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© OPINION £ sional development con- 5 versatio 3 The world seemed to be 3 evolving dramatically fas- 3 ter than was the education system, and there was this constant feeling that the things would n studente! for the ature they would face. The emphasis seemed to be on giving stu- dents more and more tech- nical skills — first key- boarding, then using vari. ous types of programs and applications, and, later, coding skills. I was a bit of a contrar- ian to that impetus for change. Having ownedare- cord player, an eight track, a cassette walkman, a CD ‘man and an iPod, not to mention a beta player anda VHS player, I've seen technology come and go. The risk of teaching too mu _ technology is that, by the time someone be- Once anexpert at some el- emphasis has been on get- ting an education to get a job, or create jobs, and the purpose of that was to in- crease our standard of liv- ing. We have been search- ing for ways toi increase net A value, both personal and GRAHAM HOOKEY corporate, much of the Column time turning our back on th lamage ement of it, it's replaced by _ this s philosophy ins: done. something else. nstant reminders tt is not simply using of ee smost negative im- technology at deter- pacts of climate change be- mines successful _out- sin to raise our concerns, comes, but, rather, finding e find ourselves looking the best ways to apply that to technology to solve our technology to achieve some productive purpose. In Western culture, that problem while, at the same time, we continue to pro- mote economic philoso- has tended to focus on the __ phies that move the needle capitalist model of eco- of sustainability ever fur- nomic growth and profits. ther f from neutrality. Not everyone is going to Even worse, we have en- agree with me when I say gendered a sense of entitle- Shilo central cumini ment to a higher standard sophy of teaching of living/consumption that oe generation to view all has financed much of the productive activities last couple of decades of economic growth with both public and private debt. Much more than just it in education. ie our excessive use of raw last 60 years (my experi- materials may be unsus- ence with education), the tainable. ‘CONSIDERATIONS FOR EDUCATIONAL CHANGE Tread an article recent- wi that explained the differ- ice between complicated and complex. Technology is complicated, comprised of various processes and procedures designed to make it seem simple. Engi- neers design the computer chips tha eae eu us to do very difficult things with just the tap of a keystroke. Complex things, on the other ha hand, consider a ‘al issu hi viour issues, technology is- sues and geopolitical is- sues. ney are the big-pic- ture thing: Engineers do not * complex things, they offer some of the ols that might assist in such a process. Interestingly enough, it is the philoso- phers and ethicists who bring the broader view of "what is right" to the table of learning, and itis this ar- ea that is often woefully ab- sent from modern educa- tion. In some ways, we need an educational shift froma TO LEARN HOW TO SUBMIT YOUR OWN CONTENT VISIT WATERLOOCHRONICLE.CA purely capitalistic econom- ic emphasis, where the complicated issues of tech- nology have brought us to the point making - chines even more intelli- gent than ourselves, toa sustainable and just eco- nomic emphasis where we treat each other, and the planet on which we live, with greater respect. This is not to suggest that education in compli- cated matters is not impor- tant, nor that capitalism doesn't have a place at the table of sustainability. But th not most im- portant challenges we face. A very large human population living with lim- ited resources on a tin! planet in the lifeless black of space is a complex prob- lem that the next genera- tion needs to address in a much better manner than the last generation. We need to raise a generation het is sian not more hnically skilled “heltbeat! on getting a er. Graham Hookey is is the Team Spor reached at ‘chookey@ya. ‘om. 5 PROVEN WAYS TO RESET YOUR MINDSET = With mental health inci- dents spiking — by up to 25 per cent globally, accord- ing to the World Health Or. the time to undo the toll events of ne Jast few years have taken "Thankfully, summer is the perfect time to do so. As apsychotherapist and head of a charity that has been supporting families with seriously ill kids for the last 15 years, I've learned a few things about helping peo- ple deal with challenge: 8 Here are five proven ways FA to reset your mindset. 1. Mental preparedness and fighti depression start before the day begins — beginning with getting eo says Tony Robbins, leading author and coach. Exercis- ing every day —evena fir minute walk around the neighbourhood to get sun- shine and fresh air — difference. If you work on the computer all day, consider investing in a standup desk. Theyre reat for , andal- leviating stress and fa- tigue. MORDECHAI ROTHMAN Column enough sleep and eating properly. Ask yourself: When was the last time I got 7-8 hours of sleep and ate three balanced meals even for just three days 8. Review your schedule before you start your day so you know what to expect and can deal with whatever straight? To promote better comes up. Consider pre- sleep, avoid using your cell- playing i in your head how The temp- tation to check messages This will get your ee during the night or early scious mind going to help morning sends a hit of do- pamine to your brain and wakes you up. 2. Motion is emotion, you tackle i issues and pre- pare to deal with any un- foreseen circumstances. 4. Take breaks and get outside. Remove yourself m your regular environ- iment to mentally reset and free-flow think any issues that have come up. At work, youcan also use your break to talk with co- ‘workers about things othe work. 5. Focus on the fact that every activity has a mean- ingful side to it. Whether you're gardening, helping file people's taxes, or press- ing a machine button all an there's always a bigger icture. What happiness ore you | bringing to others? The gardener who uplifts ucts that make people hap- py, or the office worker who helps behind the seenes - e higher r ae Try. ‘to under- stand how your daily activ- ities bring joy or Positivity to others, which in will add joy to your own life. Recognizing that people have much less human con- nection today than they did in the past — which is af- fecting their state of mind our organization has launched aunique podcast, called On Air with Chai, to deliver inspiration, hope, resilience and saenrien to anyone going thr tough time. The goal i a to restore human connection by sharing stories and ad- vice from real people who have seen sadness trans- form into joy, even in the most dire circumstances. Mordechai Rothman is Executive Director of Chai Lifeline Canada, a Toron- charity that helps support families of chil- dren who suffer from life- threatening or lifelong illness This newspaper, published every Thursday, is a division of the Metrolant ia Group Ltd., a wholly-owned subsidiary of Torstar Corporation. The Metroland family of newspapers is comprised of more than 70 community publications across Ontario. This newspaper is a member of the National NewsMedia Council. 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