Introducing Contact North | Contact Nord’s Four FREE, Easy-to-Use AI-Powered Apps for Education and Training |
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This Week in Canadian EdTech MindShareTV Podcast with Steve Brown, CEO of Nelson, Exploring EdTech Trends for 2025 |
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Dear MindShare Community Leader,
Happy Friday! As we navigate unchartered waters in 2025, it’s clear that AI-driven transformation, cybersecurity, and EdTech innovation continue to reshape education. However, recent events—including a major cyberattack on Canadian schools and the launch of China’s DeepSeek AI platform, a direct rival to ChatGPT and other AI tools—serve as critical reminders of the risks and challenges in an increasingly digital world. While AI holds promise for education, these developments underscore the importance of data security, ethical AI integration, and global competitiveness. We'll be hosting a webinar later this month featuring the C21 CIO Alliance. Stay tuned for details!
With that in mind, this week's MindShare Top 10 Report brings you the latest updates shaping the future of education.
Top 10 Canadian EdTech Featured News Highlights
🔹 Cybersecurity in Focus: A massive cyberattack on Ontario schools has exposed vulnerabilities in EdTech security, prompting urgent calls for stronger regulations and better protection of student data.
🔹 New Digital Learning Policies: Prince Edward Island introduces screen time guidelines to balance technology use and student well-being in K-12 schools.
🔹 AI in Education: C21 Canada & Dell Technologies unveil an AI Use Case Initiative designed to integrate AI responsibly into K-12 learning and school administration. Checkout the C21 CEO Academy Recorded Webinar and featured AI Use Case: Anglophone East School Division NB, AI to Support District Achievement Goals. Canada has become a global AI leader in K12 education by harnessing the collective knowledge amongst of innovative school districts and provincial education leaders.
🔹 Cybersecurity Innovation: Concordia University & Hitachi Cyber are developing an AI-powered cybersecurity solution to combat growing cyber threats in education and industry.
🔹 AI-Powered Tutoring: Georgian College & Meta collaborate on an Intelligent Tutoring System, using Generative AI and Extended Reality (XR) to enhance student learning.
📢 Recorded MindShareTV Podcasts Upcoming Events & Announcements
âś… MindShareTV Podcast: Steve Brown, CEO of Nelson, on EdTech Trends for 2025.
âś… C21 Canada CEO Academy Webinar Series: Insights on AI in K-12 Education (Recorded)
âś… This Week in Canadian EdTech Podcast TV (Recorded) @ FETC with EdTech expert, Rita Ferrandino, Co-founder, Arc Captial, UPennGSE Innovation Consultant, Exploring EdTech Trends & Innovation.
🔗 Watch Here🚀 Career Opportunities in EdTech
đź’Ľ Senior Business Development Representative, D2L (Kitchener, ON)
đź’Ľ Director, Data - Game, Prodigy (GTA, ON)
💼 K-12 Education Advisor, Amii (Edmonton, AB – Hybrid)
📆 Professional Learning & Conferences
A FREE Scribo AI Writing Masterclass that will Supercharge Writing in Your Classroom, spaces are limited! Click here to Register
OLA Super Conference | Jan 29 - Feb 1, 2025
EdTech Canada #EdTechTO Hybrid | February 25 @MindShare Workspace, Reg here
SXSW EDU | Mar 3 - 6, 2025
CoSN 2025 Seattle | Mar 31 - Apr 2, 2025
ULead: The Summit of Educational Leadership | Apr 6 - 8, 2025
Mental Health Summit | April 10- 12 (MindShare is a Proud Media Sponsor!)
ISTE 2025 | Jun 29 - Jul 2, 2025 (MindShare is a Proud Media Sponsor!)
16th MindShare Canadian EdTech Summit | UofT Toronto, Oct 28 - 29, 2025đź”—SAVE the DATES! New Sponsors & Presenters Welcome!
Featured EdTech Resources
đź“Ś Book of the Week:
The Future of Higher Education in an Age of AI – A deep dive into AI’s role in post-secondary learning.
