Dear MindShare Learning Community Member,

Welcome back to a new school year! As we step into the 2024-2025 academic year, we are filled with excitement and optimism for the journey ahead. The world of education continues to evolve rapidly, and at MindShare Learning, we are committed to helping you navigate these changes with confidence and success.

We are thrilled to announce a special collaboration with Logics Academy and Let's Talk Science for the 15th Canadian EdTech Leadership Summit. This year's Summit, taking place from October 31 to November 2 at the University of Toronto Scarborough, promises to be our most dynamic yet. We’ve expanded the program to include a Teacher STEM AI eSports Symposium and a Makerspace Showcase on Saturday. This is a unique opportunity for educators to immerse themselves in hands-on learning experiences that will inspire and empower them in their teaching practice.

In this Back to School Special Edition of the MindShare EdTech Report, we highlight the most impactful tools and insights for educators, leaders, and parents. Be sure to check out our Top 50 Cool K12 EdTech Tools for Back to School and discover the latest innovations recommended by Canadian teachers. Additionally, don’t miss the inspiring insights from Richard Culatta, CEO, ISTE, on the challenge of banning mobile phones in the classroom. While I support a ban, I also believe in the importance of giving teachers the flexibility to model appropriate use and nurture digital citizenship among students.

Key Highlights:

• Top 50 Cool K12 EdTech Tools: Essential resources to kick-start your school year.
• 15th Canadian EdTech Leadership Summit: Expanded offerings with a Teacher STEM AI eSports Symposium.
• Richard Culatta on digital citizenship and flexible mobile phone policies.
• Thriving Together: Empowering Students with Social-Emotional Learning (Recorded Webinar).
• This Week in Canadian EdTech Unboxing Canvas LMS by Instructure with Amineh Olad-Koper,Sr. Solutions Engineer | Higher Education
• C21 Canada Spotlight: Back-to-School message from Tom D'Amico,
  Director of Education, OCSB.
• Professional Learning Events: Mark your calendars for upcoming opportunities to connect and learn.
• Top 5 Tips for Back to School by: Debbie Michailidis, Educator & Curriculum Developer, TDSB & MindShare Learning Associate.

As we prepare for another year of learning, remember that the future of education lies in our collective ability to adapt, innovate, and empower our students. Let’s embrace this year with enthusiasm, and together, we can create a positive and transformative learning environment for all in this new age of AI.

Don't forget to register for the Canadian EdTech Summit—the early bird special ends next Friday! Only 62 days to go!

Let's make this year one of growth, innovation, and inspiration!  Wishing you all a fantastic start to the school year!

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

As VR equipment and software become more accessible, the technology is being combined increasingly with educational initiatives.

"We really just wanted to open the door for this possibility and show people that we can use VR to teach really cool concepts that you can't grasp from a paper or a book or just e-learning," Bergeron said.

Back to school could mean back to the hot seat for Big Tech.

Social media platforms TikTok, Facebook, Instagram and Snapchat spent last school year embroiled in a lawsuit accusing them of disrupting learning, contributing to a mental health crisis among youth and leaving teachers to manage the fallout.

When students return to class this September, experts say the clash between tech and textbooks will be reignited — and perhaps even ratcheted up — as schools and parents reckon with the impacts social media is having on education. 

Alberta’s government and its education partners are continuing to modernize the education system and improve student success by developing and piloting a curriculum that will drive a passion for learning. The new draft K-6 social studies curriculum, which was developed after nine months of consultation with education partners, teachers, parents and Albertans, focuses on building students’ critical thinking skills and empowers them to be engaged citizens.

Jill Dunlop has been named Ontario’s new education minister, replacing Todd Smith, who resigned from the role and as a member of the provincial parliament on Friday.

Premier Doug Ford announced the changes to his cabinet hours after Smith’s resignation. Nolan Quinn will take over Dunlop’s portfolio and become the minister of Colleges and Universities.

Dunlop was elected as the MPP for Simcoe North in 2018 and became the minister of Colleges and Universities in 2021.

A team of student entrepreneurs is developing an innovative toy-like medical device that makes health care more accessible for children by accurately measuring their hand grip strength. “A child’s grip strength is a simple but powerful way to check on a child’s health but most of the tools available are built for the larger, stronger adult hands,” says Deena Al-Sammak, co-founder of the new venture Power of Play.  

New AI tools will be part of the curriculum at over 100 Canadian universities and colleges this fall

Whenever Queen's University student Ava Ansari struggles with a multiple choice question on an assignment, an AI chat window immediately pops up on the side of her screen. 

"It's almost as if I have my own personal teacher sitting with me," said Ansari of the artificial intelligence tool that's built into her digital textbook. 

The University of Toronto is ranked first in Canada and 26th globally in the latest edition of ShanghaiRanking Consultancy’s worldwide university ranking. Among public universities, U of T placed sixth in North America and 15th overall in the 2024 Academic Ranking of World Universities, released last week. The ranking’s creators evaluated more than 2,500 universities to determine the 1,000 included in this year’s publication.

A team of five engineering students from the University of Ottawa has developed a prototype that’s transforming the fitness experience for individuals with mobility challenges. The prototype makes a standard Concept2 rower wheelchair accessible, providing increased opportunities for physical activity and well-being.

Students in Humber’s Artificial Intelligence (AI) with Machine Learning program are applying what they’ve learned in class in fascinating ways as evidenced by their capstone projects.

Students in the program recently presented their capstones to professor Timothy Wong, who offered his thoughts and advice, and took questions from their peers afterwards.