tech to achieve feature imageHere 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.

microsoft surface proWill 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

sony zv1 vlogging cameraTyler 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:

  1. 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
  2. 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

Martin Renaud
Editor in Chief
Martin loves working with the talented editors and writers on the Best Buy Blog as Editor-in-Chief. During his spare time he is either working on his next novel, cooking up a masterpiece in the kitchen, or adding some smart tech to his new home on Mayne Island in British Columbia.

687 COMMENTS

  1. My mentor is Bob who taught me everything tech I know.

    I think a great tablet or laptop is essential for students who usually know way more than I do!!

    Microsoft Surface Pro 7 12.3″ 128GB Windows 10 Tablet With 10th Gen Intel Core i5/8GB.. it is a keeper! Just like Bob!!

  2. Mike was my mentor I’m not sure what path I would have taken had he not be there to help me. I think a laptop is an essential back to school item these days.

  3. my mentor is Sandi and I think that with all the remote learning these days that a laptop is an essential back to school item

  4. My mentor is Sam, he got me into cryptocurrency and trading stocks online. It’s not the traditional schooling, but financial education is just as important. With an iPad or iPhone, I can trade stocks right at my fingertips.

  5. I am my children’s mentor as we are doing online schooling again this year. With both kids under the age of 5, the iPad is the way to go for learning and doing their homework.

  6. My mentor is my mom, she is a computer engineer, I learn a lot from her. I would love to have lightweight laptop for myself to going back to school

  7. my dad, Don, has been a great mentor for me my entire life!! with so much remote learning happening these days, i think that a laptop is an essential for students going back to school

  8. Chris has been my mentor. I good computer is essential for students going back to school, especially a laptop or iPad.

  9. My mentor’s name was John. An iPad is an essential tool for students as it can be used in class, at home and for remote learning. Everything is accessible for their learning.

  10. My mentor’s name is Nitin. He was a great mentor and I would consider any Apple product to be essential for students going back to school, particularly an iPad.

  11. My mentor that got me interested in technology is Mr.N. He was my IT teacher in highschool. A laptop would be the best back to school essential specially with covid and online studies.

  12. The mentor in my life is Mike and even now I still value his feedback and advice. The current absolute necessity for back to school is definitely a Microsoft Surface Pro. Light, fast and mobile PC you can bring with you to stay productive.

  13. My older brother Minh is my mentor and he taught me how to code, and I think a new laptop is essential for students going back to school.

  14. My English teacher Spiros K made english fun in High school.
    For me going back to school i believe an Ipad is a very valuable tool to take notes especially with an apple pen

  15. My mentor Jo was the first to really look at my innate gifts, aptitudes, personality characteristics, and passions.

    To define my long-term success, she asked me, “Imagine that tonight there is a party honoring you on your 80th birthday. Write down five brief things you would like family and close friends to say about you.” She explained that by not having this conversation was like sailing a ship without the ultimate destination in mind.

    This allowed me to review the outstanding issues in my life and come up with a course of action. Once I was able to reorient my responsibilities back to my natural strengths, my overall educational/career goals were easily identifiable. I am forever grateful to my mentor who has changed my life forever.

    My recommendation for back to school is The Razer Kiyo Webcam & Seiren X Microphone Streaming Kit. It’s a good example of high-quality hardware that will upgrade your digital content to professional standards.

    Check it out:
    https://www.bestbuy.ca/en-ca/product/razer-kiyo-webcam-seiren-x-microphone-streaming-kit/15546849

    Thanks Best Buy!

  16. Irwin, a colleague helped me.
    A Samsung 32″ FHD 75Hz 4ms GTG Curved VA LED FreeSync Gaming Monitor would help the cause.

  17. my parents were my mentors. A laptop is essential thank goodness for Best Buy Acer Aspire 5 15.6″ Laptop – Silver (Intel Ci5-1035G1/256GB SSD/8GB RAM/Windows 10)

  18. One of my mentors is my father. He continues to teach me how live a loving life. He does a lot of work online so computer(s) come in extremely handy.

  19. Tom is my mentor who helped me ease back into school and learn after a long break from school.

    I would consider a thin and light laptop like a Microsoft Surface to be essensial for students going back to school. It comes in handy when you want to search things up and you can use it to study and work on team projects. The main benefit to me would be the thiness and weight; it can fit easily in a backback without breaking your back!

  20. My first mentors who helped me to be knowledgeable and responsible were my dad and my older brother. They were very educated and articulate and they were able to instill the belief in me that anything is possible if I work for it.

  21. My Dad was my first mentor, he taught me how to grow up to be a good man and introduced me to what it takes to run your own business and most of my recreational activities as well.

    A good computer or tablet is essential for students returning to school (depending on their age).

  22. My mentor was Jason. He taught me how to use my first MacBook when I was the high school yearbook editor. I have to say a MacBook is an essential back to school tech item.

  23. My mentor Jessica a true blessing m. A laptop is ESSENTIAL thank goodness for Best Buy Acer Aspire 5 15.6″ Laptop – Silver (Intel Ci5-1035G1/256GB SSD/8GB RAM/Windows 10)!!

  24. my first mentors were my grandfather who lived with us and my father ,they both would have loved to have a laptop at home to use so they could write to their relatives back home instantly pretty much!

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