Educational Research & Innovation Centre EDUCATIONAL TECHNOLOGY & STUDENT ENGAGEMENT

Our Story: The Discovery of the ihub CONNECT April , 2016 (5 th Annual Conference) We discovered that, “All of us are smarter than any of us”

ihub: A model of connected community space The launch of the Educational Research & Innovation Hub (ihub) on February 26 th 2014; a dynamic incubation entity focused in the K-12 educational technology (EdTech) sector. Unique to North America, ihub is physically located in a K-12 facility, the DSBN Academy. Proximity to the US educational and business markets.

The Gap The Niagara region has gone through three decades of difficult but necessary economic changes which has resulted in the loss of business and 21c workforce. Our local primary, secondary, and post-secondary institutions were not actively participating in the region’s economic development in a collaborative and meaningful way. Innovation is restrained as a result of the disconnect between companies and researchers developing educational technologies, and the learning institutions they’re developing for.

What does the ihub do? Empower teachers and staff at the grass roots level to innovate by avoiding the typical top down approach used to create new policies and teaching practices.

Provides a conducive environment for educators and other innovators from various fields that can work together to develop educational technology solutions that meet the true needs of students and teachers. What does the ihub do?

Offers a collaborative space where entrepreneurs, students and educators could develop innovative applications and learn new skills. Piloting educational insight proof of concept, gap analysis, white papers, academic papers, case studies, etc. What does the ihub do?

Students are provided with valuable networking opportunities, after-school programs, bursary support, and a space for student curiosity, learning, and innovation. Efficacy studies robust enough to inform product improvement for Fortune 500 companies. What does the ihub do?

ihub Challenges Collaborating with local educational institutions with different fiscal and operational policy structures. Lack of funding for incubation and innovation in k-12 education. Removing the barriers for educational technology startups to pilot in the classrooms. K-12 does not have proper research protocols.

To date the ihub has provided support to 22 startup companies. 12 are still residents. 10 of the above mentioned companies have gone to market. Researchers, graduate students, interns and startups have interacted with many classroom students and teachers. Completed proof of concept and product validation for ten well established (Fortune 500) technology companies. The ihub has garnered provincial and national attention as a leader in K-12 edtech incubator. Accomplishments

The Governor General Leadership delegation voted the ihub as one of the top 10 finalists across Canada in Leadership and Innovation. Accomplishments

Events Engaging learning opportunities for K-12 students Engaging learning opportunities for educators Engaging learning opportunities for university students Networking opportunities for community stakeholders Network opportunities for startups

Success Stories Thinkscape K-20 STEM learning platform Alpha and beta testing K-20 efficacy study 10- classroom study ihub client 10 years of STEM Clients: LEGO, FIRST, VEX The first LMS plug-in for labs: Mobile and web Just in time help Video note-taking Real-time analytics Authoring Thinkscape championed at NC K-20 study discussions begin including, Brock and DSBN Higher-Ed study ongoing in Science K-12 Study, protocol and ethic s Teacher training in January Monitoring and support by Brock and Enable teams

Success Stories Chalk.com has successfully commercialized the first portion of their product in the United States and has districts using them in the UK as well as China. They have received significant financing from prominent investors are expanding their operations. Working through the ihub, Chalk.com is developing and commercializing a formative assessment and parental engagement solution.

A, B, C’s of Student Engagement Behavioural Engagement Academic Engagement Cognitive Engagement Student engagement represents both the time and energy students invest in educationally purposeful activities (Kuh et al., 2007).

Product Development Engaging Learning Opportunities Product Efficacy Engaging Learning Opportunities

The Future of the ihub Self-sufficient eco-system that supports student engagement and educational innovation Support product development and efficacy with multiple industry customers Support product implementation in multiple locations in Ontario Support product implementation in multiple locations across North America Product Development Engaging Learning Opportunities Product Efficacy Engaging Learning Opportunities Product Development Engaging Learning Opportunities Product Efficacy Engaging Learning Opportunities Product Development Engaging Learning Opportunities Product Efficacy Engaging Learning Opportunities Product Development Engaging Learning Opportunities Product Efficacy Engaging Learning Opportunities Product Development Engaging Learning Opportunities Product Efficacy Engaging Learning Opportunities Product Development Engaging Learning Opportunities Product Efficacy Engaging Learning Opportunities Product Development Engaging Learning Opportunities Product Efficacy Engaging Learning Opportunities

We Invite You to Join Us We invite you to join us in our journey to focus on student engagement through solutions designed by startups and tested by teachers. Join us in connecting the dots with innovation hubs fueled by the energy of educators and the bright minds of startups who want to make a difference in the lives of our students.