-ready licensing packs: 30 user license §50 user license100 user license

The all in one integrated solution!

  • Organize photos and videos in one convenient place
    • Upload once, tag, and view your photos and videos in central place. 
    • Automatically tag photos and videos with name of people in them, so you can find who you want, fast
    • Quickly share clips from your digital camera directly to video sharing site
    • Easily enhance photos and include them in your movies.
  • Creatively combine and share photos and videos
    • Enhance slideshows with professional style, using all-new movie themes, effects and transitions
    • Share photos and videos together, with music, via dynamic, interactive Online Albums

Who can purchase?

The eligibility requirements are the same as the Adobe Creative Suite 5 school (K-12) site licenses

For full details of Education eligibility please visit: http://www.adobe.com/uk/education/purchasing/qualify.html

Licenses cannot be purchased and split across multiple schools or campus locations §Licenses are for institution-owned computers only

Target Audience

  • Primary & Secondary Schools – Head Teachers, ICT Directors, ICT Co-ordinators and Network Managers
  • Schools who previously purchased the Adobe School Collection v 1 / 2  / 3 / 4
  • Schools who want to use photo-editing/video –editing tools across the curriculum

Channel Assets    

Channel sales & marketing assets are available online in a Connect meeting room:

https://my.adobe.acrobat.com/adobeschoolcollection/

Room Passcode:  ChannelPartner

Partners should enter the Connect room as a “Guest”, then enter the room passcode: ChannelPartner