5 tips to help teachers, parents and students to navigate the new cell phone ban policies in K12 schools and ensure for a smoother transition,

Dear MindShare Learning Community Member,

Welcome to the September 2024 edition of the Can/Am MindShare Learning Report! As we head into an exciting new academic year, the profound impact of artificial intelligence (AI) on education is becoming increasingly evident. Our mission is to keep you informed, inspired, and equipped with the latest developments, resources, and opportunities shaping the future of learning.

While I fully embrace EdTech and AI innovations, we must also address the challenges they bring to ensure students remain safe and equipped with the essential skills needed to thrive beyond school.

By Invitation Only. 50 Days to Go! 50 Generative Age Book Giveaway! Why You Should Plan to Attend the 15th Canadian EdTech Leadership Summit, Toronto

We’re excited to highlight the 15th Annual Canadian EdTech Leadership Summit, taking place from October 31st to November 2nd in Toronto for the first time in five years! This year’s theme, Navigating the Future of Education in an AI-Inspired World, brings together some of the brightest minds in education and EdTech.

Here are three compelling reasons why this can’t-miss professional learning event will be a game-changer for educators, edtechs professionals, policymakers, students, and leaders:

Invaluable Networking: The summit offers a unique opportunity to connect with top educators, thought leaders, and EdTech innovators. Whether you're seeking new partnerships or engaging with peers, this is the ideal platform to build lasting professional relationships.
Deep Insights into AI in Education: Discover how AI is transforming teaching, learning, and leadership. From ethical considerations to practical classroom applications, you'll walk away with actionable strategies to implement AI effectively in your institution.
State-of-the-Art Venue: For the first time, the summit will be held at the University of Toronto Scarborough's new Sam Ibrahim Active Learning Spaces. This cutting-edge venue will enhance your learning experience, fostering an inspiring environment for collaboration and discovery.

World-Class Keynote Speakers Include:

Dr. Chris Kennedy, Superintendent, West Vancouver Schools, opening with a keynote on AI’s role in reimagining education.
Alana Winnick, author of The Generative Age: Artificial Intelligence and the Future of Education, leading an engaging lunchtime keynote.
Steve Brown, CEO of Nelson, closing the summit with a forward-looking session on AI’s future in education.

New for This Year! With hands-on experiences like the STEM AI eSports Teacher Symposium Innovation Showcase, this summit promises to be the premier EdTech event of the year. Register now to secure your spot and be part of the conversation shaping the future of education. Last chance to save 10%!

Key Highlights in This Edition:

MindShareTV Special Episode: Alana Winnick offers a "Sneak Peek" into her keynote at the 15th Canadian EdTech Leadership Summit, providing insights into how AI is transforming education. Watch here to learn more about this exciting event.
5 Tips for Navigating New K12 Cell Phone Bans: Robert Martellacci shares essential tips to help teachers, parents, and students transition smoothly into new cell phone policies in K12 schools, emphasizing the benefits of this change and how to leverage in-class technology for learning. Read here for more insights.
MindShareTV Interview with Dr. Steve Joordens: Co-chair of the Canadian EdTech Summit and Professor at the University of Toronto, Dr. Joordens discusses the role of AI in education and what attendees can expect from the summit. Watch here for his expert insights.
Introducing Contact North | Contact Nord’s Four FREE, Easy-to-Use AI-Powered Apps for Education and Training.
GenAI Tool of the Week: Yippity: Discover how this AI-powered tool can enhance your classroom and simplify teaching. Learn more about how GenAI tools are becoming essential in modern education.
AI and Teacher Education Reports: UNESCO's AI competency framework for teachers.
Post-Secondary AI News: How faculty and instructors can reduce their workload and save time with AI Teaching Assistant Pro, by Dr. Ron Owston, Dean Emeritus, York University.

Quote of the Week: “As we embark on a new school year in West Vancouver, I am excited to share our district’s focus on three key areas that will guide our work: innovative learning, foundational skills, and inclusivity will shape the experiences of every learner in our district.”

— Dr. Chris Kennedy, Superintendent, West Vancouver SD & Opening Keynote Speaker at the 15th Canadian EdTech Summit.

We look forward to continuing this journey with you, sharing the latest trends, tools, and insights to help you thrive in the ever-changing educational landscape. Be sure to register for the by-invitation-only Canadian EdTech Summit and take advantage of this unique professional learning and networking opportunity. Special thanks to our speakers, sponsors, and team for creating such an unparalleled event!

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

P.S. New Date! EdTech Canada leaders Join us for the 4th MindShare EdTech Charity Golf tourney in partnership with AWS, Wednesday, September 25, 2pm. Proceeds to support my alma mater, TDSB Student Scholarships.

