I became an iPhone 4 user summer 2010, but it wasn't an easy road. As the story went for hundreds of others the day the phone was released I arrived at my neighborhood mall at 5:45am. I didn't advance order, but naively thought I might stand in line for an hour or two and emerge with one one the hottest items since sliced bread. I was surprised that I actually waited in line nearly 6 hours with hundreds of others crazed tekkies and left empty handed.
After standing on me feet for hours and hours, inching closer to what I thought was the "phone-of-all-phones", an employee emerged from the store (that was not even within eyesight of those of us standing in line doubled over from exhaustion) to tell me and the hundreds of others our quest was not to be. Our names and email addresses were collected by employees and crudely written on paper atop a clip board, the old fashioned way.
I was in shock and confused. Me and my fellow line waiters asked each other how could Apple not order enough iPhone 4s? Why would Apple people write down our names on paper and not use fancy computers? Did they not care about us, after all they had provided each of us free water and treats to keep us from fainting in line? After quickly gathering myself through positive self talk I decided to abandon my quest for the iPhone 4 this day and live to search another day.
Three weeks later (at a reasonable time) I returned to the scene of my earlier unpleasant iPhone 4 experience, waited in line 1/2 hour and emerged victorious with the iPhone 4. I must say memories of my unpleasant phone experience have been replaced with wonderful adventures and new knowledge gained as a result of my new phone. My life has been made much easier as I do almost everything on my phone I once did on my computer. Just recently I discovered the ability to conduct PowerPoint presentations on my phone using a small projection unit. I no longer need to carry my laptop and a projection unit.
Below is a screen shot of some of the apps I use, no I am not fascinated with guns. The gun app is to demonstrate how diverse the range of apps is. Notice the counseling app, this is a GREAT resource! All I do is enter a zip code or city and all counselors, social workers, therapists, etc. within an area code is populated. I can also access the websites of these social workers and others through a simple touch of the icon. The iCE app is for continuing education options for social work licensure.
The iPhone 4 is a wonderful device, I paid $200 for it and it has been well worth it!
Sunday, October 31, 2010
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Tech toys, gotta love 'em !
I love all things tech and would like to share with you some of my favorite tech toys in hopes these tools will make your lives much easier. The first tool I would like to share with you is called the Echopen from Livescribe. At work I chair several committees and find myself trying to facilitate these meetings while taking notes and capturing the essence of what is being said. This can be a major challenge, not to mention very tedious when later typing my notes and then distributing the notes to committee members as an email attachment.
The Echopen has made my life so much easier, because it allows me to take hand written notes while also capturing audio of what is being said. After taking notes I dock my Echopen to my laptop or desktop and upload my notes and the audio. I absolutely love the Echo! The Echopen also has an app that is purchased separately and can transfer handwritten notes directly to text! I am not a quick typist so this app would be a terrific time saver for me. I have the 4 GB Echopen which has more than enough storage space for me, the cost was around $160 at Bestbuy. Take a look at the YouTube video below.
I'd also like to tell you about Dragon software, Dragon is a speech to text software that again cuts down on time for me as I am not a fast typist. Dragon for desktop/laptop requires me to speak using a headset and what I say automatically appears of my computer screen as text. Love it! I recently downloaded Dragon Dictation to my iPhone 4 and I can just speak and Dragon creates text messages, emails, and posts to facebook and twitter.
As a college administrator I am always exploring ways to engage students in the classroom, online, and through campus life. Last year I purchased a Flip Slide HD camera and have used it to help enhance the college experience for our students. Rather than sending boring text emails, I encourage our staff to create video messages to communicate information to students via cell phones and emails. I paid $249 for my HD Flip on Amazon.com. Don't get me wrong, I'm not all work and no play. I have taken my Flip on many vacations, used it to shoot a family wedding and the graduation ceremony of my niece.
