Adobe Express at Banff Academy, Aberdeenshire
Please note that appropriate permissions were given to share learner photos, videos, first names and feedback.
Overview
Colleagues from Education Scotland visited Banff Academy to find out how they were using Adobe Express for Education via Glow.
They visited Computing Science and Business Studies departments and also got an opportunity to speak to a member of staff who worked in their learning hub.
This news post will provide a high level overview of how the classes were using Adobe Express.
Computing Science
Learner feedback (Ian)
I’ve been having a really positive experience creating my poster about recently extinct animals using Adobe Express for Education. I’m finding it so easy to use with all the features right there, and I love the access to copyright-free images and how flexible it is to move things around on the page. The collaboration feature sounds interesting and I would like to try that next. Amazing that everything is in the one place, saves a lot of time and effort.
Learner feedback (Naomi)
I am working on an online safety website. This is a project I’m really passionate about, and it builds on some of the things I’ve learned and created before. I used similar skills when I was involved in the Youth and Philanthropy Initiative (YPI). My group chose to focus on the amazing work of the Archie Foundation, and I created posters to help raise awareness for them. I’ve also used these design skills for other important topics, like creating posters for science and posters that focused on domestic abuse and mental health. More recently, as part of a project-based learning (PBL) initiative, I even designed some ‘moving up’ packs for P7 transition days, which involved making information clear and engaging. Once you start using Adobe you can’t stop and it helps me with my creativity.
Mental Health Example
Science Example
Learner feedback (Marissa)
The AI text effects in Adobe are a real asset for my poster design work. Themed posters are coming to life in exciting new ways, and the built-in support for prompt generation is making it much easier to harness the power of AI in my creative process. I like that the tools are making projects easier and save lots of time.
AI Image Example
Learner feedback (Sophie)
I have been using it in History to create a presentation about The life of William Shakespeare. I like the themes I can choose. However, I would like to see some improvements to the elements section.
History Template Examples
Learner feedback (Gordon)
I have been creating a Halloween party poster that includes, images, text and backgrounds. I especially enjoyed using the visual effects within Adobe to bring my poster to life! I’m also finding the AI Text to Image feature incredibly useful for a current project exploring the potential for robots and technology to take over certain jobs. It’s really helping me visualise some interesting concepts. The key, I’ve learned, is to be precise and avoid vague descriptions when generating prompts to get the best results.
AI Image Example
Learner feedback (Yasmin)
I find Adobe Express incredibly useful, especially for my business studies and history projects. The peace of mind that comes with all the graphics being copyright free is a huge plus. It’s remarkably easy to learn – I jumped right in without needing any guidance. The templates are fantastic and have a contemporary feel, making graphic design feel accessible to everyone. I also used it for a ‘Girls in Energy’ event, which allowed us to prioritise the factual content. The drawing tool is surprisingly versatile, and the symmetry tool is a real time-saver for creating balanced designs.
History Example
Business Studies
Teacher feedback
The intuitive nature of Adobe Express, which has been fantastic for poster creation and keeping learners engaged, is proving equally beneficial as we explore building online safety websites in our classes. Because it’s so easy to get the hang of, I’m confident learners won’t need significant training to create their own sites. These will ultimately serve as personalised study resources, blending website development skills with essential online safety knowledge.
Learner feedback (Marcel and Ryley)
We’ve used Adobe Express quite a bit in class to make posters – it’s super easy to figure out and helps me concentrate on what I’m trying to show. Because it’s so straightforward, it doesn’t feel like you need a whole lesson just to learn how to use it. Now, we’re actually using Adobe Express to build a website for a project about the future of technology. It’s pretty cool that the same program I used for posters is letting me create a whole website. Because it’s so intuitive, I didn’t really need any extra training to get started with the website tools either. Using Adobe Express saves us time by not having to search for graphics.
Learner examples (Yasmin)
I used Adobe Express to create some business management posters.
Business management examples.
Learning Hub
Teacher feedback
I’ve found Adobe Express for Education to be incredibly helpful in designing lesson materials to be used in our learning hub. I have created bespoke flash cards that were easy to build and provide a great end result. I have also explored the Generate AI feature where I generated some graphics for a Sea and Space project.
Learning hub examples
Challenges
I have found that generating images to represent some measurement questions have been challenging because I wanted a image of a jug with a clear measurement scale on the side with the appropriate amount of liquid (e.g. 500ml) However, this couldn’t be achieved easily and most of the scales were illegible. (Education Scotland have fed this back to Adobe to see if there is something they can do).
