Dear Thought Leader, 

You made it! Week 17 in COVID Learning time and just a one more sleep before shutting the school doors on the 2019-20 academic year; one that will never be forgotten. 
 
It will soon be time to relax, reflect and enjoy your own time with your family, friends and a few good books!

Tomorrow marks the final day of the Atlantic Education Summit which I'm fortunate to be a part of.  Being embedded in this week's AES event has been fascinating to be amongst education and industry thought leaders from across Canada and beyond. I'm inspired by the ingenuity, creativity and passion demonstrated by speakers and delegates to make an impact. N.B. education has a lot going on, thanks some amazing and talented educators. They are small but mighty and community plays a BIG part in their success. Be sure to checkout highlights in this issue! Kudos to Dr. Mario Chaisson, Chair of AES and his team for putting together a highly engaging online summit. It's been an honour to present and serve on the committee.

One of our summer passion projects--we are planning for the 11th Canadian EdTech Leadership Summit --  Future Vision 2020. We plan to gather (virtually and possibly face to face) key stakeholder groups to explore the impact of Remote Learning on systems and how strategic partnerships, new modes of hybrid learning and technologies can help sustain and enable systems, leaders, teachers, and students to thrive.  I welcome you to reach out to me if you are interested in presenting, recommending a speaker, topic, or wish to  sponsor. Save the Dates! October 28-29.

This week's Top 10 Canadian in EdTech powered by the MindShare Learning Report will give you insight and time to absorb the research over the summer. I've also highlighted a couple of interesting books to kickoff your summer reading! 

in closing, kudos to you as teachers, leaders and EdTech industry partners for having played key role in sustained remote learning.  While it wasn't perfect, you demostrated courageous leadership, innovation and the human spirit to get shit done.  You made an impact on students' lives. In many cases, you are also a parent who juggled multiple roles working harder than ever before. Our unsung heroes. 

It's all about finishing strong as I like to say, and you did just that. You created special and memorable celebrations for students of the Class of 2020 and in some cases against the school board -- 'the systems' wishes. You dared to be real and authentic. Be sure to checkout the Quote of the Week Class of 2020 Tribute and Video featuring the amazing Poet Laureate, Wali Shah. 

Special thanks to the generosity of the EdTech community who made their resources available as part of the  FREE Canadian Learning @Home Resource Hub. 
Stay tuned for the next phase of the Canadian Coalition of Learning at Home. We had an excellent meeting today to discuss future plans and our national research project to provide a scan of provincial and school district plans for back to school, slated for release mid-July. Special thanks to the membes of the committee!

Please do go out of your way to buy Canadian to support our loyal and best of breed EdTech partner community, who previously provided FREE resources during Remote Learning. 

I want to especially thank you as members of our learning community for your support and inspiration throughout the year. Writing, creating an curating is a 'hard fun' process as my prof would say from Pepperdine Univerisity. You helped make my job easier with through your excellence and passion in making learning magical. We welcome your comments, success stories and events to share!

Please feel free to drop me a note if we can be of further support to your organization through our strategic learning technology consulting services. 

Thank you to my many mentors in our advisory board members, my associate partner,
Dr. Karen Grose, Timothy Gard, Chief Learning Officer, members of our team, and our valued sponsors, who collectively help raise the bar of excellence on a daily basis. 

A shout out to my dear friend Dr. Greg Malszecki, my mentor, former professor and advisory board member, who is battling 4th stage prostate cancer. The time we spend together is priceless. You courage and strength to keep smiling and battling in the most challenging times is a source of inspiration to all of us.  If I can share Greg's secret to being an award-winning university wide professor....he cared about his students and he brought out the best in all of us. He was an awesome storyteller and I look forward to hearing more! Those of you who know Greg, please reach out and drop him a note, or give him a call as I'm sure he'd love to hear from you. 

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