The final tech toy I will share with you in this blog is the PanDigital scanner. If you have need of a scanner to record and store important documents, old pictures, and almost anything else, the PanDigital scanner may be just the tech toy for you. It's compact and does a good job scanning docs. The scanner can be purchased on Amazon, HSN.com, and other electronics retailers.
The Echopen has made my life so much easier, because it allows me to take hand written notes while also capturing audio of what is being said. After taking notes I dock my Echopen to my laptop or desktop and upload my notes and the audio. I absolutely love the Echo! The Echopen also has an app that is purchased separately and can transfer handwritten notes directly to text! I am not a quick typist so this app would be a terrific time saver for me. I have the 4 GB Echopen which has more than enough storage space for me, the cost was around $160 at Bestbuy. Take a look at the YouTube video below.
The New Echo smartpen from Livescribe | ||||||
  | Introducing the New Echo smartpen from Livescribe. Find what you need with a tap. www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Kh4Tpc9jfk | |||||
I'd also like to tell you about Dragon software, Dragon is a speech to text software that again cuts down on time for me as I am not a fast typist. Dragon for desktop/laptop requires me to speak using a headset and what I say automatically appears of my computer screen as text. Love it! I recently downloaded Dragon Dictation to my iPhone 4 and I can just speak and Dragon creates text messages, emails, and posts to facebook and twitter.
Dictate - Mac
$154 - 14 storesNuance 8022328 Dragon Naturally Speaking Preferred V10.0
$175 - 4 storesDragon Dictation for iPhone, iPod touch, and iPad on the iTunes ...Learn more, read reviews, and download Dragon Dictation by Nuance Communications on the iTunes App Store.itunes.apple.com/us/app/dragon-dictation/id341446764?mt...
As a college administrator I am always exploring ways to engage students in the classroom, online, and through campus life. Last year I purchased a Flip Slide HD camera and have used it to help enhance the college experience for our students. Rather than sending boring text emails, I encourage our staff to create video messages to communicate information to students via cell phones and emails. I paid $249 for my HD Flip on Amazon.com. Don't get me wrong, I'm not all work and no play. I have taken my Flip on many vacations, used it to shoot a family wedding and the graduation ceremony of my niece.
http://www.theflip.com/en-us/
SlideHD captures up to 4 hours of HD video and features a 3" widescreen for instant watching, allowing you to take your favorite videos with you anywhere you go. Pre-loaded FlipShare™ software makes it easy to organize, edit and share your videos.
The final tech toy I will share with you in this blog is the PanDigital scanner. If you have need of a scanner to record and store important documents, old pictures, and almost anything else, the PanDigital scanner may be just the tech toy for you. It's compact and does a good job scanning docs. The scanner can be purchased on Amazon, HSN.com, and other electronics retailers.
| ||
| Hope you enjoy these tech toys as much as I do! | ||
Sunday, October 24, 2010
There's Room for Everyone At The Table
You may be wondering about the title of this blog. The title, "There's room for everyone at the table" symbolizes for me the importance of this year's current political season and the potential influence of social workers who may be running for political offices across the United States. Democratic, Republican, and Independent social workers have an opportunity unlike any time in our history to truly impact the lives of others in a positive and substantive way on the local, state and federal levels. I ask that as we prepare to vote that we allow ourselves to hear all views with an open mind and heart.
While I am well aware most social workers closely identify with the ideals, values, and beliefs of the Democratic party (as I do generally), it is important that we allow ourselves to be open to hearing the individual views of others, especially when we do not necessarily agree.
In my state, we have a seasoned social worker who a registered Republican running for one of our highest offices. I must say I was a bit disappointed with the response I received when I shared this fact with some members of my social work network. When sharing this (proud moment) I was met with unanticipated grumblings simply because the social worker is a Republican. My moment of excitement was replaced with thoughts of the highly critical George Will article of a few years ago. I became embarrassed by some of their reactions. While I am a registered Democrat and generally subscribe to the principles of the Democratic party, I can still see triumph in the political success of a Republican social worker.
