Social Work Virtual Internships: Great Way to Learn

In this blog I often focus on personal and professional reinvention and following your dreams. Recently, through my work with my virtual intern I learned about a new website dedicated to placing individuals in virtual/cyber internships. I learned that individuals interested in exploring a myriad of new careers can serve as interns in the virtual world. While I have been supervising a virtual intern in my School of Social Work since November 2012, I never quite realized just how popular virtual internships are, and that some of these positions in the human services field are paid.

Virtual/Cyber internships can be a wonderful way to gain new experience in an untethered environment, and can be especially attractive to potential interns and employers as there are no restrictions geographically based on location.

I would like to strongly encourage any licensed (and insured) human service professional who is in need of staffing support to consider hiring a social work student as a virtual intern. Virtual interns can be secured by approaching accredited schools of social work and asking if they would be willing to place a student under your supervision. You will likely need a MSW degree, licensure in your state, and professional liability insurance. It should be noted very few schools of social work have  embraced the idea of virtual internships, but I believe the time is very near. As the social work field continues to grow, we must be willing to expand the way we view social work training and the delivery of services. Social Work virtual internships are a great way to learn.

Is Online Privacy an Oxymoron?

Given my love of most things involving technology and my personal experiences with cyber-bullying, I recognize the need to regularly monitor my presence both personally and professionally in cyberspace. While I Google myself several times each month to maintain an awareness of content involving my name and accounts, each time I conduct a search I become more and more amazed with the level of personal information now easily accessible by anyone with the time or interest in gathering data.

I, like millions of others pay my bills, purchase concert/sporting event tickets, and engage in a myriad of other activities online. I am very careful to protect my identity/accounts, but recently I have begun to think where our world may be headed in regard to our use of technology and open access to information. I enjoy being able to secure information on almost any subject in a matters of seconds. While I have come to enjoy this free open access, I have not given much thought to the price we may be paying for it in terms of personal cyber-security and personal safety. Last year I loaded a free App on my iPhone that allows the user to conduct free background checks. When I loaded the App I didn't give it much thought, because I was only interested in using the App as a tool to monitor information about myself and my husband (he too is interested in reducing his cyber risk).

The information I was able to gather from this App about myself was impressive (as it was incredibly accurate) and unsettling at the same time. The free "Background Check" App not only provided an amazing amount of information about me, but it also provided detailed personal information about each of my siblings (and their spouses), and my husband and his immediate family, even though I only entered my name and state of residence in the App's information fields.

The digital age is thriving and here to stay. It will continue to advance by leaps and bounds, but as users we must begin to push for standards of use, specifically related to online personal privacy. Within society there are expectations and standards for appropriate behavior; the Internet should not be treated any differently and should also follow standards. I can't accept the rationale that the Internet and technology tools are advancing too quickly for policymakers to keep up and develop legislation to govern and guide our behaviors. While the Internet is quickly evolving there are new companies born by the minute with the ability to access and share data previously inaccessible; this evolution is occurring in part based on financial rewards and the public's desire for instant access to information.

I am hopeful that as we continue to enjoy the Internet and its many benefits and opportunities for personal growth and development that we will also begin to seriously establish legislation that is fluid enough to adapt to the changing world of the Internet. I am also hopeful that we will continue to develop and offer effective tools to help individuals maintain personal privacy in the digital age. I would be disappointed to think in this incredible age of technology that Online Privacy is an Oxymoron.

SW Intrapreneurship or SW Entrepreneurship: You Decide

Many individuals have dreams and aspirations of one day owning their own business and this is no different for professional social workers. Social Workers are skilled in the science of collaboration, resource allocation, and problem solving. Effective critical thinking is the cornerstone of our education and fear is typically not in our lexicon. Social Workers understand the influence of social and economic issues and the impact on human functioning. We are often economically conservative (frugal) and skilled practitioners in the art of stretching limited funds for the greater good. These are tremendous attributes to have as social entrepreneurs.

Even though economic challenges continue to persist on a local, national and international level, this uncertainty presents a multitude of opportunities for Social Workers. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Social Work profession is expected to increase by 25% by 2020. While Social Work is one of the fastest growing careers, Social Workers have not been exempt from layoffs, downsizing, mergers, and organizational closers. Economically challenging times, such as those we currently live in while unpredictable and a bit scary at times, are fertile grounds of opportunity for Social Workers.

