The Use of Social Media to Improve Social Work
Education in Remote Areas by Arja Kilpeläinen, Kirsi Päykkönen, & Jukka Sankala
KEYWORDS:
social media, education, social work
ABSTRACT:
Social media provides a relatively new
way to study social work. In this article, we describe an experiment to use
social media in social work education. The use of social media and other
distance-learning solutions, gives several advantages to both students and
teachers. For example, it makes studying processes transparent, offers both peer
encouragement and peer discipline, and enhances students’ competence in ICT.
Since the role of technology in our everyday life is growing, it is crucial to
learn to use social media as an educational tool.
Teaching and learning Community Work online: Can
e-learning promote competences for future practice? By Anne Karin Larsen, Rina
Visser-Rotgans & Grete Oline Hole
KEYWORDS:
e-learning, community work, social work, virtual learning material,
international courses, participatory action research, participatory action
learning
ABSTRACT: This
paper presents a case study of an online course in Community Work and the
learning outcomes for an international group of students participating in the
course. Examples from the process of, and results from the development of
virtual learning material are presented. Finally the students’ learning
experience and competences achieved by the use of innovative learning material
and ICT communication tools are presented.
The Challenges for Faculty Using Interactive Television
in Distance Education by Violet E. Horvath & Crystal S. Mills
KEYWORDS:
distance education, interactive television, ITV, social work
ABSTRACT:
Distance education (DE) is increasingly popular in the United States as a way
for professional schools to attempt to respond to workforce needs and improve
student access to higher education. Students unable to attend face-to-face (F
ICT and Life Long Learning Pedagogy for
Development and Empowerment: An Illustration from Farmers in India by Thomas
Amirtham & M. John Joseph
KEYWORDS:
Lifelong Learning for farmers, ICT enabled learning, Development
ABSTRACT: The
contemporary socio-economic and political scenario in India hinders the
disadvantaged communities from expanding their capabilities. Lack of
opportunities and absence of enabling environment deter these communities from
having equitable access to the fruits of ongoing development. In India the
farming population (70%) in general and small and marginal farmers (63.0%) in
particular are the worst affected by this asymmetry of opportunities. While the
Indian growth story heavily hangs on agriculture, the distressed farmers resort
to suicide for want of livelihood security. There is an urgent need to build the
capacities of farmers to enhance their bargaining power in the socio-economic
field and ensure a minimum standard of living. Life Long Learning (L3) aided by
Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is a unique attempt that
facilitates this capacity building process by providing horizontal, vertical and
self –directed learning. By enhancing the cognitive social capital of the
farmers, Life Long Learning improves their negotiating skills and expands their
access to livelihood resources.
Since 1998, Commonwealth of Learning (CoL) in partnership with groups of farmers
has demonstrated this in rural Tamil Nadu, India. This paper describes this
process and outlines the outcome of this intervention where Life Long Learning
has become an effective tool in the
hands of the weak in rural Tamil Nadu, India. We are deeply indebted to CoL for
supporting this initiative.
Negotiating the content and process of
collaborative practice in the development of open access e-learning resources: a
case study from the social work curriculum in England by Judith Thomas & Anne
Quinney
KEYWORDS:
blended learning, social work, interprofessional working and e-learning
resources
ABSTRACT: This paper explores the challenges of developing open access on line multimedia learning resources in the area of Interprofessional and Interagency Collaboration in the social work curriculum in England. The paper outlines the process of developing these web-based interactive e-learning materials. It considers the different domains and discourses and the identities that the project brought together. These included those involving the commissioners, developers, subject material authors and peer reviewers; and those of theory, research evidence and professional practice. The paper reflects on the complex process of developing research-informed materials to enhance student preparedness for professional practice, through engaging with authentic scenarios.
Personal(ized) Health monitoring, Personalization
and Personality by Dieter Rhode, Dipl.-Psych
KEYWORDS:
Health Monitoring, Personality, Personalization, Feedback, Adherence.
ABSTRACT:
Use of technology in individual health monitoring is predicted to be
widespread in near future healthcare systems and in smart home environments. The
term Personalized Health Monitoring (PHM) is proposed for these applications. A
framework describing aspects of personalization and personality that are
relevant to personalized health monitoring is presented. The framework addresses
personal data, adaptability, feedback, and personality. Influence of personality
on approach, interaction, and adherence to PHM technology are discussed.
Personality is both a variable influencing monitored data, as well as a variable
that can be monitored itself. An agenda for future research in the field of
Personal and Personalized Health Monitoring is presented.