Social workers regardless of political affiliation, first and foremost care about the human condition and being a voice for those who may not have a voice regardless of political affiliation. I think there's room for everyone at the table.
While I am well aware most social workers closely identify with the ideals, values, and beliefs of the Democratic party (as I do generally), it is important that we allow ourselves to be open to hearing the individual views of others, especially when we do not necessarily agree.
In my state, we have a seasoned social worker who a registered Republican running for one of our highest offices. I must say I was a bit disappointed with the response I received when I shared this fact with some members of my social work network. When sharing this (
Social workers regardless of political affiliation, first and foremost care about the human condition and being a voice for those who may not have a voice regardless of political affiliation. I think there's room for everyone at the table.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
I Won't Apologize!
I thought long and hard about what my second blog should be, you see as a social worker, I learned in my BSW education and later my MSW education the importance of a positive attitude in affecting sustainable change. I titled this blog "I Won't Apologize", because in this blog I am going to tell you, my reader (maybe readers) what I really think about the status of the social work profession relative to salaries and our passive attitude about social work salaries.
Generally, when I find myself talking with social workers about salaries within the human services, I often hear the same ridiculous statement that I believe has become a learned behavioral response among many social workers. The statement goes a bit like this, "I didn't become a social worker to get rich, I became a social worker to help change the world for the better". I too became a social worker to help make the world a better place, but I also completed my social work degrees to secure a good job and make a comfortable living. As social workers, we often send mixed messages about our salaries to potential employers and also to potential social workers. On the one hand we communicate a self-sacrificial, altruistic attitude and even say things like, "I didn't become a social worker to get rich", while on the other hand complain about the lack of competitive salaries within the field.
I am a proud social worker and love what social work has afforded me: a chance to make a real difference in the lives of others, a secure job, a nice home and car and fantastic vacations. I won't apologize for having done well financially in social work and I wish that social workers (those that this statement applies) would stop complaining and start advocating the way we advocate for our clients. What is it about social workers who believe to be a good social worker one must take an oath of poverty or not care so much about one's salary? Social workers are incredibly dedicated people who genuinely care for others. If we do not feel worthy of commanding/demanding competitive salaries for the work we do, them shame on us!
Generally, when I find myself talking with social workers about salaries within the human services, I often hear the same ridiculous statement that I believe has become a learned behavioral response among many social workers. The statement goes a bit like this, "I didn't become a social worker to get rich, I became a social worker to help change the world for the better". I too became a social worker to help make the world a better place, but I also completed my social work degrees to secure a good job and make a comfortable living. As social workers, we often send mixed messages about our salaries to potential employers and also to potential social workers. On the one hand we communicate a self-sacrificial, altruistic attitude and even say things like, "I didn't become a social worker to get rich", while on the other hand complain about the lack of competitive salaries within the field.
I am a proud social worker and love what social work has afforded me: a chance to make a real difference in the lives of others, a secure job, a nice home and car and fantastic vacations. I won't apologize for having done well financially in social work and I wish that social workers (
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Social Workers & Technology
I decided to create this blog as an outlet to share my love of social work and technology. I am a social worker employed in a college setting, I also own my own employment agency that focuses on placing social workers in contractual and non-contractual temp, temp-to-perm, and permanent employment opportunities. I have been in the field of non-traditional social work since 1987 and have within the last five years become very interested in the use of technology in direct practice and education. Through this blog I hope to share stories of my professional experiences in the field, and a bit about technology and the "tech toys" I have found particularly useful in my practice.
While I believe technology has greatly enhanced our lives for the better, I would be derelict if I failed to discuss issues associated with the misuse of technology, such as cyber-bullying and internet related addictions. See video link below for information on internet addiction.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMhTtjAzgOA
While I believe technology has greatly enhanced our lives for the better, I would be derelict if I failed to discuss issues associated with the misuse of technology, such as cyber-bullying and internet related addictions. See video link below for information on internet addiction.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=vMhTtjAzgOA
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