đź“Ś OECD Report:
Trends Shaping Education 2025 – Examining global shifts in education policy & technology.
đź“Ś Teacher & Parent Resources: Guides on privacy, digital safety, and cybersecurity for K-12 classrooms.
Partner With Us!
Want to sponsor a Webinar, Unboxing EdTech, Product Review, feature your EdTech company, or join the 16th Canadian EdTech Summit? Checkout our latest MindShare Media & Consulting Playbook for 2025! Contact us at robert@mindsharelearning.com
Let’s continue shaping the future of education—responsibly, securely, and innovatively.
Until next time, keep the digital learning curve steep! |
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Robert Martellacci, M.A. EdTech
Chair, 15th Canadian EdTech Summit on AI
Founder & President, MindShare Learning Media & Consulting
Chief Digital Publisher, The MindShare Learning Report™
Founder, MindShare Workspace--Your Place to Work & Learn
CEO & Co-founder, C21 Canada--Canadians for 21st Century Learning & Innovation
Follow us on Twitter @MindShareLearn @c21can @mindsharework
https://mindsharelearning.ca/ |
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This Week in Canadian EdTech Podcast TV with Rita Ferrandino at FETC, Exploring EdTech Trends & Innovation |
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Join us for the upcoming EdTech Canada #EdTechTO MindShare Leader Meetup (Hybrid) and secure your spot today! |
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MindShare is Pleased to Announce a Media Partnership with Mental Health Summit! |
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Recorded C21 Canada Webinar Series: Future of AI in K12 Use Case Projects Insights! |
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Integrating AI in Education: Transforming Learning Series An AI Use Case Initiative for Canadian Education Featured Use Case of the Week:
AI to Support District Achievement Goals
Anglophone East School District
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The Future of Higher Education in an Age of Artificial Intelligence
This is a comprehensive look at what AI can do for students, teachers and the process of learning that also addresses the negative and policy issues associated with the use of AI in colleges, universities and research centres. Futures focused and scenario based, this book is a benchmark text for anyone who wants to explore what AI can do and might do as well as the potential impact it will have on the business of higher education. The author dismisses the idea that AI will transform higher education as we know it, saying it’s more likely we’ll see continuous improvement and gradual change through pockets of innovation. |
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OECD New Trends Shaping Education 2025 Report |
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Executive Summary:
The future of education is shaped by a myriad of economic, social, demographic, and technological trends.
The last few years have seen significant global crises, including a rise in armed conflict, and mounting geopolitical tensions, which have implications for public spending, international migration, global health, and national policy priorities. Their implications for education play out in various ways, underscoring the role that education can play in fostering peace and solidarity, but also the necessity of resilience and
adaptability in our education systems.
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1. Cyberattack affecting school boards spotlights the need for better EdTech regulation in Ontario and beyond
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Issues surrounding students’ data and schools’ use of educational technology (EdTech) are in the spotlight as school boards in six provinces respond to a “significant cyberattack” on an administration software platform. According to CTV, the company PowerSchool informed school districts that “hackers infiltrated its systems using a compromised credential to gain access to one of their portals, PowerSource.” |
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New screentime guidelines are now available to help encourage healthy screen use behaviours in Island schools. Following the ministerial directive on restricting cell phone use in schools, additional guidance has been developed to address technology use in the public school system. The draft guidelines provide educators with best practices on screen use that enhance student health, engagement and academic success while minimizing social and physical harm. |
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3. LKDSB Launches New Technological Education Hub
