June is National Indigenous History Month in Canada, a time to recognize the rich history, heritage, resilience and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis. This past weekend, I was invited to attend TakingItGlobal's (our C21 Canada partner) CanCode project event, Your Voice is Power Hackathon led by Anishinaabe Educator Christine M’Lot facilitating a learning activity at the Hackathon in Toronto.

 

One of the highlights was a keynote delivered by Dakota Bear a Saskatoon-born, Vancouver-based Indigenous hip-hop artist and activist. Dakota also enlightened us with one of his inspirational signature songs! I'm hoping to have him keynote at our fall Canadian EdTech Summit in Ottawa November 2-3. Kudos to Jennifer Corriero & Michael Furdyk, Co-founders of TakingITGlobal for their innovative spirit in helping preparing our future leaders with the essential skills and knowledge of our first peoples. Checkout Jenn's featured blog in the C21 Spotlight section!

 

Issue Highlights!

1. The number of edtech products schools access in a typical month has tripled since four years ago. And the companies that provide these tools aren’t always careful stewards of the sometimes-sensitive information they collect from students.
2. CanAm ISTE Sneak Peek Podcast with Kathy Hurley, legendary EdTech Leader on the launch of our new course offering and the History of EdTech. The 'EdTech as a Career Option' for teachers & leaders interested in making a pivot to work for an EdTech Solution Provided. This micorcredential will be released in August. Stay tuned! 
3. C21 Canada welcomes Katina Papulkas and Sean Slade to the Board of Advisors.
4. Canadian EdTech Industry Meetup Tomorrow Night on the Impact of AI in education panel discussion. It's not too late to register in person and online! Join us at the MindShare Workspace, June 20, 5-8pm.? Click to register!
5. York University partners with One Eleven to Launch Joint Venture Studio for New Tech MBS Degree
6. The Stage is Set! ISTE23 Live! 26th CanAm VIP reception. Don't miss this year's largest North America-wide EdTech conference in Philly! As proud hosts of our 26th CanAm Celebration of Excellence meetup, we're thrilled to showcase the Centre for Architecture & Design. It's not too late to register!
7. Government of Canada invests in responsible artificial intelligence research at the Université de Montréal.

P.S. Our Plans for the 14th Canadian ' EdTech Summit--Empowering Innovative & Sustainable Learning Environments for the Future,' November 2-3 are being finalized in partnership with Ottawa Catholic School Board, Ottawa U, and Algonquin College. Drop me an email if you are interested in speaking, or sponsoring!

 

Robert Martellacci, M.A. EdTech
President, MindShare Learning Technology™
Chief Digital Publisher, The MindShare Learning Report™
Founder, MindShare Workspace
CEO & Co-founder, C21 Canada™ -- A not for profit, Canadians for 21st Century Learning & Innovation

Follow us on Twitter @MindShareLearn
robert@mindsharelearning.com
https://mindsharelearning.ca/

 

 

Remixing Beats with Purpose: Learning to Code with Social Impact,

by Jennifer Corriero, Co-founder, TakingITGlobal 

The verse “don’t tell me I’m too old to rap” is a line of poetry by Elder Duke Redbird from Saugeen First Nation which was selected by a high school participant to conclude a remix as part of the Your Voice is Power Hackathon held today at Deloitte headquarters in downtown Toronto.

 

The remix also includes verses from Dakota Bear who had just delivered a keynote presentation for the group of nearly 100 participants. The culminating activity during the Hackathon involves presenting the remixed song with an explanation of how it relates to addressing at least one of the TRC Calls to Action.  Read more

Quote of the Week  

During the pandemic, schools became more reliant on tech than ever. The number of edtech products schools access in a typical month has tripled since four years ago to more than 1,400 tools, according to a recent estimate by Learn Platform, an edtech company that helps schools manage tech.

When I was in school, computer science was an elective course that focused mainly on teaching kids the basics of how to code. It was definitely a less popular option than taking music or phys ed. and when I entered the technology industry full time in the early 2000s, I kicked myself for not loading up on tech courses (as many of you likely did).

