Here at Best Buy, we’re all about providing our customers with the tools they need to keep on growing, helping them pursue their passions and enrich their lives with the help of technology. But we also recognize that in addition to the right tools, we also need the right people in our lives to guide us, teach us, and help us reach that next level in our development.
For Back to School this year, we want to celebrate those people, those teachers who faced a year of unexpected challenges and adapted to them, arming themselves with the right tech to keep teaching so that we can all keep learning.
To do so, we partnered with two prominent content creators: multidisciplinary designer Will Selviz and visual storyteller Tyler Stalman. Check out the videos below to see how we helped each of them reconnect with an influential mentor, while giving them tech and tools to fully show their appreciation to people who’ve made a huge impact in their lives.
Will Selviz, Multi-Dimensional Designer from Toronto, thanks an influential mentor who helped with his career development and discusses the value of paying it forward as a mentor himself.
Will was a co-facilitator for a program led by Jessica Yamoah, Founder and CEO of INNOVATE INC. The program gives youth access to professionals and corporate settings to raise awareness about career paths in business, innovation, and technology. Karl was one of the youth who participated in the program, and as a result Will mentors him today. Will’s organization: RENRD FOUNDATION is focused on digital design. They collaborate with Jessica, other industry leaders, and organizations who support their work to provide mentorship, direct access to industry standard equipment, and culturally diverse programming.
In the video, Will discusses how creating 3-D animations and other 3-D work requires special equipment and he knows he can count on Best Buy to have the technology he needs, like many Microsoft technologies he showed in the video including the Microsoft Surface Pro.
Tyler Stalman from Calgary thanks the high school teacher who encouraged his creativity and interest in video production
Tyler showed several devices that are ideal for anyone learning or teaching video production. These include the ideal vlogging companion, a Sony Cyber-shot ZV-1 Digital Camera; the compact and light Deity D4 DUO Microphone for crystal clear audio indoors and outdoors; a Manfrotto Beefree Live Aluminum tripod and Zhiyun Weebill-S gimbal stabilizer, two products essential for high resolutions still and smooth and steady video footage; and to store the footage and enable fast data transfer to a computer for processing, a Lexar Professional 128GB memory card.
Who inspired you to learn
Having the right tech while learning is very important; but we also need to meet wonderful teachers and mentors along our educational journey. We all have a story to tell of one or more teachers who elevated our learning or inspired us. I can think of several in my life, and I also have one teacher from when my children were in school: their grade 3 teacher, Mr. Bonenfant, inspired me to be a better parent with his amazing teaching style and patience. Let us know about the tech you think is essential for learning and who inspired you. Enter below and nominate one teacher or mentor for a chance for you or the person you nominate to win a $750 Best Buy gift certificate.
How to enter
Entering this contest is easy and you can enter once for yourself and once for someone you know:
- Leave a comment below this article and tell us the first name of a mentor who helped you learn and what tech available at Best Buy do you consider to be essential for students going back to school
- Send an email to “bestbuyblog@bestbuycanada.ca“ AND CC a teacher or mentor so they are aware that you entered them in this contest. In the subject line put: “What tech will help you achieve contest” and in the body of the email tell us which teacher or mentor you are nominating to win this contest and why.
NOTE: do not put your teacher or mentor’s last name or personal email in the comments below; they should only be mentioned in the email.
What you can win
At the end of this contest we will randomly select one winner from all comments left on the blog article for this contest (French and English) AND randomly select two winners from all nominations sent via email so the person nominated can win the prize. Each winner will receive a Best Buy Canada Gift Certificate worth $750.
This contest runs from August 30th until September 30th.
Remember you can enter once for yourself in a blog comment AND once for a teacher or mentor who inspired you in an email as mentioned above.
What will tech help us achieve Contest Rules and Regulations
Good Luck
Table of Contents
Mr M. in grade seven back in 1981 saw me exclaim over other students programming in BASIC and taught me as well.
A Deco mesh router is essential to get everyone online and not interfering with each other or having dead spots.
Editor’s note: Surname is replaced with the initial.
my dad, albert, was actually a teacher so he did mentor me a lot in terms of studying habits, students now and days definitely need a good tablet/netbook/laptop for school
Esther taught me how to read – thank you! It definitely is the most valuable skill I could have ever learned and you were so encouraging. I think an essential back to school item for anyone is a Microsoft Surface Pro 7 12.3″ 128GB.
I never stop learning from my sister Jody. She is a wonderful mentor. I think the Apple MacBook Air is essential for any student going back to school.
