Dear MindShare Community Leader,

Welcome to our special 18th Anniversary CanAm EdTech Report! It’s incredible to reflect on how far we’ve come since I first embarked on this journey, inspired by my Master’s in EdTech at Pepperdine University nearly two decades ago. The spirit of innovation, collaboration, and lifelong learning that ignited my passion then continues to drive our shared mission today. Take a trip down memory lane with me and watch my inaugural MindShare Report intro video—marking a first in our industry by embedding video in an eMagazine! I must confess, I had a good chuckle at myself. I welcome your feedback!

Incidentally, this week marks the fifth anniversary of COVID-19. I know it felt like an endless bad dream, but let’s take a moment to applaud and acknowledge the resilience, creativity, and commitment of educators, students, and leaders across North America. The past five years have underscored the critical role of technology in education—not as a replacement for human connection, but as a tool for deeper learning, engagement, and opportunity. Be sure to listen to my conversation with Dr. Steve Joordens, who provides great insights and inspiration on moving beyond what he calls the Great Snapback effect from the pandemic.

Fast-forward to today, and we are once again faced with monumental challenges in education that test our resolve and demand courageous leadership. The closure of the EdTech Office in the U.S. and significant staff reductions in the Department of Education have caused widespread disruption for all stakeholders in education—not just in the U.S., but beyond, as we are deeply interconnected as collaborators and partners. While some decisions may feel disruptive, we remain focused on what we can control: building a future of learning that is inclusive, innovative, and student-centered. Let’s continue to foster partnerships, embrace new technologies, and advocate for learners to ensure they thrive in this rapidly evolving world.

Through our collective efforts and steadfast commitment to innovation, we are shaping the future of education—responsibly, securely, and creatively. Canada has long been a leader in education, and we remain dedicated to ensuring it continues to be a beacon of excellence and collaboration with our American allies. We truly value our neighbors to the south and the many partnerships we’ve forged over the years.

This week’s quote from Nelson Mandela is particularly fitting: “Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.” Let’s embody this sentiment in our collective efforts to steer education in the right direction.

On the AI Front

We had a memorable mid-point meetup yesterday with our C21 Canada Dell Technologies AI Use Case project participants (Phase 2) from both K-12 and post-secondary. We’ll be showcasing some of these projects at our Spring C21 Canada 10th Anniversary CEO Academy Summit in New Brunswick. Speaking of which, I’m looking forward to attending the follow-up NBEd ThinkTank on AI this coming week! If you’re attending, please reach out—I’d love to connect and share insights on the latest trends in AI.

Issue Highlights

• EdTech Canada Community Survey: Navigating the Future of EdTech in an AI-Driven World

• A Memorable EdTech Canada Meetup Last Week! 🎉
  Thanks to all who attended, both in person and online. Stay tuned for our next meetup!

• March Break STEM AI Camp at MindShare WorkSpace

• Schools of the Future Student Innovation Challenge
  Launching at the Dell Technologies Education Summit later this month!

• New Sponsors Welcome!
  17th Schools of the Future Student AI & STEM Innovation Challenge—Over $1 Million in Prizes Awarded!

• Celebrating the 17th Anniversary of edWeb!
  A Special Edition of MindShareTV featuring Lisa Schmucki, Founder & CEO of edWeb.

• MindShare Announces Media Partnership with the Mental Health Summit

• C21 Canada Featured AI Use Case Spotlight: DPCDSB
  Leveraging AI to Support Reading Instruction – Dufferin-Peel Catholic District School Board

• This Week on MindShare TV:
  Conversations with two remarkable education leaders, Dr. Susan Enfield and Dr. Kristi Wilson, Ed.D.
  [Watch Here]

• CoSN Releases Top 2025 Hurdles, Accelerators, and Technology Enablers Shaping K-12 Innovation
  CoSN’s Driving K-12 Innovation initiative brings together an international advisory board of 130+ education and technology experts to identify the most pressing challenges, megatrends, and tech enablers shaping the year ahead.

• AI Tool of the Week: WeVideo

• Book of the Week:
  On Fire, Under Fire, or Fired: Superintendents in the Pandemic
  A compelling account of the challenges and triumphs of education leaders during the COVID-19 pandemic, offering invaluable insights for the future of public education.
  [Read the Full Book]

• Help Me Support Peel Region’s Most Vulnerable
  Join me in the Hockey Helps the Homeless Charity Hockey Tournament with NHL Alumni.

Thank you for your ongoing engagement with the MindShare Community. We are humbled by the incredible feedback we receive from you. As always, I welcome the opportunity to innovate together and forge mutually beneficial strategic partnerships that positively impact student learning.