Understanding e-Mental Health Resources:
Personality, Awareness, Utilisation and Effectiveness of e-Mental Health
Resources amongst Youth by Authors: Xian Long Feng & Andrew Campbell
KEYWORDS:
e-mental health, e-health, online health, depression
ABSTRACT:
The focus of this study is to replicate portions of the study by Neal,
Campbell, Williams, Liu and Nussbaumer (2011) to determine if their findings
translate to Australian adolescents. Specifically, this study aims to: determine
personality types as predictors of knowledge and utilisation of e-mental health
resources; identify subject usage rates of specific e-mental health resources;
and identify subject views on the efficacy of these resources. Participants were
an opportunistic sample of first year university students (N = 176) aged between
18 and 25. A single session online survey was administered. The hypotheses that
extroverted adolescents are less likely to have an awareness of e-mental health
resources when compared to neurotic adolescents; and extroverted adolescents are
less likely to engage in seeking help from e-mental health resources when
compared to neurotic adolescents, were not supported. This study was unable to
discern the efficacy of e-mental health resources or the sample’s awareness of
e-mental health resources. However, it was found that the sample was likely to
engage in online help seeking behaviour for mental health concerns. Despite the
limited findings, this study suggests several ideas that could be further
explored.
Audience Response Systems: Using “Clickers” to Enhance
BSW Education by Laurie A. Smith, Herb Shon, & Rowena Satiago
KEYWORDS:
Audience Response Systems, Clickers, Social
Work Education
ABSTRACT:
Among new technologies for enhancing classroom-based education are
audience response systems (ARS), also known as “clickers.” These handheld
devices record student responses to instructor questions and send them
electronically to a receiver which tallies the responses. Summary results are
then projected, usually as a graph. Instructors piloted the use of clickers in
undergraduate social work research and practice courses. Instructor and student
experiences with the clickers were examined by type of course, frequency of use,
ease of use, perceived impact on learning and use by students with disabilities.
Instructors and students in both types of courses found the clickers beneficial.
Minor differences by type of course were found. Some students with disabilities
noted problems using the clickers. More use of clickers and research on their
use in social work education is recommended along with continued attention to
universal design in course preparation.
A survey of online practitioners: Implications for education and
practice by Goutham M. Menon & Maureen Rubin
KEYWORDS:
e-therapy; online counseling, use of technology in practice
ABSTRACT:
In the last
decade the helping professions have seen a growing interest in the provision of
online counseling and therapeutic services for individuals.
Like most fields of work, social work also
has experienced a growth in the creative use of technology in various areas of
professional work. Based on this
growing interest and the need for such services and research on its efficacy, a
study was conducted to learn from e-therapists across the US on their
experiences with this mode of service delivery. This paper elicits results from
the online survey and provides recommendations to better serve our clients in
the tech savvy world and future research endeavors. The main findings of this
preliminary study include: 1) Many theoretical perspectives and models are being
used to ground online practice, 2) e-therapists are beginning to use
video-conferencing for online practice supplementing their face-face sessions,
and 3) e-therapists believe that online interventions benefit their clients.
Current and Future Trends in Internet-Supported
Mental Health Interventions by Azy Barak & John M. Grohol
KEYWORDS:
e-therapy, Internet, computer, online intervention, cyberpsychology
Using email for Family Research by Roni Berger &
Marilyn S. Paul
KEYWORDS:
Research and Internet; Research and e-mail; Research and world-wide-web;
Internet and family research; e-mail and family research
ABSTRACT: This article discusses conceptual, methodological and ethical challenges of using email to study families and offers strategies to address them. Specifically, the unique nature of issues related to sampling and data collection are addressed. Suggested adjustments and strategies include the use of insiders’ consultation, securing opportunities for all family members to voice their views, creating paths for expressing content typically conveyed nonverbally, letting respondents control the pace and shape of the dialogue, creating a virtual shared reality and informing participants’ about measures to protect their privacy. Directions for future research are offered.
An Initial Comparison of Live Instruction and
Immersive Video Modes of Progressive Muscle Relaxation by Peter G. Mezo, Jeanna
Hall, Christopher M. Duggan, & Valerie A. Noël
KEYWORDS:
Progressive Muscle Relaxation, Anxiety, Immersive Video
ABSTRACT: Progressive Muscle Relaxation (PMR) is an established treatment for the reduction of anxiety, and has been delivered via live instruction, audiotape, videotape, and immersive video. Although previous research has compared some of these modes of PMR delivery, this is the first study to compare live instruction with immersive video. Participants completed one session of either live instruction or immersive video PMR, and outcome data was obtained for affect, satisfaction, and heart rate. Results indicate the comparability of live instruction and immersive video PMR conditions, as well as the overall effectiveness of a single-session of PMR. Moreover, results suggest the potential superiority of immersive video over live instruction in terms of perceived value.