June 15, 2023, Ottawa, ON – The Board of Trustees is delighted to announce the appointment of Dr. Pino Buffone as the Director of Education for the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board. Dr. Pino Buffone has over 29 years of experience in education including provincial and public education leadership roles. He has been Director of Education with the Renfrew County District School Board since 2017. He will officially assume the role of OCDSB Director of Education on August 1, 2023. 

 

 “We are very pleased to welcome Dr. Pino Buffone back to the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board,” said Lyra Evans, Board Chair. “Pino is a recognized leader in public education in Ontario, known for his creative and innovative leadership and his capacity to build relationships and lead change. The Board of Trustees were excited about the range of skills and experience Pino brings to this role.  His commitment to equity and inclusive education is well aligned with the work underway in our district. He is a candidate we believe will champion our new strategic priorities - learning, well-being, and social responsibility.” 

Eric Shao, an IB physics student at Semiahmoo Secondary, has earned a spot on the national physics team and will represent Canada at the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) in Tokyo, Japan this July.

 

The Grade 12 student recently took part in a week-long physics camp at the University of British Columbia where he and 14 other students from across Canada came together to perform exercises, take in lectures and write exams. From that camp, five students, including Shao, were chosen to join Team Canada.

A new Canadian edtech startup named Forward Education (Forward EDU) is setting out to make climate change education mainstream with their Climate Action Kits for teaching coding and robotics in K-12 classrooms. The kits help students and educators understand and create prototypes of real-world technology solutions to climate change issues while advancing STEM education.

 

“The wildfires raging across Canada are a warning signal for what our future looks like without taking action against climate change,” said Forward Education CEO Jeremy Hedges. “The technology solutions exist today to tackle these challenges head on, but we need generations of inspired youth to help create a brighter future.”

The UK and Canada will today (Thursday 8 June) unveil agreements on biomanufacturing, quantum, climate change and alternative protein research, as part of a package of announcements aimed at greatly deepening collaboration on science and innovation between the two countries.

 

UK Science Minister George Freeman is in Ottawa today, meeting Canada’s Minister of Science, Innovation and Industry, Francois-Phillipe Champagne, to sign a Memorandum of Cooperation on biomanufacturing and launch a £20m joint biomanufacturing programme.

Artificial intelligence (AI) is one of the greatest technological advances of our generation and already has a significant impact on the daily lives of Canadians. The Government of Canada is also fully aware that we need to promote the responsible development and use of AI and continues to consult with leading AI experts from Canadian industry, civil society and academia through the Advisory Council on AI. We are doubling down on responsible AI to drive economic growth, ensure Canadians are protected in the digital age and preserve Canada’s leadership at the forefront of tomorrow’s economy.

 

The government is actively working with international partners on the responsible development and use of AI. Canada has gained a strong international reputation as a leader in responsible and ethical AI and continues to collaborate with its international partners, in particular through the G7 and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, to promote prudent and interoperable regulatory approaches to AI. Canada was closely involved in the launch of the Global Partnership on Artificial Intelligence, through which the 29 member governments work collectively to orient AI technologies toward shared values. Further, the government is directly engaging with leaders from like-minded countries in discussions on the future of global AI regulation.

betakit.com: June 7, 2023

York University’s Schulich School of Business is partnering with Toronto-based tech hub OneEleven to establish a joint venture studio.

 

The venture studio is part of Schulich’s new master of business administration (MBA) program focused on tech leadership, which is set to launch in the 2023 fall semester. The studio will open its doors by the third term of the program, in summer of 2024.

globalnews.ca, June 12, 2023

A report released by Ethical Digital unveiled the four most common barriers for Indigenous women entering technology careers in Saskatchewan after 2022 research showed they were among the most underrepresented populations in the industry.

“It’s lonely, but that’s been my entire career,” said Leanne Bellegarde, CEO and co-founder of Akawe Technologies. “If I wanted to see it to be it, I could only look in the mirror.”

cbc.ca: June 9, 2023

Anthaea-Grace Patricia Dennis is not your typical 12-year-old. She's a child prodigy who's about to become the youngest Canadian to ever graduate from university. On Saturday, Patricia Dennis will walk across the University of Ottawa stage and accept a bachelor's degree in biomedical science. She started the program when she was nine, at a time when most of her peers were playing games at recess.

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