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Starting in September 2025, the Lambton Kent District School Board (LKDSB) is set to revolutionize the way students in Grades 10-12 experience skilled trades with the launch of its cutting-edge Technological Education Hub at the AMSS facility in Sarnia. This dynamic new program will offer specialized, hands-on learning opportunities across a variety of high-demand sectors, including Construction, Health and Wellness, Hairstyling and Aesthetics, Horticulture and Landscaping, Hospitality, and Transportation. |
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4. C21 Canada Unveils AI Use Case Initiative to Support Digital Transformation in K-12 Education Across Canada
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Building on the insights of the recently released C21 CIO Alliance Future of AI in K12 Education Report, C21 Canada and Dell Technologies announced the AI Use Case Initiative, a pioneering project to drive AI integration in K-12 education across Canada. This initiative, inspired by the visionary findings shared at the C21 CEO Academy Summit at the University of Calgary, aims to create sustainable, adaptable models of AI implementation, supporting schools in improving student achievement, enhancing teacher support, and streamlining administrative processes. |
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5. Youth and Technology: How No Cellphones in School is Going in Alberta
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When Dr. Kristina Llewellyn’s 11-year-old nephew interviewed Tony Smith — a former resident of the Nova Scotia Home for Colored Children— for a school project, the intergenerational, intercultural conversation about Smith’s lived experiences of racism was something Llewellyn wanted other students to understand. Finding belonging at the Institute led Llewellyn to collaborate with other passionate interdisciplinary researchers including Dr. Oliver Schneider from the Faculty of Engineering and Michael Barnett-Cowan from the Faculty of Health. Together, they launched the Digital Oral Histories for Reconciliation (DOHR) project, an educational virtual reality (VR) curriculum rooted in restorative justice. |
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7. Concordia and Hitachi Cyber develop AI-powered solution to revolutionize cybersecurity threat investigations
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The rapid growth of cybersecurity threats is creating new challenges across the cyber infrastructure of industrial corporations and governmental organizations. A collaborative research project between Concordia's Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science and Hitachi Cyber* aims to tackle a critical issue: How can security analysts effectively identify and prioritize threats amid an overwhelming influx of events and alerts in modern Security Operation Centres (SOCs)? |
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8. Global activist - now a U of T PhD student - uses AI to combat sexual violence
https://www.utoronto.ca/ | 14 January 2025 |
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Nigerian activist Bukky Shonibare is hoping the University of Toronto can help her bring an international fight for justice into the age of artificial intelligence. As co-founder of the #BringBackOurGirls movement, launched after 276 Chibok schoolgirls were abducted in northern Nigeria by Boko Haram in 2014, Shonibare brought worldwide awareness to the issue by holding up a placard every day for five years - no matter where she was in the world. |
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9. Art prof works with Mount Sinai Hospital on groundbreaking surgical training
https://www.ocadu.ca/ | 14 January 2025 |
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When surgeons at the Ontario Fetal Centre (OFC), based at Mount Sinai Hospital, were piloting a state-of-the-art robot to simulate a high-risk operation, they needed to use accurate and responsive medical models for practice and training purposes. That is when they turned to Associate Professor Francis LeBouthillier (pictured above, right), who is a leader in the development of medical simulation models. He joined the team of surgeons to make this happen and it was no easy task. |
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10. Georgian College and Meta collaborate on intelligent tutoring system using AI
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Imagine a personal mentor in the form of smart glasses connected to AI that can help you study throughout your entire college experience, or using a virtual reality (VR) headset to walk through a real-life scenario of what you just learned in class. That’s what’s in store for Georgian College students through a new, cutting-edge collaboration with Meta. Georgian is among the first Canadian colleges to team up with global technology giant Meta to advance the development of Intelligent Tutoring Systems (ITS) using Generative AI (GenAI) and extended reality (XR).