I learned some great things from Elena and I think the Acer Spin 3 14″ Touchscreen 2-in-1 Laptop would be on any student’s wish list.
My mentor is my husband. He is the one that helps me with my tech
My tech mentor is my son. he figures things out quickly on the iPad & laptop.
JoJo is my mentor. I never learned anything about technology, don’t own a smartphone or a tablet. JoJo learned about technology before the PC existed and computers were as big as a basement. She taught me everything I know, which still isn’t very much, but every time I run into a problem with the TV or my desktop she is always there to bail me out!
JoJo is my mentor. I never learned anything about technology, don’t own a smartphone or a tablet. JoJo learned about technology before the PC existed and computers were as big as a basement. She taught me everything I know, which still isn’t very much, but every time I run into a problem with the TV or my desktop she is always there to bail me out!
JoJo is my mentor. I never learned anything about technology, don’t own a smartphone or a tablet. JoJo learned about computers before the PC existed and computers were as big as a basement. She taught me everything I know, which still isn’t very much, but every time I run into a problem with the TV or my desktop she is always there to bail me out!
JoJo is my mentor. I never learned anything about technology, don’t own a smartphone or a tablet. JoJo learned about computers before the PC existed and computers were as big as a basement. She taught me everything I know, which still isn’t very much, but every time I run into a problem with the TV or my desktop she is always there to bail me out!
Good friend Judy who gives good advice and pointers on how to succeed
Students need a lightweight laptop, no question.
My kids are my mentors because they are the ones trying to help me understand todays technology, good luck to them. ASUS ZenWifi Wireless Wi-Fi 6 Tri-Band Router (XT8) to make sure you can connect anything anywhere to be essential for students going back to school.
My tech mentor has been my husband, he has been able to help me and the children troubleshoot many issues we have had with out zoom calls or our computers being slow or crashing! I think having a good computer that is fast is something every child needs for school.
My tech mentor is my daughter Tanya. She has taught me a lot about up to date technology. I like to go to YouTube if I am really stuck and it’s also a great source of information.
Linus has been my mentor. Although I only watch his videos online, he has taught me a lot about building computers, and what to look for in your components. I consider a strong graphics card and CPU either in a laptop or computer essential for a student who is trying to learn about video creation and design. You need the proper hardware to support your passions, so I have shopped at best buy because they’re a reliable seller of parts!
Myself
Sam has been a wonderful mentor, as he has shown me how to go about in my studies and be relentless with my learning opportunities. Particularly, during my experience during internship, he stressed the opportunity to get hands on experience as much as I could while being supervised. I think the Chromebook, such as the Acer Spin 14″ Touchscreen 2-in-1 Chromebook would be essential to students going back to school. The ability to have a touchscreen and keyboard gives flexibility to many school work projects, and its price point is fair.
The first person I think of when I think of a Mentor was a teacher way back in high school, Paul, who encouraged me to continue with my writing. He knew how much I loved to read, and would lend me his own books, not as part of a class assignment or anything, but just so that I could read them, and learn from great writers. I think that tech that Best Buy carries that is essential to back-to-school are tablets such as the Samsung Galaxy Tab S6 Lite. This kind of tech didn’t exist when I was in school, but nowadays, it’s necessary – you can use it for everything from taking notes to researching. Thank you for the chance.
Steph has really helped me understand so much more about new technology, things that can be done from the phone, about home systems, etc, and Terry has really helped clear up some questions about setting up a business, programs that are valuable & very user friendly. all this information is so important as I retire from my long-time job, start my own business & hopefully prosper..
Maryann has been a wonderful mentor – I have learned so much from how she treats her students. She is always caring, determined to facilitate learning, and quick to reach out to others who may be able to help when she feels that she doesn’t know enough in a certain area.
I nominate Matt
Al was a mentor that helped me learn. The tech students need for back to school depends on how old they are and what they are studying. At the very least I would say tablets for the youngest students and laptops for older students.
Health monitoring with smartwatches
Health monitoring with smartwatches
Her name was Luisa, one of my teachers in high school who supported and inspired me when I decided to become a writer – back on an old manual typewriter too. Now, I would recommend the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 12.3″ for back to school – why would you ever need a full size typew.. I mean computer again?
My prof David changed my life. His passion for teaching and infectious enthusiasm made a massive difference to us all. He was also one of the few who embraced tech and now has his own You Tube chanel!
