Dear MindShare CanAm Community Leader,

We kickoff our May CanAm Report issue by celebrating two landmark gatherings that are shaping the future of AI in education: the C21 Canada CEO Academy Atlantic Leader Summit and the Dell Technologies Education Summit in Halifax. Both events brought together visionary leaders to explore the ethical and strategic integration of AI in K-12 and post-secondary learning environments. These collaborative forums reaffirm the importance of responsible innovation and underscore Canada’s growing leadership in the global EdTech ecosystem.

Congratulations to the C21 Canada Shifting Minds Award Honoureers! 

As we wrap up the school year and plan for what lies ahead, this issue is packed with exciting updates across K-12 and post-secondary education, including key innovations, must-watch interviews, and professional learning opportunities that you won't want to miss!

We’re especially excited about the upcoming EdTech Canada Leader Meet-Up on May 27, focused on International Market Expansion Opportunities. Hosted at the MindShare Innovation Centre in Mississauga (with virtual access available), this hybrid event will feature keynote insights from the Canadian Trade Commissioner office and Steve Brown, CEO of Nelson. Don’t miss this chance to gain actionable strategies to scale globally. A friendly reminder: CanExport Funding closes May 31!

Looking ahead, we are proud to partner with the University of Toronto Mississauga MScSM and the Peel District School Board as presenting partners of the 16th Canadian EdTech Leadership Summit--" Human-Centered Sustainable Learning in an AI-Inspired World”  taking place October 29–30, 2025. Get ready for the most impactful summit yet! Save the date! 

Two weeks to go! We are also thrilled to support the 17th Schools of the Future Student AI + STEM Innovation Challenge and to spotlight new Canadian leadership stories in AI literacy, including Jordan Smith’s impactful work in shaping Anglophone East School District's AI Guidelines.

This Month's Highlights:

Top K-12 News:

• AI for All Learners – Tara Potter’s work with Google Gemini at Ottawa Catholic School Board

• Trump Executive Order Mandates AI Education in U.S. Schools

• Google Brain Founder Andrew Ng's New AI Teaching Agents

• Huntsville High Robotics Team Heads to World Championship

• Ontario Tech Advances STEM Partnerships & NASA Challenge Finalists

Top Post-Secondary News:

• Ontario Tech Engineering Students Showcase Innovation

• G7 & U7+ Alliance: Universities' Role in Advancing AI Ethics

• Ford Government Injects $750M into Ontario STEM Programs

• ApplyBoard Launches AI-Powered Study Abroad Advisor 'Abbie'

• SFU Develops Wearable AI Tech for Rehabilitation Support

Canadian EdTechTV Podcasts:

• Charles Fadel on AI-Inspired Curriculum Redesign

• Jordan Smith on building AI guidelines through C21 Canada

Featured Tools, Books & Resources:

• AI Tool of the Week: NotebookLM – Google’s AI-powered research assistant

• Book of the Week: Brave New Words by Salman Khan

Until next time, keep the digital learning curve steep!

At the Ottawa Catholic School Board, AI is helping both students and teachers unlock new ways to learn and create. Educators like Tara Potter, Erin Doak, and Heather Bilder are using AI to amplify student voices, support diverse learning needs, and boost digital literacy. This blog series will share how Google Gemini is making classrooms more inclusive, engaging, and innovative. Stay tuned to see the real impact it’s having! At St. Francis Xavier High School, Tara Potter isn’t just supporting students—she’s revolutionizing the way they learn. As a Special Education Resource Teacher, Tara is on a mission to make education more empowering, inclusive, and inspiring. By harnessing the power of Google Gemini, she helps students unlock their confidence, build independence, and discover a genuine love for learning.

Since generative artificial intelligence burst onto the scene a few years ago, schools and educators have grappled with how to approach the powerful-but-experimental technology. Ban it? Embrace it? A new executive order plants the White House firmly in the latter camp. On April 23, President Donald Trump signed Advancing Artificial Intelligence Education for American Youth. The order promotes “appropriate integration of AI into education” to “ensure the United States remains a global leader in this technological revolution.”

Sathish Bala had spent decades building software companies, but when he launched his first EdTech company, he experienced a reaction he had never seen. “The comments were love, hate, empathy, anger—it’s an emotional product,” he said. Schoolio, the EdTech company co-founded by Bala and which he now leads as CEO, launched a comprehensive l K-8 curriculum aligned with provincial education standards designed for homeschooling parents. Founded in 2019, the pandemic provided a significant boost in users, but Schoolio was built with a broader vision for parents who need to homeschool due to travel, medical reasons, or unique learning styles.

Ontario Tech University is not only a hub for higher education, it’s also a leader in driving innovation and creating positive impact for both teachers and students in elementary and secondary schools. On April 8, the Mitch and Leslie Frazer Faculty of Education proudly supported the first Canadian high school team to become finalists in the prestigious NASA HUNCH program, a project-based educational initiative held at the renowned NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas. The team from Victoria Park Collegiate Institute (VPCI), within the Toronto District School Board, presented its Lunar Ejecting Robot Prototype to astronauts and NASA staff.

More than 350 fourth-year Engineering students at Ontario Tech University recently put their creativity and problem-solving skills on display at the Faculty of Engineering and Applied Science’s (FEAS) Engineering Capstone Systems Design Exhibition and Competition. The annual event represents an important milestone in the academic journey of graduating Engineering students, who spend eight months working on their ‘capstone’ projects: large-scale assignments that challenge them to apply everything they have learned throughout their academic studies.

7. The Role of Universities in Advancing AI G7 Communiqué from the U7+ Alliance of World Universities

Preamble:

We, the Presidents of the U7+ Alliance of World Universities, representing over 50 universities on five continents, are dedicated to addressing global challenges. We are committed to working with the G7 leaders to develop AI to benefit societies worldwide.
Our Alliance includes leading universities in G7 nations and in 12 global south countries. We value collaboration across diverse perspectives and cultures. As universities, we are at the intersection of generations, where knowledge is generated, and new, bolder visions for the future are imagined.

The Ford government has unveiled three-quarters of a billion dollars for STEM programs at colleges and universities across Ontario in a bid to insulate the economy through more local skills training. On Tuesday, the government said it would spend an extra $750 million on post-secondary programs teaching science, technology, engineering and mathematics. The funding could unlock 20,500 new seats.

9. ApplyBoard Launches Abbie, the World’s First AI Advisor for Studying Abroad

ApplyBoard, the leading international student mobility platform, today announced the launch of Abbie, an industry-first AI advisor designed to revolutionize the study abroad experience. Leveraging Microsoft Azure’s OpenAI platform, the patent-pending product is powered by the latest GPT models to provide personalized, high-quality support to students, recruitment agents, and other stakeholders at every stage of the international education journey.

Wearable technology aided by artificial intelligence can warn and prevent falls for patients recovering from stroke and spinal injuries. Simon Fraser University researchers are using cutting edge technology, in combination with artificial intelligence and machine learning, to support safer rehabilitation for patients. The work is highlighted in a research paper in the journal Clinical Rehabilitation, co-authored by Gustavo Balbinot, an SFU assistant professor in neurorehabilitation.