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Professional Learning Events |
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Ontario Library Association Super Conference
January 29-February 1, 2025
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CoSN2025, Seattle
March31- April 2, 2025
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ULead: The Summit of Educational Leadership
April 6-8, 2025
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ASU + GSV Summit: Learning at the Speed of Light
April 6-9, 2025
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MENTAL HEALTH SUMMIT: SUPPORTING MENTAL HEALTH AND WELLBEING IN SCHOOLS
April 11-12, 2025
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ISTE Conference
June 29-July 2, 2025
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16th Canadian EdTech Summit
October 28-29, 2025
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Teacher/Parent Resources Corner
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Parent Teaching Resources |
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1. Privacy Commissioner of Canada, Commissariat à la protection de la vie privée, Privacy and kids
The Privacy Commissioner of Canada is an Agent of Parliament whose mission is to protect and promote privacy rights. |
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2. KnowledgeFlow: Raising Safe Digital Citizens: CyberWise Parents |
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A 2024 Pew Research study reveals that 73% of teens use YouTube daily, with 15% reporting almost constant engagement. Furthermore, over 90% of teens own a smartphone, making them more connected than ever before. While this connectivity offers countless benefits, it also opens the door to risks that can impact your child’s well-being. Risks like exposure to harmful content, risky interactions with strangers, or falling for online scams are just a few dangers that many parents may not even realize their children face. To help parents navigate these challenges, the EU Kids Online and CO:RE Projects developed the “4 C’s Framework” for online safety, which highlights four key areas: |
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3. Data Defenders (Grades 4-6)
Data Defenders is an interactive game that teaches children and pre-teens the concept of personal information and its economic value, and introduces them to ways to manage and protect their personal information on the websites and apps they enjoy.
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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! To inquire about our EdTech strategy consulting services,
Contact us at robert@mindsharelearning.com
MindShare Learning Digital Marketing & EdTech Strategy Playbook.
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About MindShare Learning
MindShare Learning is Canada’s Leading EdTech Media, Marketing & Strategy Consulting Company. We offer expert insight to the learning technology sector to help leaders and learners thrive in the 21st Century global knowledge-based digital economy.
The MindShare Report Mission
Our goal is to keep you current and at the forefront of innovation in Canadian education through our weekly eMag. Be sure to connect with us:
- Contribute a story, or suggest a MindShareTV podcast
- Feedback, or suggestions on how to improve this report
- Advertise, sponsor, or strategic partnerships
The MindShare Learning Report team consists of the following individuals:
Robert Martellacci, M.A. Ed Tech., Founder & Chief Digital Publisher
Dr. Ron Owston, PhD., Research Associate, University Professor Emeritus, Former Dean of Faculty, York University
Chris Kim, PhD., Research Associate, Software Engineer, software studio, Fresco Industries
Timothy Gard, B.Ed., OCT, M.A, Chief Learning Strategist
Hanan Mousa, M.B.A, B.C. S. Digital Media Specialist
MindShare Advisory Board
The MindShare Report is grateful for the guidance and support provided by our esteemed advisory board. Members include:
Laurent Burman, M.B.A., Chief Commercial Officer, Sound Commerce
Kevin Custer, Founding Principal, Arc Capital Development
Chip Fesko, Principal, Chip Fesko & Associates
Ian Fogarty, Educator, Riverview High School | MindShare National Video Challenge Award Winner
Dr. GuyTetrault, Award Winning Sun West School Division, Director & CEO (Retired)
Michael Furdyk, Co-Founder, TakingItGlobal
Dr. Eric Hamilton, Associate Dean of Education, Pepperdine University, Graduate School of Education and Psychology
Maxim Jean-Louis, CEO, Contact North/Contact Nord,
Gary Kern, Principal, St. George's School
Dr. Susanne Lajoie, Professor, Department of Educational and Counselling Psychology, McGill University
David Marsi, Senior Manager Training Initiatives, ScotiaMcLeod
Mirella Rossi, Superintendent of Education, Simcoe Muskoka Catholic District School Board
Sandra Chow, Award Winning Teacher, Toronto District School Board (On Leave serving as a Director of Technology & Instruction at a School in China
Ron Sedran, MD, Equity Capital Markets, Canaccord Adams
About The MindShare Learning Report™
Canada's Learning & Technology eMagazine.
Our mission is to provide insight and inspiration to K12 and Post-Secondary education and industry leaders by sharing the latest trends and innovative best practices and success stories in the Canadian education market space and beyond.
Editorial content is welcomed for our weekly and monthly EdTech Reports.
Please forward your news releases as web links to
info@mindsharelearning.com
Advertising opportunities are available, please contact,
robert@mindsharelearning.com
Consulting opportunities are available, please contact:
robert@mindsharelearning.com
Annual subscriptions to the MindShare Learning Report can be purchased at $99 CDN
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Our Valued Clients and Partners |
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