Robert Martellacci, M.A. EdTech
Founder & President, MindShare Learning Technology™
Chief Digital Publisher, The MindShare Learning Report™
Founder, MindShare Workspace--Your Place to Work & Learning
CEO & Co-founder, C21 Canada--Canadians for 21st Century Learning & Innovation
Follow us on Twitter @MindShareLearn @c21can @mindsharework
https://mindsharelearning.ca/

MindShareTV Unlocking the Future of Learning with

Dr. Lesley Wilton on AI Ethics & Literacy

Sponsorship Opportunities

From Our Team To Yours Welcome Back to School!

Thank you to MP Iqra Khalid (centre) for joining our Back to School Celebration at Mindshare Workspace and for supporting our student summer jobs grant program.

4th Annual Fall EdTech Industry Charity Golf Tournament! New Date!

Register NOW!

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51 Days to Go! MindShare Canadian EdTech Summit Preview

“Navigating the Future of Education in an AI-Inspired World,”

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5 tips to help teachers, parents and students to navigate the new cell phone ban policies in K12 schools and ensure for a smoother transition,

By Robert Martellacci, Founder & CEO

As we return Back to School, 5 tips to help teachers, parents and students to navigate the new cell phone ban policies in K12 schools and ensure for a smoother transition:
1. Embrace the Policy as a Positive Change
Approach the cell phone ban with a positive mindset, emphasizing the benefits of improved focus and reduced distractions in the classroom. Reinforce the idea that this change can help students concentrate better on their studies and participate more actively in class.
2. Leverage In-Class Technology Tools
Utilize the available in-class technology like computers, tablets, and other digital tools to enhance learning. By integrating these resources into your lessons, students can still engage with technology in a structured and educational manner, making the transition away from cell phones smoother.

Read Here

MindShareTV Joined by the Co-chair for the upcoming Canadian EdTech Summit, Dr. Steve Joordens, Professor of Psychology at the University of Toronto Scarborough.

How Faculty and Instructors Can Reduce Their Workload and Save Time with AI Teaching Assistant Pro- Dr. Ron Owston, Dean Emeritus, York U

Introducing Contact North | Contact Nord’s Four FREE, Easy-to-Use AI-Powered Apps for Education and Training

For more information

C21 Canada Blog Spotlight

NEW on Culture of Yes - Yeah, but where are we going?

I joked in our initial meeting with our principals and vice-principals for this fall, that I think it is far better to be upset about the directions we are taking than it is to be upset because they feel that we are directionless, or they don’t know the directions. If you are about everything you end up being about nothing. Every chance I get I am reinforcing the three key areas of focus we have set for this year.

Read Here

Featured GenAI Tool of Week

Yippity

Quote of the Week

" As we embark on a new school year in West Vancouver, I am excited to share our district’s focus on three key areas that will guide our work. These areas are designed to ensure that we continue to provide exceptional learning experiences for all our students.Our commitment to innovative learning, foundational skills, and inclusivity will shape the experiences of every learner in our district.

Alongside AI, we are equally committed to promoting physical literacy, physical activity, and outdoor experiences. We know that a healthy body supports a healthy mind, and our focus on physical literacy is about more than just movement. This has been a decade long journey (learn more HERE) integrating physical literacy throughout our system. ."

--Dr. Chris Kennedy, Superintendent West Vancouver SD & Opening Keynoter, 15th Canadian EdTech Summit

Book of the Week

Listen Here

K-12 Top News Stories

1. UNESCO's AI competency framework for teachers

unesco.org, September 06, 2024

Guiding teachers on artificial intelligence (AI) use and misuse in education, this publication defines the knowledge, skills, and values teachers must master in the age of AI.

2. 'A great teaching opportunity': How one school board plans to use AI in the classroom
ca.news.yahoo.com, September 2, 2024

OTTAWA — When students return to Catholic schools in Ottawa this week, they will be able to use artificial intelligence to help solve math problems and create essay outlines.

Their teachers, too, can turn to AI to generate lesson plans, adjust content to a student’s specific needs, and give feedback on assignments.

3. Will AI Make Standardized Tests Obsolete?

edsurge.com, August 29, 2024

The SAT is to standardized testing what the floppy disk is to data storage.

Providers of some of the most popular standardized tests are rethinking their offerings as new AI tools are challenging traditional techniques for finding out what students know — and allowing new ways to give and score tests.

4. How Can K–12 Educators Teach Blind Students to Code?

edtechmagazine.com, September 03, 2024

Coding has become an essential skill in the modern K–12 classroom. While more schools are making computer science mandatory and creating more opportunities for students to learn to code, those who are blind or have low vision are often left out of this largely visual experience.

