Adobe has joined President Obama’s ConnectED initiative to help bolster technology education in US schools. The company plans to contribute $300 million in software to teachers and students, including Photoshop Elements, Premiere Elements, Presenter, Captivate, and even EchoSign, which Adobe hopes will help improve schools’ administrative processes. "We believe in the power of media creation as a way for youth to express their creativity and build their skills for future success," says Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen. The company has also committed to providing training resources to educators across the US.
ConnectED has now brought in over $1 billion in donations from tech businesses; Apple, Microsoft, and several US mobile carriers have already pledged support for the initiative. Adobe isn't the only company joining today, either. Prezi, the startup behind cloud-based presentation software, will provide $100 million in licenses that will go to "hundreds of thousands" of high schools and other educational institutions.