Social Workers are well suited for roles in social entrepreneurship given our group work skills (networking), innate creativity, understanding of ecological and economic systems, and genuine desire to e/affect change. If you are a Social Worker interested in becoming a social entrepreneur, and you are currently employed, I would first strongly encourage you to spend some time honing your skills as an Intrapreneur. An Intrapreneur is an individual who is currently employed by someone else (this person does not yet own their own business), but in their current position has a great deal of freedom and decision making power to a/effect social change. The Intrapreneur is able to bring creative/innovative ideas/services to their current place of employment, and these ideas may even produce additional income. An Intrapreneur applies many of the same skills and acumen a sole business owner would, except the Intrapreneur is not the owner of the business.

For example, as a Social Worker within a college setting I have been afforded a great deal of freedom to create products, services, and activities I believe will enhance student life. The products and services I tend to create focus on enhancing students' quality of life on campus, but at the same time have the potential to make money (intrapreneurship). One of the products I developed and test marketed on campus was a motivational line of greeting cards for college students. Some of the money I generated from  greeting card sales was donated to one of the student organizations I worked with, which is social intrapreneurship. I even successful negotiated with our college bookstore to carry my line of greetings cards. Regrettably, before I could get my cards on the shelves of the bookstore its parent company terminated contracts with its greeting card vendors. While this relationships was not to be, it confirmed the idea of social intrapreneurship is a viable one that is easily transferable. 

If you are interested in entrepreneurship, my advice is to use your time wisely. If you are currently employed by someone else use this time to test market your ideas and risk tolerance. Do not compete with the services/products your employer offers, but instead seek opportunities to hone your skills and test market your ideas under the umbrella of social intrapreneurship.
  
You might be surprised, social intrapreneurship may not only enhance the social functioning of others, it might also lead you to a lifelong opportunity you hadn't considered. Social Work Intrapreneurship or Social Work Entrepreneurship, the decision is ultimately yours. This is the beauty of social work!

Using iPads/iPods to Provide College Mentorship

Recently, I wrote a funding proposal to purchase iPads and iPods for the purpose of delivering intrusive peer mentoring support to a special population of college students. I titled this project the "Mobile2Mobile Learning Community" as it is my hope Peer Mentors (PM), who are academically successful BSW and/or MSW students with an interest in technology will engage their Mentees using mobile technology.

I recruited confident, self assured, respectfully aggressive PMs that are comfortable being "persistent" and sometimes intrusive in their approach to mentoring. The PMs will each be assigned a caseload of 4-5 Mentees they will work with October 2012 through August 2013. The PMs will be responsible for monitoring their Mentee's progress at the university and will be given an iPad in exchange for their service in lieu of a cash stipend. Each Mentee will be given an iPod Touch to help them engage their PMs and administrative program staff.

PMs are expected to engage their Mentees once per week using FaceTime in addition to texting and "IMing" their Mentees to ensure they are progressing socially and emotionally at the college. The PMs record notes of their meetings with their Mentees using the iPad "Notes" function. These general session notes are then forwarded directly from the iPad to the M2M LC administrator's email for record keeping and follow-up as needed. Given potential confidentiality concerns, only general information is transmitted electronically.

While iPads/iPods will be used heavily to facilitate communication between PMs and their Mentees, the mobile technology will also aid participants academically as these devices have internet access, the ability to load college e-textbooks, conduct research, check email, and much, much more. I am hopeful using iPads/iPods to provide college mentorship will prove to be an effective tool and will also enhance college student retention, while delivering key support services to potentially at risk student populations.

Fear is a Good Catalyst for Change, Right?

Recently, I have had many opportunities to talk with friends and professional colleagues about the need for personal change. Many of these conversations have revolved around discussions about personal relationships, professional jobs, and the need for personal reinvention. I wondered if many of these conversations were based on the fact that fall is quickly approaching which tends to signal change, or if the conversations were age based as many in my circle are quickly approaching 50.

