Dear Thought Leader, 

I hope you enjoy this week's Top 10 Canadian EdTech Report powered by MindShare Learning. Do reach out to us to share your innovation, or digital transformation story!

Special thanks to our team, student interns and advisory board members for their incredible commitment and support in raising the bar of excellence each week! 

In closing, we are always looking for MindShareTV newsworthy stories to share around learning & innovation across Canada and beyond. And, do let us know how we can help you with your EdTech implementations as that's our wheelhouse as well!  

I hope you can join us at our upcoming Canadian EdTech Summit! Do reach out to me if you have any further questions, or wish to participate as an EdTech partner sponsor. 

Until next time, stay healthy, stay safe, and keep the digital learning curve steep! 

Only half of teachers surveyed in Canada say students are taught in ways that are relevant to the skills they need for the future, according to new survey from Microsoft.

As a new school year begins for millions of Canadian students, teachers across the country say it’s time to embrace new teaching models to better align with the realities, opportunities and challenges of today’s classroom and tomorrow’s workplace. In a new survey from Microsoft of over 500 Canadian teachers and school leaders, most said schools need to do more to adapt to the evolving needs of students. Teachers are calling for changes that make classrooms more engaging, inclusive and relevant for a new digital era.

Each RCDSB-owned device is dedicated to one student for the duration of their time from grades 7-8 and 9-12. Students are able to take their Chromebook home each night, over the weekends, on holidays, and through the summer. Upon graduation or leaving the RCDSB, all Chromebooks will be returned to the school.

The use of artificial intelligence tools like ChatGPT for educational purposes raises questions about the ethical and safety implications of students leaning heavily on these tools to finish their schoolwork.  

Dr. Ron Darvin, an assistant professor in the department of language and literacy education at the faculty of education, discussed how artificial intelligence is changing how we teach students and how they learn. 

How can educators use AI to supplement their teaching?

Artificial intelligence is a broad term covering things like machine learning, language processing, computer vision, and robotics. Teachers already use AI when they Google for info or use tools like Kahoot in class. Teachers have been using AI to enhance their teaching for a while, and they can keep doing so with more tools coming out. 

When people graduate high school, often, there are many skills they don’t have to help them get through day-to-day life.

“Sure, people use the stuff like a-squared plus b-squared and how to read, but we need more life on experience,” says Nick Gillis, a Grade 12 student at Forest Heights Community School in Chester, N.S.

For 50 Grade 11 and 12 students, today’s first day of school took place on the Algoma University campus in Brampton, thanks to an innovative new program designed to help students transition to university.

Algoma University (AU) and the Peel District School Board (PDSB) have teamed up to launch the Learners Early Access Program (LEAP). The program focuses on students who belong to groups traditionally underrepresented at universities.

Centennial College is opening the doors to the first combined LEED Gold, zero carbon and mass timber higher-education building in Canada.

The school’s new A-Building, formerly known as A-Block, establishes a new landmark to Centennial’s Scarborough Campus. Expanding on an existing site, the building spans six storeys and more than 130,000 sq. ft.

Centennial College is opening the doors to the first combined LEED Gold, zero carbon and mass timber higher-education building in Canada.

The school’s new A-Building, formerly known as A-Block, establishes a new landmark to Centennial’s Scarborough Campus. Expanding on an existing site, the building spans six storeys and more than 130,000 sq. ft.

Using laser light, researchers have developed the most robust method currently known to control individual qubits made of the chemical element barium. The ability to reliably control a qubit is an important achievement for realizing future functional quantum computers.

When it comes to solving problems and making a difference, I don’t think it matters how old you are. Age is just a number.     

When I was 14, I launched an app that uses blockchain to improve supply chain transparency with the goal of putting an end to counterfeit medication in developing countries. Part of this project was integrated into IBM’s healthcare supply chain tracking systems. 

Sana Maqsood, an assistant professor in the Department of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science at York University’s Lassonde School of Engineering, has developed a web-based game to educate students in grades 6 to 8 about cybersecurity, privacy and digital literacy issues.