I think it’s chromebooks that are most important for kids going back to school. They’re cheap and powerful and help equip kids for the 21st world they’ll be challenged to make better.
My best friend Lorriane who has successfully completed her Masters, all online and now teaches online. My granddaughter has learning disabilities and having her own computer like the Lenovo Legion 7i Laptop would be wonderful for her to ask my friend any questions and get some extra help whenever she needs it.
My Mentor is my coworker Fred, he does an amazing job managing the IT framework at our workplace, and I wouldn’t know half the things I know about IT without him. As an essential for back to school, a healthy standing desk is a must-have, so the Fenge Electric Standing Desk is a great pick.
I would have to say my friend Janet, who showed me that statistics and data collection are important to make sound decisions in life. The tech that is very important is also portable – so tablets and smart watches so you can always have a device to collect data, and visually show people examples.
My son Matt is inspiring me with his knowledge of current marketing strategies and how to really reach your customer through social media. He has launched his own business and that has me thinking of starting up something for myself. An Apple MacBook Pro 13.3″ laptop would help us get things done.
I work in a school, and this past year has been amazing because of Nicole, the teacher I worked with.
She inspired me everyday. She taught the kids that everyone makes mistakes, that’s what makes us human. We’re not robots! She always made the classroom a fun and accepting place for all kids.
She would make slideshows and class videos on her laptop and it’s inspired me to involve more tech into my job. I would love a new laptop or tablet to create more fun programming for the children I support.
For back to school I think having a laptop or tablet is essential for doing your best!
Bob helped me learn; a laptop computer, such as the Lenovo Legion 7i Laptop, is essential for students going back to school.
Our cousin Albert inspired us to get into tech, he introduced us to the wonders of computing at a earlier age with his owned Apple IIe computer, later upgraded to a IBM PC just as they were starting to gain dominance. Now and days for kids, a good portable laptop like a Lenovo Legion 7i Laptop with powerful and portable computing specs should last them a while.
My mentor when it comes to tech is my husband, Matthew. He is way more tech savvy then I am and always has the knowledge and patience to help me fix any issue or learn a new interface or skill.
These days the most essential piece of tech for back to school learning is a good laptop or Microsoft surface pro. It makes accessing teacher lectures and taking notes for studying super easy.
mentor – cliff – he had the patience to teach me – and that was not easy… he was kind of a jeek – so my junior skills must have been hard for him to deal with – but he did not give up on me…… everything he taught me still comes into play even now…. I was always be grateful to me …for all the time he spent with me…
Rose was a great mentor for sure and not only for myself but for many others! I love the idea of this Apple Pencil with the IPAD for adding some fun innovation to your projects!
My High School graphics teacher, Bob was my inspiration to pursue a career in design. The latest Surface Pro is a perfect tool for the modern designer because it substitutes all the designer paraphernalia I used to have lug around.Design students don’t realize how much easier it is these days.
I have many mentors in my life but my biggest influence and mentor is my Dad who has shown me how to succeed in life and set goals and work hard achieving them especially when it comes to Finances using good ol’ spreadsheets. I feel laptops or tablets are considered essential for going back to school.
My mentor is Brian who has taught me the finer points of navigating business with patience and lots and lots of explanation. I think that a Chromebook is essential for kids returning to school.
I nominate my mentor Donna, for her great advice and guidance. Best Buy has great essentials for students like the Microsoft Surface Pro 7 12.3″ 128GB Windows 10 Tablet With 10th Gen Intel Core i5/8GB RAM .
My husband has been an excellent mentor and teacher to many artists and engineers who went on to work at Disney, Dreamworks, Pixar, ILM, and many other companies. And they have gone on to create amazing work themselves. My husband created half of the computer graphics industry technology including the computer software Maya which won an Academy Award in 2003 and created thousands of jobs. He was and is a pioneer in computer graphics!
Tech will enable amateur creators to create and share their ideas, projects, and passions with more people than ever before.
nothing beats youtube!!!!
nothing beats youtube
My mentor is my wife, Machi, who is a teacher, and I’ve learned so much from her in my own teaching practice! One of the important tech pieces for students would be a laptop as so much of school is shifting to online work and apps.
My mentor’s name is brad and taught me a tons and a laptop is essential for school and for a writer!
my mother
Kritzer – He taught my favourite classed in science and technology. But the best part was the after-hours tech school club were we got to do all kinds of neat projects.
My mentor for tech is good old You Tube. I watch a video on a problem I need to solve and follow directions. Its great.
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