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Author: kbeddes

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We are all about that personalized learning journey here in digital teaching and learning, so in order to send you off into the summer in style, we offer you several pathways to craft your own summer learning journey with the Big 6. Pick your path, follow your curiosity, and come back inspired!

Adobe:

Take the first steps to incorporating creativity in your class with Adobe Creative Educator Level 1 or dive deeper into the creative waters with Adobe Creative Educator Level 2 self-paced courses from UEN. Find more details and registration links here: https://digitallearning.jordandistrict.org/2025/06/01/adobe-update-june-2025/

Canva:

Want to learn more about the ins and outs of Canva, but don't know where to starts? Have no fear! You are spoiled for choice in Canva's Design School. Check out the Canva Essentials self-paced course if you are new to the platform. Or if you ready to level up your game, check out the self-paced Teacher Essentials course to equip yourself with the essential skills needed to facilitate engaging learning with Canva.

Canvas:

Our friends at the Utah Education Network have a host of new self-paced courses to fill up your summer with learning. We have two options for your learning journey. Cover the basics with the Canvas Foundations class. This course will guide them in creating their own course using best practices to set up a visual home page, add engaging content, assess student learning, and communicate effectively using Canvas. Register here: https://uen.catalog.instructure.com/browse/uen2025/courses/canvasfoundations2025

Or if you want to sharpen your skills a bit, check out the Enhancing Your Canvas Skills course. Participants in this course will learn to augment and elevate their Canvas skills by incorporating Universal Design for Learning guidelines as they create engaging homepages, discussions, and quizzes and incorporate LTI tools into instruction. Register here: https://uen.catalog.instructure.com/browse/uen2025/courses/enhancing-your-canvas-skills-2025

Google:

As for your Google options, if you want to earn your Google Certified Educator and earn USBE or SUU credit, you can sign up for the Level 1 Google Course or the Level 2 Google Course through UEN and earn all the credit!

Find more details and registration links here: https://digitallearning.jordandistrict.org/2025/05/13/a-summer-of-google/

Nearpod:

UEN has a couple of options for you to brush up on your Nearpod prowess. If you are new to Nearpod, check out Getting Started with Nearpod. The course begins with an introduction to Nearpod and its basic features before diving into the strategic use of those features to meet instructional goals. Teachers will learn how to leverage media, discussion, assessment, and accessibility features in Nearpod to bolster their teaching. Register for the course here: https://uen.catalog.instructure.com/browse/uen2025/courses/nearpod2025

If you are a Nearpod pro, check out Expanding Your Nearpod Skills course. This is all about using Nearpod strategically in your classroom by apply accessibility guidelines to their Nearpod lessons, implement Nearpod-infused classroom routines, facilitate meaningful collaboration with Nearpod, and use Nearpod to personalize learning. By the end of this course, teachers will have the knowledge and skills to employ Nearpod in powerful, creative ways that spark students' imaginations and deepen their learning. Register for the course here: https://uen.catalog.instructure.com/browse/uen2025/courses/expanding-your-nearpod-skills-2025

Or you can register to attend the virtual Camp Engage, July 24-26th. At Camp Engage, you can learn how to create Nearpod magic alongside thousands of educators around the world. There is a wide range of topics for teachers and administrators with nearly 30-50 sessions per event. Register here: https://nearpod.com/blog/camp-engage-virtual-professional-development-for-teachers/

School AI:

School AI is Jordan's educational AI partner. They have some certification courses for educators. If you newer to the AI game, check out the Level 1 Certified Educator Course from School AI. Register here: https://community.schoolai.com/c/level-1-certified-educator/

UEN has a couple of options for educators who want to explore the big picture use of AI in the classroom. A good starting place is their course AI and Student Learning. This course will help educators navigate this new frontier by exploring different types of AI and their applications, the ethical challenges and dilemmas of AI in education, the impact of AI on teaching and learning, and the design of activities and assessments that incorporate AI. Register here: https://uen.catalog.instructure.com/browse/uen2025/courses/ai2025

This month’s website update invites you to embark on a personalized summer learning adventure with the Big 6 tools. For each tool, you’ll discover two self-paced learning journeys—choose the path that excites you most and unlock the treasure of new skills at your own pace. Whether you’re designing, organizing, collaborating, or creating, there’s an adventure waiting for every educator. As you set out on your summer learning journey, we wish you happy exploring and hope you discover treasures that will inspire your teaching next year. Happy learning!

 

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This year we've used the Jordan Portrait of a Graduate as our focus for our updates each month. As a district, we are committed to developing graduates who are curious thinkers, creative problem solvers, engaged citizens, empathetic communicators, resilient lifelong learners and responsible teammates. As the digital teaching and learning department, we support educators in facilitating the effective use of technology to enhance student learning. Throughout this year, we've shared ways that you can use Adobe to help your students practice these different skills.

Curious Thinker: Have students hone their observational skills by choosing an everyday object and using Adobe Express to illustrate some details and descriptors for that object. Use this lesson plan from Adobe Education Exchange to have the students practice mind-mapping and drawing connections between ideas: https://edex.adobe.com/teaching-resources/finding-evidence-joy-of-creativity

Creative Problem Solver: Check out this short video that discusses how Creative Problem Solving is less about being "artistic creative" and more about thinking outside of the box, especially when facing real-life problems.

