Digital Social Work

In a rapidly advancing technological culture, social work practitioners are frequently challenged to invent new strategies to meet client needs and foster social change. Despite the Council on Social Work Education's new standards for technology in social work practice, few schools of social work teach the use of technology for practice, and many instructors struggle with the integration of this increasingly necessary dimension into education. Digital Social Work is designed to offer engaging, meaningful, and easy-to-use technology content that can be incorporated into generalist and advanced social work practice courses. The chapters in this volume offer instructors and students insight into the knowledge, skills, and values required of those who practice social work 2.0; by providing concrete examples of technology tools, they complement traditional social work curricula dealing with micro, mezzo, and macro systems. Chapters can be used singly--to augment Practice, Research, or Policy courses--or can provide a format to discuss technology in courses addressing practice with individuals, youth, and families. Virtual worlds, social media, GIS, blogs, and many other technology tools are represented in this collection.

Auteur

Lauri Goldkind, PhD, MSW, is Associate Professor in the Graduate School of Social Service at Fordham University. As a social worker who has focused on macro practice, she is also interested in organizational development and evaluating organizational effectiveness across all areas (including use of technology, defining notions of accountability, and leadership development). Her current research has two strands: technology implementation, information, and communication technologies (ICT) tools in human services; and nonprofits, social justice, and civic engagement in organizational life. Lea Wolf, LMSW, is a social worker who lives and works in New York City. Wolf's published work addresses arts-based interventions across sectors, social activism, and the nexus of social work and technology. Paul P. Freddolino, MDiv, PhD, is Professor of Social Work at Michigan State University. He has led development of hybrid/blended social work education programs and online courses. He is also actively engaged in research related to the use of technology tools in social work practice. Current projects focus on technology for stroke victims, for people with dementia, and for caregivers of both.

Contenu

Acknowledgments List of Contributors 1. Introduction Part I. INDIVIDUAL 2. Promoting Real Abilities in a Virtual World Alice Krueger 3. Where I Was and Where I Want to Go: Digital Music and Therapeutic Songwriting Andrew Tepper, Lea Wolf, Chelsea Tussing, Emily Carter, Janice Derito, Michael Jaonsch, and Sofia Konvitz 4. mDad: Helping Dads Be Better Parents with Mobile Phones Shawna J. Lee, Tova B. Walsh, and Joyce Y. Lee 5. Online Social Support for Foster Care Youths Transitioning to College and Adulthood Lynette Kvasny 6. Digital Storytelling: Tools, Techniques, and Traditions Melanie Sage, Jonathan B. Singer, Andrea LaMarre, and Carla Rice 7. Using Data to Improve Client Services Dale Fitch Part II. ORGANIZATION 8. Getting Big Data to the Good Guys: The Promises and Challenges of San Francisco's Shared Youth Database Chris Kingsley, Stephen Goldsmith, Lauri Goldkind, and Lea Wolf 9. The Use of Geographic Information Systems for Social Work Education, Research, and Practice Thomas P. Felke 10. Social Media in Agency Settings Kimberly Grocher, Lea Wolf, and Lauri Goldkind Part III. COMMUNITY 11. Blogging: A Tool for Social Justice Vu Le, Lea Wolf, and Lap Yan 12. The Safety Net Gets Much Closer: m-Government and Mobile Benefits Abraham Lincoln Lee, Lauren Aaronson, and Lap Yan 13. #MacroSW: A Twitter Community of Personal Learning and Practice Laurel Iverson Hitchcock, Karen Zgoda, and Kristin Battista-Frazee 14. Going Forward Appendix A Appendix B References Index