Lacking this 21st-century skill could be an obstacle for those students when entering the workforce, an already difficult endeavor: According to Cornell University, nearly half of working-age adults with visual disabilities are not employed full time.

5. As Federal Dollars Vanish, Districts Weigh Which Edtech Tools to Drop

edsurge.com, August 28, 2024

For Evangelina Mendoza, a chief information technology officer for San Antonio Independent School District in Texas, the impending end of federal pandemic relief money is forcing tough choices.

Part of that is ruthlessly reevaluating the edtech purchases that San Antonio Independent — a large urban district that serves almost 45,000 students — made during the pandemic.

Subscribing to the MindShare EdTech Report ensures you are always at the forefront of K20 educational innovation & equipped with the knowledge and resources to enhance learning outcomes

Post-Secondary Top News

6. uOttawa's Faculty of Engineering expands online programs in AI and digital transformation

uottawa.ca, August 29, 2024

The University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Engineering is embracing the digital future by launching two brand new online master’s programs: the Master of Interdisciplinary Artificial Intelligence (MIAI) and the Master of Digital Transformation and Innovation (MDTI). These programs will be offered entirely online, making them accessible to students across Canada.

7. York displays leadership in artificial intelligence with YU AURA platform
yorku.ca, September 4, 2024

York University has released its own proprietary, in-house artificial intelligence (AI) platform, called YU AURA (Automated University Response Assistant), highlighting its ongoing leadership in socially responsible AI and innovation.

8. When the Teaching Assistant Is an AI ‘Twin’ of the Professor

edsurge.com, August 27, 2024

Two instructors at Vilnius University in Lithuania brought in some unusual teaching assistants earlier this year: AI chatbot versions of themselves.

The instructors — Paul Jurcys and Goda Strikaitė-Latušinskaja — created AI chatbots trained only on academic publications, PowerPoint slides and other teaching materials that they had created over the years. And they called these chatbots “AI Knowledge Twins,” dubbing one Paul AI and the other Goda AI.

9. Colleges, universities adapt to new technology

news.uwgb.edu, September 04, 2024

Instead of worrying about how his students may misuse artificial intelligence (AI) in their assignments, Paul Belanger, a writing professor at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay, encourages students to use the new technology.

“It’s our responsibility to teach students about the guardrails around AI and how to ethically use it,” he says. “We want to help students learn how to use AI in a professional way.”

10. McMaster develops and shares open resources on using generative AI in education

dailynews.mcmaster.ca, August 30, 2024

As the uses — and risks — of generative Artificial Intelligence in education continue to evolve, an increasing number of institutions are drawing on new open-access resources developed at McMaster for guidance on the appropriate use of AI for students and instructors.

This summer, McMaster released revised teaching and learning guidelines, which offer clearer direction on areas such as the potential risks of using AI in learning, AI detection tools, and appropriate uses of AI for students and instructors.

Senior Manager, Enterprise Business Systems

Career Opportunities

Toronto District School Board

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Newark Public Schools

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State of Maryland

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Professional Learning Events

Register Now! Our 4th Annual Fall EdTech Industry Charity Golf Tournament

September 25th, 2024

Tech & Learning EdExec Summit

September 11-13, 2024

HolonIQ 2024 'Back to School' Summit

September 10-11, 2024

EDUCAUSE Annual Conference

October 21-24, 2024

SETDA Leadership Summit Event Sponsorship Opportunity

October 27-30, 2024

Don’t miss the opportunity to showcase your brand at SETDA’s annual Leadership Summit and Ed Forum! This premier event, taking place from October 27-30, 2024, in Arlington, VA, gathers state-level digital learning and educational technology leaders from across the United States for unmatched learning and networking experiences. A limited number of sponsorships are still available. Secure your spot today through the SETDA Hub here.

15th Canadian EdTech Leadership Summit

October 31-November 2nd, 2024

IT4K12 Conference

November 5-6, 2024

EDSpaces, Designing the Future of Education

November 12-14, 2024

Public Sector Network, EduTech, The Evolution of Learning

November 20, 2024

Teacher/Parent Resources Corner

Parent Teaching Resources

1. Microsoft Learn

2. National Inventors Hall of Fame: Learning at Home, Beyond the Classroom

3. Free edWeb webinars with CE certificates

Leading Innovation in Education

Advertise your not-for-profit organization or EdTech company. Sponsor a Webinar or Canadian EdTech Summit! Share your press releases, career opportunities, and more! Ask us about our EdTech strategy consulting services.

Contact us at robert@mindsharelearning.com

'NEW' MindShare Learning Digital Marketing & EdTech Strategy Playbook.