Dear MindShare Community Member,

Happy Friday! As I put the finishing touches to our monthly CanAm, it's so fitting that I'm in the air (leveraging my essential tech tools) on my way to FL to connect with EdTech colleagues to reflect and envision what's in store for 2026!

As we close out an exciting year of innovation, collaboration, and transformation across K12-Post-Secondary ecosystems, we are reminded that education is entering a bold new era, one where artificial intelligence, accessibility, and digital fluency are no longer future concepts, but present priorities shaping classrooms and campuses today.

From new AI standards and global investments, to groundbreaking student-built apps and national cybersecurity insights, this December edition of the Can/Am Report captures a snapshot of a sector rapidly evolving, and educators, leaders, and learners rising to meet the challenge. The momentum across North America is powerful, and together, we are building a future where learning is more inclusive, equitable, and AI-empowered than ever before.

In this issue, we invite you to dive into the stories, tools, and announcements that signal where the next wave of EdTech is heading:

🌎 Feature Highlights

🔹 Exclusive MindshareTV FETC26 Preview with Jennifer Womble: A look ahead at what will define the 2026 global EdTech stage.
🔹 C21 Canada AI Task Force Webinar: Key insights + recommendations shaping responsible AI in Canadian education.
🔹 Canadian EdTech Leadership AI Summit Corner: Continuing the dialogue sparked by this year’s Summit.
🔹 STAO, FETC & Bett UK Corners: Professional Learning, global movement, and collaboration.

🧠 AI Tool of the Month

Edwin Academy (Nelson Education)
New AI literacy modules launching nationwide to support classrooms, reduce digital divide, and prepare students for ethical AI adoption.

📚 Book of the Month

Education Policy Outlook Series | OECD - A deep exploration of lifelong learning readiness across stages of life, policy, and global systems.

Quote of the Month

"Canadian school districts are working through a period of rapid change, where AI, cybersecurity and digital equity increasingly intersect."
   - Keith Krueger, CEO of CoSN, on the release of the new report. Canada: State of EdTech 2025

📌 Top News You Need to Know

K-12 Highlights

1. Dell & Discovery Education launch Tech Career Circuit for IT workforce readiness
2. FTC sanctions Illuminate Education after 10M student records breach
3. CoSN report: Cybersecurity, privacy & GenAI top 2025–26 priorities
4. Global EdTech funding slows as AI ecosystems absorb investment
5. University of Utah offers institution-wide ChatGPT Edu rollout

📅 Upcoming PL Events

C21 Canada AI Task Force Report Webinar • AWS re:Invent • AI Tutor Pro Workshop • FETC 2026 • ERDI U.S. Institute •  Bett UK London Pavilion • SXSW EDU + more
A busy season of learning, leadership & global collaboration!

As we reflect on the milestones of 2025 and prepare for a transformative 2026, one message is clear: the future of learning belongs to those who embrace curiosity, collaboration, and courage.

To our community of educators, industry innovators, researchers, students, sponsors, and partners, thank you for continuing to push boundaries and champion human-centered AI in education. Your passion drives progress, and together, we’re shaping a more accessible, innovative, and future-ready world for every learner.

Here’s to a season of gratitude, growth, and groundbreaking ideas.
Stay inspired, and until next time,  keep the learning curve steep!

Dell Technologies and Discovery Education have launched Tech Career Circuit, a free educational hub designed to help students in grades 6–12 build digital literacy and IT workforce skills. The platform provides hands-on activities, standards-aligned lesson plans, and educator resources available in multiple formats to support classroom integration and career and technical education pathways. Dell’s initiative expands on existing programs like Student TechCrew and Girls Who Game, which aim to strengthen STEM engagement and real-world technical experience. Discovery Education notes that connecting learning to real careers greatly increases student engagement, making the new program a timely tool for preparing youth for in-demand technology careers.

CoSN’s first nationwide survey of Canadian EdTech leaders reveals that cybersecurity, data privacy, and generative AI are the top technology priorities for the 2025-2026 school year. The report shows districts are increasingly adopting AI tools, with nearly all respondents indicating they have guidelines in place and many focusing on training and productivity applications. Leaders also express strong attention to healthy technology habits for students, while digital equity remains a growing concern due to limited off-campus connectivity support. Overall, the report establishes a national baseline to guide future planning, investment, and policy development across Canada’s K-12 digital landscape.

Global edtech funding has stalled at just $2.77 billion in 2025, far below the pandemic-era peaks, as investor attention shifts sharply toward AI, healthcare training and deep-tech sectors. Traditional edtech models are seeing weak demand, fewer late-stage rounds and limited exits, while capital concentrates in narrow niches like medical education and AI-powered teacher tools. Much of the real innovation in learning is now happening on general-purpose AI platforms that don’t classify as edtech, revealing that the category itself may be becoming outdated. Analysts suggest that future funding will flow to companies using AI for broader applications, meaning standalone edtech may shrink into a smaller subset of a much larger AI-driven transformation.

Canada promotes itself as a global leader in artificial intelligence education, offering strong research opportunities, vibrant tech hubs, and access to more than 800 AI companies, including major players like NVIDIA, DeepMind, and Uber. The government expects over 35,000 new AI-related jobs in the next five years, making the field attractive for international students seeking innovative career paths. Students can pursue AI-focused programs across Canadian universities and explore careers in areas such as healthcare AI, gaming, language technologies, data analytics, machine learning, and more. With incubators, accelerators, and industry partnerships supporting innovation, Canada positions AI education as a launchpad for entrepreneurship, research, and future-forward tech careers.

Canada has published a new national accessibility standard, CAN-ASC-6.2:2025, Accessible and Equitable Artificial Intelligence Systems, created under Accessibility Standards Canada as part of the Accessible Canada Act. The standard is designed to ensure AI systems are accessible, equitable, and inclusive, especially for people with disabilities, aligning with UN disability rights principles and aiming to remove barriers in digital technologies. Development involved a diverse committee where at least 30% of members were people with disabilities and another 30% from equity-seeking groups, ensuring cross-disability and intersectional perspectives. Accessibility Standards Canada will review and update the standard within four years, with the goal of setting high technical requirements that promote innovation, participation, and barrier-free access for all Canadians.

The University of Toronto will receive $42.5 million in federal funding to expand its high-performance AI computing infrastructure, strengthening Canada’s ability to support advanced research across disciplines. Announced by Minister Evan Solomon, the investment is part of the Canadian Sovereign AI Compute Strategy and will enhance national access to powerful compute resources through SciNet. U of T leaders emphasized that the funding will help train massive AI models, protect data sovereignty, and ensure researchers nationwide—from small universities to northern and Indigenous communities—can benefit. This expansion builds on U of T’s long-standing leadership in AI, enabling faster scientific discovery, stronger industry partnerships, and improved training for students in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.

UNB computer science student Owen Yesuf has launched Buddy Sync, a fast-growing study-partner app that connects users with peers who share similar academic goals and preferences. Co-founded with Nigerian programmer Chibuzor Ezeji, the app uses a unique “study buddy wheel” to match students based on location, field of study and study habits, fostering human connection through technology. Built in just seven months, Buddy Sync has already surpassed 10,000 active users worldwide, reflecting strong early traction and student demand. Yesuf credits determination, vision and consistent execution for the app’s success, and encourages other young entrepreneurs to start boldly and keep pushing through challenges.

Professional Learning Specialist, Central - IXL Learning

Remote, Phoenix, AZ, US

Senior Manager, Customer Success (EdTech and Platform Transformation Leadership) - Acuity Insights

Hybrid, Toronto, ON, Canada

Academic Designer - McGraw Hill

Remote, US