Dear MindShare Community Leader,

Welcome to this week’s MindShare Learning Top 10 Canadian EdTech Report #347, your trusted source for the latest trends, tools, and stories shaping the future of education across Canada and beyond.

Having just returned from an inspiring NBed Province-wide Digital Learning Summit on AI, it is timely to have stumbled upon the legendary former Premier, Frank McKenna's article just published by UNB,  How New Brunswick’s Education Strategy Can Grow With AI and Digital Transformation. Kudos to NB for their continued province-wide leadership in embracing AI.  I'm looking forward to returning back to NB next month where we will be hosting our 10th Anniversary C21 CEO Academy Summit in partnership with Anglaphone East SD, showcasing the C21 AI Use Case Project in partnership with Dell Technologies, releasing the C21 Canada K12 AI Playbook and announcing the C21 National Task Force on AI. 

Here are some of the highlights you’ll find in this week’s edition:

🔥 K-12 and Post-Secondary Featured Stories

• Ontario School Boards Lawsuit Advances Against Social Media Giants – Meta, Snapchat, TikTok
• Minecraft & AI Join Forces to Preserve Cultural Heritage at St. Peter’s Basilica
• Halton DSB Leads the Charge Encouraging AI Use in Classrooms
• Ontario Tech Students Use GenAI to Preserve Indigenous Languages
• Oscar Sort AI is Revolutionizing Recycling at the University of Guelph
• Dalhousie’s New AI Hub Aims to Improve Lives in Nova Scotia
• MindShare Learning and News-O-Matic Announce Strategic Partnership to Enhance Media Literacy in Canadian Classrooms

🎧 MindShareTV Featured Podcasts

MindShareTV's Unboxing EdTech: Exploring News-O-Matic with Implementation Specialist Michelle Schaefle.

👉 Watch Here

Sneak Peek into the Mental Health Summit with Dr. Gina Cherkowski & Sunil Singh
👉 Watch Here

Embark on a 5-Day Architectural Journey to Denmark with MindShare & CEBRA  Culminating with a Visit to the Lego Innovation Centre. More details below! 

📅 Upcoming Professional Learning Events

• Dell Technologies Educational Summit - Toronto | March 26
• CoSN 2025 – Seattle | March 31 - April 2
• ULead Leadership Summit | April 6-8
• ASU+GSV Summit: Learning at the Speed of Light | April 6-9
• Mental Health Summit – Proud Media Partner | April 11-12
• ISTE 2025 – Denver | June 29 - July 2
• 16th Canadian EdTech Leadership Summit – UofT Toronto | October 29-30

🚀 Career Opportunities

• Digital Customer Success Manager, MagicSchool
• Manager, IM, Parent Square
• Account Director, ApplyBoard

🌟 AI Tool of the Week

Eduaide.AI — The First Teacher-Created AI Workspace
Maximize your impact with this all-in-one AI-powered planning and resource platform built for teachers.
👉 Explore Eduaide

C21 Canada AI Use Case Project Spolight of the Week

📖 Book of the Week

A 'must read book,' I personally recommend, having had the opportunity to catch            Dr. Quidwai's keynote yesterday in NB. Incredible vision and passion for strategically applying design thinking in the Age of AI.

Designing Schools: How Design Thinking Makes YOU Irreplaceable in the Age of AI
By Dr. Sabba Quidwai

A must-read for educators looking to thrive in the age of AI by leveraging creativity, resilience, and ethical leadership.

💡 Teacher & Parent Resource Corner

• Common Sense Education – Digital Citizenship Toolkit
• Kira Learning – AI & Computer Science Curriculum
• K-5 Family Tips – Building Strong Relationships & Communication

👉 Explore Resources

Partner With Us!

Looking to sponsor a webinar, product review, feature your EdTech company, or join the 17th Canadian EdTech Summit? Check out 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!

Join us on our mission to lead EdTech Innovation to help students thrive! 

Until next time, keep the digital learning curve steep! 

A group of Ontario school boards said Tuesday its legal fight against Meta, Snapchat and TikTok will proceed after a judge struck down the social media giants' motion to dismiss the case. The group said the case can now proceed based on a judge's ruling that the Toronto District School Board's lawsuit, which represents all boards, has merit. Since March 2024, 14 Ontario school boards and individual schools have initiated lawsuits against the social media companies, alleging the platforms are negligently designed for compulsive use and have rewired the way children think, behave and learn. 

At Shapescape, we have always believed in the power of Minecraft to educate, inspire, and connect. Our latest project, Peter is Here: AI for Cultural Heritage, is an opportunity to take that belief further than ever before. In collaboration with the Fabbrica di San Pietro, Microsoft, and Minecraft Education, we have developed an immersive experience that allows students worldwide to explore and restore one of the most iconic religious and cultural landmarks in history—St. Peter’s Basilica.

We are excited to introduce a new podcast dedicated to the Ministry’s CCQ program, designed specifically for parents. This podcast aims to dispel any concerns or misconceptions you may have about the program and provide valuable insights into how it benefits your children

Artificial intelligence (AI) is becoming a major factor in modern education, prompting both excitement and concern among educators. While some worry that AI tools like ChatGPT will encourage academic dishonesty, others see them as transformative tools that can enhance teaching and learning. The Halton District School Board (HDSB) in Ontario has chosen to take an active approach by training teachers on AI tools and exploring structured ways to integrate them into classrooms.

From providing differentiated instruction to helping students learn independently and develop skills for the workforce, see how these education institutions are using Google AI tools like the Gemini app and NotebookLM to transform education.

Since Anupriya Dubey began her studies at Ontario Tech University in 2021, she has been focused on working at the intersection of business and technology, and using STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) to create smart, sustainable solutions for the world's challenges. So when the fourth-year Computer Science student learned about the Design for Change pitch competition hosted by Wilfrid Laurier University, Dubey jumped at the opportunity to form a team.  "The competition challenge was to find ways to use generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) to overcome barriers and improve learning experiences for all students in Canada," says Dubey. "We focused on the issue of limited Internet access in rural Canada and the urgent need to preserve Indigenous languages using GenAI."

7. Meet Oscar Sort, the AI recycling assistant helping U of G students take out the trash

Oscar Sort is helping staff and students at the University of Guelph discard their waste in the correct bins. The AI technology-based unit physically shows users which bin their trash should be sorted into once identified by its camera. Oscar is a first-of-its-kind recycling assistant and CBC K-W\'s Karis Mapp stopped by the university to learn more.

As a child, Youssef Helwa (MASc'17) was captivated by his mother's experiences as a surgeon, listening to stories of the patients she cared for. Those early conversations sparked the vision that would eventually lead to FluidAI. The intersection of artificial intelligence and health care is evolving at an unprecedented pace, reshaping how medical professionals diagnose, monitor and treat patients. Nowhere is this transformation more evident than in post-operative care, where AI is enabling early prediction of complications and improving patient outcomes. FluidAI, a Kitchener-Waterloo-based company, is at the forefront of this transformation, developing AI-powered monitoring systems that enhance surgical recovery worldwide.

This project, titled Increasing Accessibility to Specialized Parasport Equipment Across Canada Through Advanced Design and Manufacturing, is worth $860,000. It is supported by a Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) Applied Research and Development (ARD) grant ($450,000) and an Alberta Innovates Campus Alberta Small Business Engagement (CASBE) grant ($300,000). In addition, CSIC has contributed $110,000 toward this project. These funds will be distributed over three years.

10. Dalhousie's new Killam Memorial Chair plans to put AI to work for Nova Scotians