Dear MindShare Community Leader,

Spring is finally in the air! I even managed to squeeze in 9 holes of golf last weekend as I continue striving for that all-important work-life balance—alongside my use of tech!

Welcome to our latest  Top 10 MindShare Canadian EdTech Report, Issue #348, featuring the latest news, research and events that we trust you will find insightful and inspiring!

We’re proud to share and celebrate a major milestone— MindShare Learning has been awarded the 2025 EdTech Digest Cool Tool Award for Best North American EdTech eMag! This recognition is a testament to our team's commitment to inspiring innovation in education for over 18 years. It's been said that it takes  20 years to be an overnight success--in our case, that couldn’t be more true. It’s been a journey well worth the effort in serving you, our valued community. 

This week’s highlights include:

• 🎙️ A thought-provoking MindShareTV Podcast with Dr. Tom D’Amico on C21 Canada’s AI Use Case spotlight, exploring how Ottawa Catholic School Board is transforming teaching and learning with AI.

• 🏆 The launch of the 17th Schools of the Future Student AI+STEM Innovation Challenge — don’t miss the opportunity to inspire students to be changemakers!

• 🛠️ A spotlight on the Holy Cross Innovation Tech Space and the Sherwood Net-Zero-Ready School as models of future-ready learning environments.

• 🔍 Our featured AI Tool of the Week: Brainly,

• EdTech Company Spotlight: Edsby, both making waves in personalized learning and K-12 data engagement.joining MindShare in winning an EdTech Digest Award

• 📚 Free for educators! Grab a copy of "The Learner’s Apprentice" — a timely and insightful read on AI in education.

• On the post-secondary front—from Centennial College’s new Alienware Gaming Lounge, to Ontario Tech’s Project Arrow 2.0.

• Waterloo’s co-op innovation engine—proof that Canada is leading on multiple education innovation fronts.

• AI Use Case Spotlight – C21 Canada & Dell Technologies Feature: Transform Educational Practices Through Artificial Intelligence Parkland School Division, Albert

• MindShare Learning and News-O-Matic Launch Exclusive 30-Day Free Trial for Canadian Educators

As we gear up our planning for the 16th Canadian EdTech Leadership Summit-- From Innovation to Impact: Reimagining Education Through AI and Human Connection, I’m thrilled to announce our new co-hosts: the University of Toronto Mississauga MScSM program and the Peel District School Board!

📅 Save the date: October 29–30, 2025.

🎤  Call for Speakers & Sponsors is officially Open! Please feel free to drop me a note! 

🔹 Conference Highlights:

• I'm off to the C21 Canada CEO Academy Summit on AI in NB next week! Stay tuned for more National AI Use Cases from our Round 2 featuring both K12 & PSE
• EdLeaders from K12 & PSE Join me the following week at the Dell Technologies Educational Summit in Halifax, April 29, click here to register. 
• Kudos to Dr. Gina Cherkowski in hosting a super successful Mental Health Summit last week of which we were proud media partners. Watch for a wrapup MindShareTV Podcast with Gina!

Thank you for continuing to fuel our passion for digital transformation in education. Together, we’re empowering educators and learners to reach their full potential in an AI-inspired world. 

Join us in our mission to lead EdTech innovation and help students thrive! We’d love your feedback on this issue. Keep sharing your inspiring stories—we’re always open to fresh ideas and new partnerships to grow and enhance this report.

Until next time, keep the digital learning curve steep! 

Grand opening of phase one of Holy Cross’s new Innovation Technology Space. It’s bright and clean, filled with state-of-the-art equipment dedicated to plumbing, heating, and air conditioning and electrical courses. Created in partnership with the Niagara-Halton Skilled Trades Academy and Enercare, with tools supplied by long-term partner Milwaukee Tools, the space will allow generations of students to get hands-on experience in the skilled trades before they leave high school. 

Artificial Intelligence (AI) is reshaping the post-secondary experience — both as a tool to help students and as a challenge for academic integrity.

At Algoma University in Sault Ste. Marie, AI is being embraced to help students prepare for the job market. The university is using a program called InStage, which simulates job interviews to help students refine their communication skills.

The new Sherwood Elementary School, built next to the former school, offers over 82,000 square feet of space with many innovative features to promote enhanced learning experiences for up to 650 students. With 31 modern and adaptable classrooms, flexible learning spaces, two large maker space areas for project-based learning, a multipurpose theatre/gymnasium room, two music rooms, and a library, students and educators will benefit from this bright and welcoming learning environment.

Over 250 educators from the Ottawa Catholic School Board (OCSB) gathered at Immaculata High School for an inspiring STEM Professional Development Day. This event, designed specifically for Grades 9 and 10 educators, focused on de-streaming Math, Science, and Technology. It celebrated hands-on learning and emphasized strengthening cross-curricular connections to bring real-world relevance into the classroom.

Algae, coral, nets, cages and barges – or props representing them – covered the floor of the David Braley Athletic Centre on McMaster’s campus for the 2025 FIRST Robotics Competition circuit themed REEFSCAPE. Designed to highlight the engineering skills that can help preserve one of the ocean’s most diverse habitats, the competition brought together high school robotics teams from across Ontario to showcase their robots to enthusiastic crowds of supporters.

Canada is home to some of the best innovators in the world. From one of the first smartphones to award-winning traffic management systems to a tiny camera for the high-resolution imaging of blood vessels, the technologies and solutions created here have improved lives and communities worldwide.

Bringing innovations to market requires a variety of supports, including equipment, expertise and policy. The University of Waterloo delivers these resources — and more — to ensure the next generation of entrepreneurial talent can thrive.

7. New UNB paper details 'Curious AI' that learns while it works

For his master's project, Arne Andres is working with a team developing an app using AI to help people with disabilities navigate mobility barriers in public spaces.

It’s game on for Centennial College students with the grand opening of the Alienware Colts Gaming Lounge at the post-secondary school’s flagship Progress Campus in Scarborough. This cutting-edge facility, outfitted with the latest high-performance gaming equipment, is the result of a multi-year partnership between Centennial College and Alienware, the iconic gaming brand of Dell Technologies.

Imagine an entirely Canadian-made electric car that defies conventional designs: sleek, futuristic, and engineered to be faster, smarter, and more environmentally friendly. This is the vision behind Project Arrow at Ontario Tech University—a groundbreaking initiative aimed at reshaping the future of transportation

10. LIFTing up STEM and life sciences education

Alberta’s post-secondary institutions offer world-class education to students and are vital to the province’s ongoing prosperity. Alberta’s government continues to allocate funding in a responsible way that respects taxpayer dollars, while putting Alberta on the global stage with cutting-edge research and innovation.

Through Budget 2025, Alberta’s government is investing $100 million over three years to turn the 56-year-old Biological Sciences Building at the University of Alberta into a world-leading STEM and life sciences research and education hub.