Photo Caption: L-R, Doug Prescott, Alexandra Dunn, The Right Honourable Paul Martin, Bill Kierstead, Naomi Johnson and Ron Owston

KING CITY, ONTARIO, Wednesday, February 13, 2013 – C21 Canada – Canadians for 21st Century Learning & Innovation, a not-for-profit organization made up of education organizations and knowledge sector companies, launched its inaugural national awards for Leadership and Innovation on February 12.

C21 Canada’s Shifting Minds National Awards for leadership in 21st century Learning and Innovation are presented in the following three categories:

The System Award is presented to a school district, board or Ministry that supports 21st century models of leadership and invests in ICT rich learning environments where learning and innovation is evident.
The School Award is presented to a school demonstrating culture and sustainable leadership in 21st century learning and innovation.

The Individual Awards are presented to a student or educator in the public education system, a private sector individual, or one who has provided support from outside the public education system.

The Shifting Minds School System Award was presented to Naomi Johnson, Chief Superintendent of Education on behalf of the Calgary Board of Education. Naomi champions the humanity of personalized learning where students are co-creators of knowledge, engaged to understand themselves as learners with a horizon beyond high school. The CBE has created an ICT environment that connects students to the future. At the CBE, technology and lifelong learning are woven together for the benefit of more than 107,000 students, reflecting Naomi’s vision for education.

The Shifting Minds School Award was presented to Doug Prescott, Head of School at the Canadian International School in Beijing. Founded in the fall of 2005, the Canadian International School of Beijing offers a world-class facility with an internationally recognized Canadian education curriculum and the International Baccalaureate Programme. CISB enrols students representing over 50 countries and offers programming in Montessori Nursery from 18 months to 3 years of age, and Pre-Kindergarten to Grade 12. As one of the leading educational institutions in Beijing, CISB’s main focus is to serve and provide children with the highest 21st century education standard possible. CISB teachers are well versed in 21st century teaching and learning methodologies offering a diverse blend of experiences and energies with the majority being recruited from Canada and a cultural balance of teachers from Asia.

“I was honoured to accept the inaugural C21 Canada Shifting Minds School Award on behalf of the staff and students of the Canadian International School of Beijing and our visionary school owner, Dr. Francis Pang. Being recognized by C21 Canada is  a confirmation that our 21st century student focused leadership initiatives are on target and valued,” states Mr. Prescott.

The Shifting Minds Individual Awards were awarded to Bill Kierstead, Alexandra Dunn and Dr. Ron Owston.

Bill Kierstead is a 26-year career educator who has worked throughout the New Brunswick Public Education system as a teacher, administrator, board supervisor, curriculum specialist and the Director of New Brunswick’s NB3-21C initiative. Bill has pioneered school-based video conferencing, signed the first Memorandum of understanding between a school and the Canadian Space Agency, and continues to share his wealth of knowledge and expertise with his professional learning network.

“I am honoured and humbled to be named alongside the other honourees as a recipient of C21 Canada’s Shifting Minds Award. To have my career’s work in the service of public education recognized by my peers is a thrill for me professionally and personally,” says Mr. Kierstead.

Alex Dunn is a Speech and Language Pathologist from the Upper Canada District School Board working extensively to increase achievement for all students, including those with significant disabilities, by incorporating emerging technologies in inclusive learning environments through the use of a Universal Design for Learning Toolkit. Sharing her own SMART inclusion research through publications and conferences around the world, her work in inclusive environments has sparked similar research projects and initiatives across Canada, and to a worldwide audience.

“This award, which acknowledges the leadership of the Smart Inclusion team comprised educators, students and parents at Upper Canada District School Board, will create more opportunities to share and learn with others across Canada and internationally and thus the potential for learning for ALL is unlimited,” says Ms. Dunn.

Dr. Ron Owston is Dean of the Faculty of Education and former Director of the Institute for Research in Learning Technologies (IRLT) at York University. He has spoken at numerous national and international conferences, and is published in a variety of fields including technology in education, program evaluation, and teacher development.  Ron has been a strong supporter of C21 Canada. He
participated in and hosted several founding member meetings of the fledgling organization and is a past member of the MindShare Learning Report Advisory Board.

“I’m honoured to be recognized by leading Canadian educators for my contributions in advancing innovation in our educational system,” says Dr. Owston.

Congratulations to our award recipients and a special thank you to our honorary presenter, The Right Honorable Paul Martin.

About C21 Canada
C21 Canada is a unique blend of national education associations and knowledge sector businesses united in their belief that 21st century models of learning must be adopted in public education on an urgent basis to position Canadians for economic, social and personal success in the high skills, knowledge and innovation based economy. www.c21canada.org
C21 Canada’s Founding Members: Canadian Education Association, Canadian School Board Association, Dell, EF Educational Tours, IBM, McGraw-Hill Ryerson, Microsoft, Nelson Education, Oxford University Press, Pearson, Scholastic Education, SMART Technologies.

Secretariat: 21st Century Learning Associates, MindShare Learning

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For media inquiries, please contact:
Robert Martellacci
Vice-President, C21 Canada
416.569.2106
robert@mindsharelearning.com

 

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One Response to Innovative educators honoured at 2nd Annual C21 Canada Summit

  1. […] Robert Martellacci, Vice President of C21 Canada, interviews Naomi Johnson, Chief Superintendent of Education at the Calgary Board of Education, about receiving the inaugural Shifting Minds School System Award for 21st century Learning and Innovation. […]

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