Free Web-Based Statistical Analysis: A Viable
Option for Human Service Agencies by Andrew Quinn,
KEYWORDS:
Internet, Web-Based Statistical Procedures, Descriptive Statistics, Inferential
Statistics, Graphing, Human Service Data Analysis
ABSTRACT: This brief report describes the usability of web-based procedures (graphing, descriptive statistics, and inferential statistics) for human service agencies. Observations indicate that benefits to using these web-based statistical procedures include the plethora of available procedures, the available help files, the outputs mimic those of desktop statistical programs, and outputs can be copied and pasted into agency documents. Drawbacks included the inability to save data and the need for a priori knowledge about statistical procedures. In conclusion, web-based procedures are a reasonable alternative for agencies who cannot afford expensive statistical software.
Book Reviews:
The Use of Technology In
Mental Health (Applications, Ethics and Practice) by Thomas Craig
Application Reviews: Poll Everywhere Audience Response System by Herb Shon & Laurie Smith
Understanding Nurse Perceptions of a Newly
Implemented Electronic Medical Record System by Bree Holtz & Sarah Krein
KEYWORDS:
Electronic Medical Record; Adoption; Nursing Informatics; Unified Theory of
Acceptance and Use of Technology
ABSTRACT:
Nurses the frontline of healthcare; however, there has been little
theoretically-driven research on their acceptance of information technology use
in care delivery. This research
utilized the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model to
understand how hospital nurses perceived the implementation of a new electronic
medical record (EMR) system. This study used mix methods. The survey responses
indicated that social influence and performance expectancy were significant
factors in system adoption. Effort
expectancy did not have a significant influence on the intention to use the EMR.
The interviews were utilized to better understand these results. The
UTAUT model highlighted factors that are important to nurses during an EMR
deployment and can help in future implementations of technology in healthcare.
An Exploratory Study of Health Professionals’
Attitudes about Telepresence Technology by Annica Kristoffersson, Silvia
Coradeschi, Amy Loutfi, & Kerstin Severinson-Eklundh
KEYWORDS:
human-robot interaction, evaluation, organizational perspective
ABSTRACT:
This article presents the results from a video-based evaluation study of
a social robotic telepresence solution for elderly. The evaluated system is a
mobile teleoperated robot called Giraff that allows caregivers to virtually
enter a home and conduct a natural visit just as if they were physically there.
The evaluation focuses on the perspectives from primary healthcare organizations
and collects the feedback from different categories of health professionals. The
evaluation included 150 participants and yielded unexpected results with respect
to the acceptance of the Giraff system. In particular, greater exposure to
technology did not necessarily increase acceptance and large variances occurred
between the categories of health professionals. In addition to outlining the
results, this study provides a number of indications with respect to increasing
acceptance for technology for elderly.
Preliminary Validation of an Online DSM-Based
Mental Health Referral Inventory by Robert Epstein & Laura Muzzatti
KEYWORDS:
mental health test, mental health referrals, DSM, online testing
ABSTRACT:
A brief online inventory was developed as a much needed corrective for
the hundreds of unscientific tests that are used now by millions of people to
self-diagnose mental health problems.
The primary purpose of the new inventory is to refer people to mental
health professionals for further evaluation when they are experiencing problems
that might be diagnosable under DSM guidelines; it is not designed to diagnose,
however. The inventory was found to
be a valid and reliable measuring instrument based on analysis of data obtained
from 3,403 subjects. The 54-item checklist looks for 18 common problems
identified in the DSM-IV and takes from 5 to 10 minutes to complete.
Test scores proved to be good predictors of a variety of self-reported
criterion measures, including happiness, personal and professional success,
history of hospitalization, history of therapy, current participation in
therapy, employment, and level of education.
Females were found to have slightly more mental health problems than
males, but no differences in scores were found by race or ethnicity.
Lessons Learned From Using Adobe Connect in the
Social Work Classroom by Amy Cappiccie & Patricia Desrosiers
KEYWORDS:
Adobe Connect, online learning, synchronous learning, asynchronous learning,
social work curriculum
ABSTRACT:
Adobe Connect is synchronous web conferencing software available to
colleges and universities. This pilot study sought to understand student and
faculty participation in use of this software as part of an already established
hybrid master’s level social work curriculum. This software was utilized in two
courses: concentration year field practicum and advanced social work practice.
Student feedback and satisfaction are presented. Lessons learned for using such
software are explored.
BOOK REVIEW:
Human Attention in Digital Environments Edited
by: Claudia Roda, Cambridge University Press, New York
Reviewed by Michael A. Turk