Dear Thought Leader,
2020 has been a year like no other. As we reflect back, we want to honour those individuals and organizations, who went beyond the call of duty to impact Canada’s learning systems in the most positive ways, especially during the pandemic.
With that, I’m pleased to share our selections for Canada’s Top 20 Learning & Technology Newsmakers of 2020. At the number one position, we pay tribute to all Canadian educators who stepped-up to sustain learning in support of our future leaders and their well being during these unprecedented times.
We witnessed educational institutions, not for profits and EdTech companies, pivot to provide essential supports from PD (OTU), to new and innovative tech platforms (D2L) and tools (Nelson edwin) to enable virtual and hybrid learning that suddenly became mission critical. For that we applaud you and recognize a number of you across the Canadian landscape.
Notably, organizations such as C21’s Canadian Coalition for Learning @Home came together through strategic partnerships between education, industry and not for profits to make an impact on sustaining learning through free resources.
Mental health and well-being amongst students, teachers and parents is at crisis levels and we recognize Dr. Steve Joordens, UofT Psychologist and Dr. Rumeet Billan, who stepped-up to make a positive impact nationally, as well as engaging with us to share and bring perspective on the pandemic and coping mechanisms.
I would be remiss if I didn’t give a shout out to Jeremy Hedges, CEO, InkSmith. This STEM startup founder made a hard right pivot to create The Canadian Shield (branding courtesy of Jeremy’s mom!), growing 10 employees to 300 producing PPE for medical workers winning a large government contract.
In closing, as we prepare for the holidays, this year’s crop of 2020 Newsmakers provides us hope for better year ahead. Special thanks to each of you for nurturing one of the world’s top performing education systems.
As always, we welcome your comments and encourage you to please give a shout out to our Top 20 this year.
From our team to yours, wishing you a safe and memorable holiday season with your families. Stay safe, take good care of your health and keep the learning curve steep! Best,
P.S. This year’s Charity of Choice is Kids Help Phone in Support Student Well-being.
Robert Martellacci, M.A. EdTech
President, MindShare Learning Technology™
Chief Digital Publisher, The MindShare Learning Report™
Founder, MindShare Workspace
CEO & Co-founder, C21 Canada™