Special thanks to our team, advisory board, valued clients, and partners for your passion in driving educational innovation across Canada and beyond!

Until next time—keep the digital learning curve steep!

The partnership is expected to enhance TakingITGlobal’s programs, including Connected North, which delivers interactive learning experiences to students in remote Indigenous communities.

TakingITGlobal operates in more than 200 schools through Connected North, providing live, interactive sessions aimed at increasing student engagement. The initiative benefits over 40,000 students by using collaboration technology to connect classrooms with educators, experts, and mentors. The new partnership will allow TakingITGlobal to expand its reach and improve its technology infrastructure with Softchoice’s cloud, AI, and software capabilities.

Walk into any Kindergarten classroom in an Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB) school, and you’ll find a world of curiosity, creativity, and discovery. From counting and sorting to building and problem-solving, our youngest learners are developing essential skills through play—without even realizing they’re doing math! At St. John the Apostle School, Kindergarten students are having fun while building a strong foundation in math using hands-on tools like K’Nex.

Many schools and districts are trying to figure out how to ensure academic integrity as new technologies continue to emerge, like generative artificial intelligence (AI) applications such as ChatGPT, Bard, Claude, and more. I’ve put together four takeaways to ensure school and district leaders implement effective strategies to address the impact of emerging technologies on student learning.

On Friday, February 21, 2025, Adam Lally, the president of Lally Auto Group, made a special visit to John McGregor Secondary School to celebrate their generous donation from Ford Canada: ten 4-cylinder engines for the school’s Transportation Technology program. Mr. Lally and his team, including Sa’id Hammoud (General Manager), Mark Chappus (Service Manager), Mike Peters (Service Manager), and Mark Watorek (Automotive Technician), spent time with the Grade 11 Transportation Technology and SHSM (Special High Skills Major) students.

Holly Clark is a veteran educator with nearly 30 years of experience integrating technology into the classroom. In 2018, while delivering a keynote in Beijing, she witnessed the rapid advancements in AI, which inspired her to study machine learning and its implications for education. Since then, she has authored four books on educational technology and trained over 100,000 educators on effective and ethical AI use in schools. 

While teaching in the San Francisco Bay Area, she was among the first in the U.S. to implement a one-to-one device program in the late 1990s. This pioneering effort connected students with technology long before digital learning became mainstream. She remembers that the sponsor for the project asked her to "Show the world what technology can do for education." 

Artificial intelligence (AI) has the potential to significantly improve government operations and services for Canadians. The safe, ethical and responsible use of AI is a priority for the federal government.The Honourable Ginette Petitpas Taylor, President of the Treasury Board, launched Canada’s first AI Strategy for the federal public service at the University of Waterloo, a hub for emerging technology and Canadian talent. Announcing the Strategy at the Waterloo Data and Artificial Intelligence Institute underscores the government’s commitment to research and innovation in AI to improve digital service delivery.

Change can be scary, but change can also be exciting if it’s leading to something better. As UFV transitions from its current learning management system (Blackboard) to a new one (Brightspace), Dr. Awneet Sivia says instructors are embracing uncertainty and the challenge of learning a new system, with open arms.

A new AI technology that can help students sort trash in seconds is coming to the University of Guelph. Oscar Sort, the AI-powered recycling assistant developed by Canadian tech company Intuitive AI, will be deployed in the University Centre in mid-February. How does it work? Simply show your item to Oscar, and it will instantly guide you to the correct bin—making recycling effortless and engaging. Consuming no more energy than a standard laptop, Oscar helps universities improve recycling and composting while providing valuable waste insights to support sustainability teams in reducing waste at the source. 

Pearson (FTSE: PSON.L), the world’s lifelong learning company, and Amazon Web Services, Inc. (AWS), an Amazon.com, Inc. company (NASDAQ: AMZN), today announced the expansion of their long-standing collaboration to accelerate the delivery of AI-powered learning for millions of people around the world and enhance the learner experience for Pearson’s products and services.

10. SimCare AI secures $2M in funding to expand AI-powered healthcare training platform

Two former University of Chicago students who dropped out to build an AI-driven healthcare simulation company have secured $2 million in seed funding to expand their platform. SimCare AI, co-founded by Vrishank Saini and Tigran Bdoyan, aims to improve clinical training by using AI-generated patient interactions to reduce training costs and time while maintaining accreditation standards. The funding round was led by Y Combinator and Drive Capital, with participation from Harper Court Ventures Fund, Singularity Capital, Triple S Ventures, Goodwater Capital, Asymmetry Ventures, Sand Hill North, and Transpose Platform.