Dear MindShare Learning Community Members,

Happy Tuesday!

I am excited to bring you the latest edition of the Canadian EdTech MindShare Report. This week, we have several exciting updates, with a special focus on the recent C21 CEO Academy Summit and the launch of the Future of AI in K12 Report at the University of Calgary.

C21 CEO Academy Summit Highlights:
It was an incredible honor to participate in the C21 CEO Academy Summit, where we announced the launch of the C21 CIO Alliance Future of AI in K12 Report. The summit, hosted in partnership University of Calgary, was a testament to the power of collaboration and innovation in education. The report sets a practical roadmap for integrating AI in K12 education ethically and effectively. We are excited about the next phase, where we will establish a national task force to create a comprehensive framework and guidelines.

This Week on MindShareTV: MindShareTV Podcast with Sarah Rankin, Learning Specialist, NBed on the inspiration for Canada’s first AI 'Think Tank' in K12.

Highlight of the Week: We are proud to spotlight the 16th Canadian Schools of the Future Student Invention Challenge, which has been extended! This initiative encourages students to address real-world problems with innovative solutions aligned with the UN Sustainable Development Goals. It’s a testament to young creativity and serves as a call to action for educators everywhere to inspire their students.

GenAI Tool of the Week Spotlight: This week's GenAI spotlight is on Diffit, use existing curriculum, or generate standards-aligned content from scratch with real, cited sources. 

K-12 News: Edmonton, AB, Team Wins ICTC’s National Cybersecurity Competition for Youth. OCSB to begin testing AI in classrooms.

Post-Secondary News: Meet the students that broke the vending machine story!

Upcoming Events and Resources: We're thrilled to forge our strategic partnership with ISTETLive24 in Denver hosting our 29th CanAm Celebration of Excellence VIP Reception! Closer to home, also looking forward to attending the upcoming ECNO conference! SAVE THE DATES! We've confirmed our partnership with UofT Scarborough as the host partner of the MindShare 15th Canadian EdTech Leadership Summit & Teacher STEM Showcase, November 1-2! More news to come next week! 

In late breaking news! I just had an excellent conversation with Ash Kaluarachchi CEO and Managing Director, StartEd Accelerator, producers of EdTechWeek NYC this Fall! Looking forward to announcing a partnership next week! Stay tuned for more!

Feel free to drop me a note with your inspiring news, research, careers, and upcoming events. We love to hear from our much valued community! And, please do share this eMag with a colleague to help nurture continued innovation across Canada and beyond! 

On behalf of our team, we are grateful for the growing MindShare Learning community we are nurturing across Canada and beyond (over 25 countries receive our eMag!). Special thanks to you, our board of advisors, partners, and our team who continue to inspire me every day!

Until next time, stay healthy, stay safe, and keep the digital learning curve steep!

The Ontario government intends to introduce legislation that would prohibit the misuse of data created by children and youth engaging with schools and children’s aid societies.

The regulatory changes would enable the creation of protections to better safeguard children’s information from being stolen or used inappropriately due to cyber incidents. 

OTTAWA, ON. May 13, 2024—Olympians Poseidon of Old Scona Academic in Edmonton, AB, clinched the top spot in this year’s ICTC CyberTitan National Competition Finals. 

Sudo rm –rf/ of Pembina Trails Collegiate in Winnipeg, MB, placed second, followed by Synaptic Cerebellum of Sisler High School in Winnipeg, MB, in third place. CyberDragons of Nashwaaksis Middle School in Fredericton, NB, won first place in the middle school division.  

“The extent to which young people are able to critically engage with and use scientific knowledge and competencies in their lives beyond the classroom will be important not only for them personally, but also for the health, fairness, and prosperity of all societies globally.” ~PISA Expert Strategic Visioning Group, March 2020

“It won’t get any bigger than this,” says River Stanley, a fourth-year University of Waterloo student in the Computer Science program, as they reminisce about the story they uncovered with three fellow undergraduates that would go on to make national and international headlines. 

The AI-powered simulator aims to help surgeons in training hone their skills for highly technical laparoscopic procedures. In these procedures, long, narrow wands equipped with a camera and a light are inserted through slits as tiny as two to three millimetres long, allowing surgeons to operate inside pediatric patients, causing less stress on their bodies.

Today, the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), with support from the Ontario Government, announced $1.5 million in funding to York University and in partnership with Centennial College to support small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and startups in developing and testing innovative automotive technologies and smart mobility solutions.

Overall, OVIN is supporting an investment of $4.77 million including the Province’s $1.5 million contribution.