Dear MindShare Community Leader,

Happy International Women & Girls in STEM & Science Day! Today, we celebrate the remarkable contributions of women in STEM fields who continue to break barriers, inspire future generations, and drive innovation in education and beyond. Their impact on AI, cybersecurity, and digital learning is reshaping the global education landscape.

A special shoutout to my daughter, Bianca, who is in the Cybersecurity space. So proud of you!

We're excited to bring you the latest edition of the CanAm EdTech Report, highlighting key developments in AI, innovation, and the future of learning. This issue features a MindShareTV exclusive with Bill Bass, Past ISTE President, recorded live from the ERDI Winter Institute in Palm Springs. Be sure to listen in for his insights on education's evolving landscape.

Highlights from This Issue:

• AI in Education: A deep dive into how AI is transforming learning, featuring C21 Canada's AI Use Case Spotlight on TDSB’s innovative approach to integrating AI in elementary STEM education.

• ERDI U.S. Celebrates 40th Anniversary Blog

• Upcoming Professional Learning Events: Stay ahead of the curve with top conferences, including SXSW EDU, CoSN2025, ULead, and the Mental Health Summit.

• K-12 & Post-Secondary News: From Canadian students excelling in international STEM competitions to major advancements in AI adoption in higher education, we've got you covered.

• Featured Book: Infinite Education by Dan Fitzpatrick—an essential read on navigating AI in education.

• AI Tool of the Week: Discover the latest AI-powered edtech tool designed to enhance teaching and learning.

• Career Opportunities: Explore the latest job openings in the edtech sector.

Join us for the upcoming EdTech Canada #EdTechTO MindShare Leader Meetup (Hybrid) and secure your spot today! We'll be featuring a Special Panel on Cybersecurity & Student Data Privacy! EdTechs you don't want to miss this to ensure you stay compliant and at the top of your game!

Announcements:

• Launching in March! The 17th Schools of the Future Student AI & STEM Innovation Challenge—over $1 million in prizes awarded to date! New sponsors welcome!

• Media Partnerships with CoSN24 Summit & the Mental Health Summit—supporting well-being in schools. 

Partner With Us!

Want to sponsor a Webinar, Unboxing EdTech, Product Review, feature your EdTech company, or join the 16th Canadian EdTech Summit? Check out our latest MindShare Media & Consulting Playbook for 2025! We also love talking to School Districts about Digital Transformation & AI! 

Let’s continue shaping the future of education—responsibly, securely, and innovatively. 

Until next time, keep the digital learning curve steep! 

NEW YORK, Feb. 4, 2025 /CNW/ - We are pleased to announce that Xello has won in this year's Tech & Learning Awards of Excellence: Best of 2024 within both the Secondary Education and Primary Education categories.

The Best of 2024 Awards celebrate educational technology from the last 12 months that has excelled and shone in supporting teachers, students, and education professionals in the classroom, for professional development or general management of education resources and learning. Judged by a panel of industry experts, winning an Award of Excellence is more than just acknowledgement from Tech & Learning's editors, it's a showcase of which products are truly going above and beyond to contribute to the education sector.

Ottawa, January 31, 2025 – Youth Science Canada celebrates the outstanding achievements of two Canadian students who earned top prizes at the Taiwan International Science Fair (TISF) in Taipei, held January 20 to 25, 2025. The event brought together top high school students from 30 countries to showcase their STEM projects.

Math Nation, a mathematics education platform from Accelerate Learning, has been chosen for the 2025-26 Iowa STEM Scale-Up Program Menu, making it the only middle and high school math program included in this year’s selection. The Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council at the Iowa Department of Education announced the program menu, which will be available to PK-12 educators across the state. The Iowa STEM Scale-Up Program provides schools and community organizations with access to high-quality STEM education programs and professional development for educators. Math Nation was one of 13 programs selected from 80 proposals submitted nationwide. Iowa educators can apply to participate in the program through a state-administered application and review process.

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.  

The California State University system (CSU) is taking a historic step to expand the use of AI in higher education by providing more than 460,000 students and over 63,000 staff and faculty with access to ChatGPT Edu, a version of ChatGPT customized for educational institutions. It is the largest implementation of ChatGPT by any single organization or company anywhere in the world. With a system-wide rollout across 23 campuses, CSU will become the first AI-powered university system in the United States—and a global leader in AI and education.

The University of Ottawa AI + Society and IVADO release a global policy brief led by Prof. Florian Martin-Bariteau and Prof. Catherine Régis to provide policymakers with actionable globally-oriented policy guidance on the impact of AI on democracy and electoral integrityThe year 2025 will be an important one for democracies worldwide: several dozen countries are due to hold national elections in a world profoundly transformed by artificial intelligence (AI). Recent cases - notably in Romania, Brazil, Gabon and the United States - illustrate the need for action to protect electoral integrity as the proliferation of fake news and growing use of deepfakes - in particular - are affecting public confidence and the quality of democratic debate.

Concordia International School Shanghai has been honored with the prestigious title of ITEEA 2024-25 STEM School of Excellence—the only K-12 school in Asia to earn this recognition. Sponsored by Siemens and recognized by the International Technology and Engineering Educators Association (ITEEA), this distinction celebrates the school's commitment to delivering an outstanding Integrative STEM education experience.

10. Texas A&M eSAIL Unit Selects YuJa Video Platform and Hardware for Digital Education

Texas A&M University’s Engineering Studio for Advanced Instruction & Learning (eSAIL) unit has selected the YuJa Enterprise Video Platform and Hardware Hubs after a successful trial. They will form the backbone of its video content management solution, which is designed to help faculty easily design and rollout distance learning courses and programs. The YuJa Hardware Hub will be used in dozens of classrooms at the Texas A&M University core sites in the southern US state, enabling simultaneous lecture capture and live streaming of multisource content. There is also a remote device management capability, touch panel integration into existing systems, and other media engagement features designed to grab the attention of anyone accessing the University’s remote learning options.