I first heard of Adobe Spark last semester, in ECI 833. It was the very end of the semester and I was trying to determine what type of video tool that I would use for my “Summary of Learning” project. I consider myself slightly tech-challenged so feeling overwhelmed, I asked my super helpful classmate for some advice. Her first response was: “I’m using Adobe Spark. It’s super user-friendly and would be easy for you to figure out!” I’d love to say that I chose Adobe Spark as the tool for my video presentation, however, I actually ended up using Powtoon. I can’t say enough great things about Powtoon and plan to use it again for ECI 834 Summary of Learning, as well.
With that being said, I took this blog assignment as an opportunity to learn about Adobe Spark; the presentation tool that my ever-so-helpful classmate suggested to me! Upon arriving at Adobe Spark’s website, I watched the following video:
The classroom examples that this video showcases really highlights how Adobe Spark’s images, videos and web stories can be an engaging and effective way for students to display their learning. Students are able to produce a wide array of creations including videos, reports, presentations, posters, etc.
Navigating Adobe’s website is fairly straightforward and seamless. Adobe’s main page focuses on “Projects” where users choose what type of end product they hope to create. For instance, Adobe has a “Social” category, where users can choose to create Facebook covers, Instagram or Twitter images, and even Pinterest posts. Adobe also has a product category labelled “Teach and Study” where lesson plan videos, reports, flyers, posters and photo collages are available to create. Scrolling further down this page, users find a category labelled “Organize an event” where users can create invitations, announcements and cards. It appears that the options are endless when considering what a user can produce using Adobe Spark.
Once users have chosen a project to create, they are able to insert photos, text, videos and other media to convey their messages. Exploring Adobe Spark from an educator and student perspective, I was impressed at how easy it was to create a “glideshow” (as referred to in the video at the beginning of this post). The “glideshow” could also be referred to as the report option in Adobe Spark. Students can easily insert pictures or images and add text below. It would be the same idea as a classic, slideshow presentation but seems to be easier to create and more appealing to the eye when it is complete.
It is also important to highlight the video feature of Adobe Spark. The video feature is a great way for students to showcase their learning using text, images and even their own voices to narrate. Allowing students to use audio to explain their learning is a great way to increase student “buy-in” and pride in the work they’ve produced. Here are two examples of Adobe Spark videos. One is from a child who appears to be in grade 1 or 2. The other is from a student who completed her graduate studies in Alec’s class. These two videos serve as great examples of how Adobe Spark can be used to a vast range of audiences and skill levels.
Perhaps these examples have inspired you to try Adobe Spark for your own summary of learning, online course creation or even in your very own classrooms with students. If so, good luck!
This is great! I would also consider myself technologically challenged.. I am like that guy that forgets someones name, but it has been so long that I can’t ask them now, it would be far to embarrassing. I am so far behind the tech curve that I can’t ask questions…. 🙂 I have been wondering how people do these type of presentations and will definitely be using this, Thanks!
Haha okay, the “so far behind the tech curve that I can’t ask questions” describes me SO well! Last semester I had to ask what a hyperlink was… and was so very proud when I figured out how to do it.
I know that I mentioned this in my blog post but if you are looking for another good site to do your Summary of Learning with, I would suggest Powtoon, as well. If I could figure it out, anyone can.
Hi Kelsey!
Love this review! I have never used Adobe Spark before but I think after reading this that I might be able to give it a try. Another feature of your blog that I love from this week are the videos you put in! It was so nice to have so many visuals available. As someone commented on my blog post – any site that is easy to navigate is just fine with me! Half the trouble with primary technology use is getting logged in and set up – this sounds pretty simple! 🙂
Great share. Our division promotes using Spark quite a bit (Ts and Ss have accounts). I like the fact it’s stored in the cloud and you can access from home or wherever there’s a connection. The free stock photos are good and can get into a good discussion about creative commons. I thinking of using this in my social class … either to make memes or travel ads for civilisations or create visuals for a social media campaign. Thanks for the review.
As an Adobe user, I was also interested to hear about their program Spark, (because I’ve never used it) so I am looking forward to experimenting with it! Thank you for the info!
I like the examples you posted. It does look pretty easy to use.
Are you planning on incorporating this into major project this term?
Hey Joe,
I feel like I should incorporate it into one of my modules, at some point. I know myself well enough that if I want to truly learn about an app or a program, I need to create something with it. I used Powtoon in my first module for content delivery so I would like to challenge myself to use Adobe in one of the other modules.