Engaged Citizen: This "PRODUCE A BLOG FOR SOCIAL JUSTICE AND COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT" project will allow you to reflect on your own social justice knowledge in your community will help you better tackle real-world problems by examining current and historical problems from multiple perspectives resulting in authentic dialogues about change. Adobe Express allows you to instantly compose verbal and visual elements into published web pages making documenting and journaling your experiences accessible, fun and easy. Check out the lesson plan here on Adobe Education Exchange: https://edex.adobe.com/teaching-resources/produce-a-blog-for-social-justice-and-community-engagement

Empathetic Communicator: Level up your communication game by using the multimedia and video features in Adobe Express to share your ideas quickly & creatively. Adobe Express makes it easy to create graphics, videos, and web pages to share your message far and wide with the click of a button. Check out this video here:

Resilient Lifelong Learner: Help students keep their Adobe Express and other Creative Cloud files after graduation or when they transfer to another school!

Ensure your students can transfer their Adobe Express and other Creative Cloud files to a personal account using Adobe Student File Transfer service, so they can continue accessing their creative work, no matter where they are. https://graduation.adobe.com/

Responsible Teammate: In this video, you'll hear from expert educators and learn how to create an environment where learners feel comfortable to ask questions, explore ideas, take risks and engage with each other to create collaboratively. Check out the full, free, self-paced course, you’ll learn strategies to support your students’ creativity, communication, critical thinking, and collaboration skills. You’ll learn from expert teachers and access over 100 FREE lesson plans, activities, and projects that combine Khan Academy content and engaging Adobe tools here: https://edex.adobe.com/professional-learning/self-paced-course/teach-creativity-with-adobe-and-khan-academy

There are a million ways to use Adobe Express to build your students skills, both inside and outside of the classroom. What have been your favorite project this year?

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The "Responsible Teammate" skill is part of our commitment to helping students work well with others. It encourages kids to be reliable and to contribute positively when they work in groups. This skill is important because it helps students learn how to collaborate, compromise, and support each other, which are valuable skills both in school and in their future careers. Using the "Responsible Teammate" skill can help students learn how to communicate effectively, resolve conflicts, and achieve shared goals, which enhances their learning experience and prepares them for real-world situations.

This month, we are using this Creative Challenge from Adobe to help students illustrate how they see themselves as individuals, beyond their grades and test scores. In this "More than a Score" challenge, students and educators design a graphic in Adobe Express to capture the diverse and unique qualities they (or their students) possess beyond their academic acumen.

Creative Challenge Student Example

Students will be able to:

  • Evaluate evidence of personal project work and/or personal skills development.
  • Communicate effectively with their peers and/or audience.
  • Use the design process to generate useful or imaginative solutions for problems.

Check out this quick tutorial on how to use the student-friendly template:

Ready to get creative? Click the link here to access the remixable template in Adobe Express and start designing!

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resilient lifelong learner

This month, we celebrate the theme of the Resilient Lifelong Learner. As resilient lifelong learners, we remain committed to achieving our goals despite challenges, mistakes, and setbacks, viewing adversity as an opportunity for growth. Our focus is on nurturing these qualities in our students, equipping them to navigate life's challenges with persistence and adaptability.

Building Resilience with Adobe Express

Make a web page framing mistakes as opportunities

To support this theme, we’re excited to introduce a new project utilizing Adobe Express, developed in collaboration with Khan Academy. This lesson plan encourages students to view mistakes as valuable learning opportunities. Through this project, students will create a web page that tells a personal story of turning a mistake into an opportunity for growth.

Project Highlights:

  • Reflective Exploration: Students start by exploring resources that highlight how mistakes can lead to personal and intellectual growth.
  • Personal Reflection: They'll reflect on their own experiences, identifying past mistakes and the lessons learned.
  • Creative Expression: Using Adobe Express, students will craft a web page to illustrate their journey, embedding text, images, and other media to enhance storytelling.

This project not only develops digital literacy and media skills but also reinforces the growth mindset, encouraging students to see setbacks as stepping stones to success. By engaging in this creative process, students learn to articulate their experiences clearly and with conviction, embodying the empathetic communicator aspect of the Portrait of a Graduate.

We hope this project will inspire your students to embrace resilience and view challenges as opportunities for growth. For more details, refer to the lesson plan and resources available on Adobe's Education Exchange (sign in using your Jordan District email).

Come back next month for more updates and resources to support your teaching journey!

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UCET 2025 conference logo, the theme "authentic intelligence" and the adobe logo together in an image

Get ready to enhance your teaching toolkit with three exciting Adobe sessions at the upcoming UCET conference. These sessions, led by experienced educators, will introduce you to innovative ways to integrate Adobe tools into your classroom.

  1. Amplify Classroom Voices with Adobe Podcast
    • Date & Time: February 25, 2025, 10:15am - 11:15am MST
    • Description: Learn how to create engaging audio content with Adobe Podcast. This session, led by Rob Bentley, will cover everything from recording to editing, perfect for boosting student engagement.
  2. Adobe for Primary Grades
    • Date & Time: February 25, 2025, 1:30pm - 3:30pm MST
    • Description: Join Taunya James to explore Adobe Express and discover how primary students can use digital media tools to tell stories and express ideas across all subjects.
  3. What's New and Exciting in Adobe Express?
    • Date & Time: February 25, 2025, 11:30am - 12:30pm MST
    • Description: Rob Bentley will showcase the latest features in Adobe Express, including new integrations and tools to enhance your digital classroom activities.

Don't miss these sessions to learn how Adobe can transform your classroom and inspire your students! Adobe will also have several sessions from some of their featured presenters, so lots to choose from at UCET 2025.