Some in my circle have grappled with whether to remain in relationships that have become dysfunctional and toxic, while others have become consumed by their jobs, almost never taking time to enjoy life and its beauty. Several of my closest friends are seriously considering downsizing their lives and living more minimalistically. Initially, I wondered exactly what they meant as they appeared to have life by the horns. I was told the desire to lead a more simplistic lifestyle was due in part to the need to downsize the importance they have allowed their jobs to have in their lives. Many in my circle are senior social work administrators, organizational program directors, and some even own their own businesses and are quite successful financially. Even with great success, fear can often prevent us from changing our lives in ways that truly bring us happiness and self-fulfillment. Our jobs do not define us, instead, they help us to do the things we want to do and often times need to do.

In order to achieve true self-fulfillment, I have learned we must be willing to release the fear that keeps us from moving forward. Do I personally feel fear on occasion? Yes. Are there areas in my personal and work life I would like to change? Absolutely. As I approach my next major age milestone in the next few years, I am sure I too will begin to explore and take inventory of my life. In some ways, I already have.

As we approach fall, I promise myself to make a conscious effort not to continue living my life in a way that does not fully celebrate me, my loving family, and my incredibly supportive friends. I will make a stronger effort to take more moments to enjoy the little things in life (like having an ice-cream cone without thinking about the calories). I will take more time to walk, not run because everything is not an emergency. I will try my hardest to leave work at work and not allow it to consume me with endless emails and phone calls (sometimes initiated by me) during my time off. And finally, I will try to look for ways to downsize my life, so that I too will know what is truly important.

Fear is a necessary part of life and can help us lead a much more satisfying life if we embrace it and move past it. Fear can be a good catalyst for change. Right!

Socialworktechblog.com and Socialworkhelper.com - Terrific Websites for Social Workers

I have been following a terrific website on Twitter called SocialWorkTechBlog and on the web at Socialworktechblog.com. This site covers a cornucopia of social work and tech-based resources, I highly, highly recommend following it!

This morning I had an opportunity to review a website called, Socialworkhelper.com and must say I was thoroughly impressed with the mission of the site, its depth of content, and commitment to encouraging responsible use of technology within the Social Work profession. As a "Cyber Social Worker" with 25 years of non-traditional Social Work experience in higher education settings, I am pleased to see a  recent graduate internalize social work principles and values through the use of technology in such a useful and innovative way.

Thank you socialworktechblog and Socialworkhelper for expanding the way social workers think about the delivery of social wok services in the 21st century. You have compiled such useful content in an easily accessible format. I intend to share your sites with professional colleagues and the students I work with in higher education.

Technology Envy is Not Cool!

I never thought I would suffer Technology Envy until I purchased the first iteration of the Galaxy Tab December 2011. I'm not one to chase technology, because I understand technology will always be a moving target. But I must admit, I do get very excited when I see new gadgets on the market. What has always been important to me (where technology is involved) is purchasing devices that meet my needs, not fads. I purchased the Galaxy Tab a year ago because of its unique size (7 inches or so) and because it fit so nicely in my purse and was fairly light weight. I engaged in a great deal of online research prior to purchasing the Galaxy Tab, and was very pleased with it for the first six months. The Galaxy Tab is a terrific device; however, as an iPhone lover I was frequently frustrated with my inability to use apps from my iPhone on the Android device. I also found I was more impressed with Apple Apps than those in the Android Market.

I appreciate and fully understand propriety, but I grew tired of purchasing separate Android and Apple apps, using cloud based calendars, and other patches because my Apple product (iPhone) and Android (Galaxy Tab) couldn't/wouldn't play nicely together. As a result, I recently purchased the iPad 2. I really like (too early to say I love it) the iPad2, and am pleased to be able to use some of my favorite apps on both the iPad/iPhone. I am happy to have a uniform calendar, and a variety of other newly discovered features. While I still find the iPad somewhat bulky/cumbersome, I look forward to using it as much, if not more than my iPhone4.

I will not be selling my $600, less than one full year old Galaxy Tab. Instead, I will be re-gifting it to my husband (because he doesn't know any better and doesn't care) this Holiday in the hopes he will enjoy it (even though he too is an iPhone user). Technology Envy is not a good trait to have, it can be damaging to one's technology self esteem and pocketbook. I am not proud to say I suffered Technology Envy at the hands of my Galaxy Tab, but tomorrow is a new day.