Media Commons at Penn State

Last month, Media Commons staff presented five workshops at TLT's Digital Education Retreat (DEER) at the beautiful Nature Inn at Bald Eagle State Park. We connected with faculty from across the Commonwealth to explore innovative approaches to teaching and learning.

From creating videos and infographics with Adobe Express to building interactive learning experiences with ThingLink, digital storytelling, and Media Commons resources, participants gained hands-on experience with tools and strategies designed to increase student engagement and support meaningful learning outcomes.

Thank you to everyone who joined us! We love partnering with faculty to explore new ways technology can inspire creativity, communication, and active learning in the classroom!

Summer is a time for planning, collaboration, and connection! ☀️

Librarians and Media Commons staff from across the Commonwealth gathered at Penn State Fayette for the annual Student Engagement and Outreach summer meeting. The day was filled with learning, sharing ideas, building relationships, and exploring new ways to support student success across Penn State.

We're excited to bring these conversations and ideas into the year ahead!

The Podcast Lounge at Shields Media Commons brought together unlikely recording partners: international students and Centre County seniors. 🎙

This collaborative project between Intensive English Communication Program (IECP) and Osher Lifelong Learning Institute (OLLI) allowed for intergenerational storytelling, language practice and digital recording skill-building all with the support of Creative Learning Initiatives staff. 14 IECP students got to know elders and, in turn, these OLLI students got to learn more about lived experiences from around the world. 🌏

See more about the partnership and read the PSU News story from our Community page: https://tlt.psu.edu/mediacommons/2026/05/26/iecp-olli-oral-history-and-digital-storytelling/

Hey Penn Staters! With graduation here, you’ll want to take your Adobe files with you so you have ongoing access to your creative work and web portfolios — and you can showcase your work to future employers. Visit Adobe's Student File Transfer tool to copy your files to a new or existing personal Adobe account today: graduation.adobe.com

🚀 Penn State faculty and staff, you have access to the Adobe Education Institute!

This virtual event offers hands-on workshops and expert sessions on using Adobe Express and AI to create engaging, accessible course content.

🎓 As an Adobe Creative Campus, Penn State faculty and staff can register and participate.
✅ Sign up to secure your spot and enhance your teaching with Adobe tools. Register here https://events.adobeforeducation.com/adobeeducationinstituteseries/form?c_6842325=39643715&ref=561&i=x6ohWLQPyn4MIS3uKpE6ZumuZx8fCP27

Happy summertime, Penn State! 😎

Are you taking classes this summer? Planning a course for fall? We're here to support you all summer long!

We can help with:
• Individual appointments.
• Online tutorials.
• Workshops for classes and groups.
• Assignment and assessment planning.

Get in touch with us: https://mediacommons.psu.edu/

That's a wrap on DEER 2026! 🦌

This year's theme was "Cultivating Creativity in a Changing World". This year's faculty cohort attended sessions on topics including Play in Learning, Adobe Express, ThingLink, and more. They left with Technology Enhanced Instructional Materials (TEIMs) developed over the course of DEER, ready to infuse creativity into their curriculum.

🦌 Learn more about DEER at tlt.psu.edu!

At Penn State Harrisburg, our Maker Commons crew joined in at the AI and Teaching Summit to offer the 🤖 AI to IRL: From Prompt to Product workshop.

Participants were coached on using Adobe Express's logo maker tool to design their own branded designs. They then took these to the dye sublimation printer and heat transfer technologies to add their generative AI creations into real, physical products.

Did you make use of Adobe Creative Cloud this academic year? Let us know how you were able to create with products like Express, Photoshop, Audition, Premiere, Podcast and more! 🎨

Visit our Use Cases page to share your project - and be inspired by other creative Penn Staters:

https://adobe.psu.edu/support/use-cases/

We can't wait to see 👀 your exciting work from across the University!