An Educator’s Purpose in 2026  Jan 6    In 2026, I am thinking, writing, crafting, and consulting with a purpose in mind: that of the educator. To me, the educator spans the wide range of work that I do, both formally and informally, in and outside of postsecondary institutions, workplaces, conferences, professional development sessions, and on/through social media.    Over the holidays, I read David Weitzner’s Think Like a Human: The Power of Your Mind in Age of AI (2025 ).

Idea 37 for 2025   Last week, I wrote an article on why Gen Z were reporting higher levels of burnout and what to do about it in the Conversation .   I have been astonished by the responses. Sure, there’s the fact that there’s been over 56000 reads, which is 10x more than my previous piece in the Conversation!   I also received far more comments than I expected, on the site and in my inbox. Some of these shared detailed personal experiences with burnout and the stark realitie

Idea 36 for 2025 The World Economic Forum has released its first report as part of a series of five key “New Economy Skills” that include "human-centric" skills, along with AI, data and digital skills, green and sustainability skills, trade and vocational skills, and business skills. I am looking forward to spending more time with this report; I am really curious to delve further into the regional strengths and gaps from different parts of the world related to human-centric s

Idea 34 for 2025 I recently published an article, Gen Z is burning out at work more than any other generation — here’s why and what can be done . As a member of Generation X and a seasoned educator of younger people, I well aware of the rise of mental health concerns, such an anxiety and stress, that seems widespread among Millennials and Generation Z. Indeed, my educator colleagues and I are constantly responding to the impacts of these mental health challenges in the classr

Idea 33 for 2025 A few weeks ago, I participated in a panel on moving from Potential to Performance for learning and development practitioners. One of the panelists spoke about the power of improv to build dialogue, empathy and relational engagement with team members. Improv is not new to me, but I haven't 'done' improv in 20 years or so. Yet, two weeks ago, I had the opportunity to attend a professional development event held by NAAAP-Toronto. It's a network that I had recen

I wanted to discuss a new white paper written by British tech philosopher Dr. Tom Chatfield. It examines how AI can support educators and students. This technology has the potential to deepen the process of higher learning in various ways. As a postsecondary educator, I found Chatfield’s exploration of cognitive, instrumental, and social dimensions of learning particularly interesting. He navigates research and strategies to design and implement assessments through the appli

Idea 31 for 2025: Rethinking Higher Education in the Age of AI A few weeks ago, I listened to a podcast recorded in September about the future of higher education and the rapid rise of generative AI. This insightful discussion was part of The Globe & Mail's Machines Like Us podcast series, moderated by Taylor Owen. The podcast featured Conor Grennan, the chief AI architect at NYU’s Stern School of Business, and Niall Ferguson, a senior fellow at Stanford and Harvard, who co-f

Idea 30 for 2025 As a writer and creator, I am a member of Access Copyright and joined dozens to attend an online webinar a few weeks ago featuring the lawyer Erin Finlay, Partner, Stohn Hay Cafazzo, LLP. Finlay, perhaps in true lawyerly fashion, presented her comments as information and not legal advice and stressed that they were accurate as of the day of the presentation, October 1, 2025. After the session we were presented a webinar summary in pdf format, and I have, with

Idea 29 for 2025 Earlier in the summer, I took the plunge and signed up for the Association of Fundraising Professionals TOgather one-day...

Idea 28 for 2025   A few weeks ago, I spoke at the NAAAP Leadership Convention. Like all other speakers, I received a copy of Hali Lee’s...

Idea 27 for 2025 A few weeks ago, I stumbled upon this fascinatingly eerie BBC's Tech Now, Is this how AI might eliminate humanity?...

Idea 26 for 2025 I recently spoke at the @NAAAP conference on " The Strategic Leader as Host : Building Connection  and Collaboration  in...

Idea 25 for 2025 I have returned from a conference that I attended in Kansas City, Missouri, a city that I visited for first time. I...

Idea 24 for 2025   This quote comes from futurist and CEO Lindsey McInerney in her TedTalk, The Return to the Humanities in the Age of...

Idea 23 for 2025     It’s a confusing time. In my last post , I discussed research about how computer programmers are at risk of job...

Idea 22 for 2025 Earlier this year, in February, visiting friends for dinner, an undergraduate computer science student told me in...

A few weeks ago, I saw Julie Delpy’s satirical and intriguing film Les Barbares (Meet the Barbarians).   The word “barbarian,”...

About two weeks ago, I listened to a livestream of a fascinating talk featuring Geoffrey Hinton, recipient of the 2024 Nobel Prize of...

I had registered to attend Harvard Business Review Press ' presentation of a webinar of Prithwiraj (Raj) Choudhury , a Harvard Business...

To me, and for many, language is tied to culture, a learned and shared symbolic meaning system through we think and communicate.   With...