#BPD2018 Harnessing Technology for one’s own Good: Professional Learning Networks in Social Work
Today, Dr. Nathalie Jones and I will be presenting about Professional Learning Networks (PLNs) at the Association of Baccalaureate Social Work Program Directors in Atlanta, GA. This year’s theme is the Grand Challenges of Political Change, and we have been talking with our colleagues about how do we, as social workers, affect change in today’s political and social environments – change to improve the lives of vulnerable populations we serve; change to improve learning outcomes for our students; and change for ourselves as social work educators. Nathalie and I share a common desire to help other social work educators develop their own tool kits for teaching, scholarship, and service in their lives as academics, mentors, and partners with constituents and communities. One tool that we know works is having a Professional Learning Network, and we know this because it has worked for us – we met via Twitter using our PLNs. We have been working with our good colleagues – Drs. Melanie Sage and Nancy J. Smyth (both at the University at Buffalo) – to share what we know about PLNs to help raise awareness about this tool in social work education and practice.
Nathalie Jones & Laurel Hitchcock’s #BPD2018 Official Conference Selfie
We hope you will join us at 1:45 PM in Georgia 2 in the Atlanta Sheraton. We will describe what what a PLN is and why to use one; demonstrate how to establish your own PLN and how to incorporate; and share how theory helps to inform the process of adopting technology tools for social work practice and education.
Here is a link to the slides from our workshop: https://goo.gl/qCxQdm.
You can also access a copy of the Professional Learning Network (PLN) Worksheet.
We are also sharing our presentation proposal complete with references:
Abstract (100 words or fewer): Participants will learn about the mechanics, advantages and disadvantages of establishing a professional learning networks (PLN), which incorporate technology-based tools and processes in a way that allows individuals to stay up-to-date and share information about current news, politics, practice knowledge and current research findings. This workshop will provide hands-on practice in designing and implementing a PLN for scholarship and advocacy.
Proposal (500 words or fewer): One of the 12 Grand Challenges for social work is Harnessing Technology for Social Good. We cannot achieve this goal unless social workers are able to harness technology for their own professional good. Competent and ethical social work practice requires practitioners, educators and students to be lifelong learners who stay up-to-date and share information about current news, politics, practice knowledge and the latest research findings (Council on Social Work Education, 2015; Jivanjee, Pendell, Nissen, & Goodluck, 2015; National Association of Social Workers, 2017). While there are many strategies, one robust strategy is connecting with a network of people who share interests and information that can advance professional knowledge, skills and values. This type of network is well-established in the field of education (Richardson & Manacebelli, 2011) and is commonly referred to as a Professional Learning Network (PLN).
A PLN exists when a social worker uses social media to collect information related to professional interests, shares this information with others, and also collaborates with others on projects (Richardson & Manacebelli, 2011). For example, a social worker’s PLN might include the use of email alerts from online newspapers, blogs and scholarly journals to receive updates about child welfare research, which the social worker then shares this information with employees, colleagues or students via Twitter or a curated list on Diigo, a social bookmarking tool.
There are several advantages to online PLNs including 24/7/365 access to resources, information, consultation and referrals (Hitchcock, 2015; Michaeli, 2015); opportunities for collaboration across geographic and institutional boundaries (Chen, Ritter, Manning & Crofford, 2015; Smyth, 2016); opportunities to learn about and develop skills with established and emerging technologies; and knowing how to create and maintain their own PLNs as a way of modeling this essential skill for students and new professionals. Additionally, the 2015 CSWE educational standards include the statement, “Social workers recognize the importance of lifelong learning and are committed to continually updating their skills to ensure they are relevant and effective” (CSWE, 2015, p. 7).
This workshop will provide an introduction to PLNs for social work educators wanting to create their own network or who want to incorporate PLNs into their classroom or across a curriculum. First, social work educators who attend this session will learn the basics of establishing a PLN that is grounded in digital literacy and the learning theories of Connectivism, Connected Learning & Peeragogy (Belshaw, 2014; Corneli, Danoff, Ricaurte, Pierce, & MacDonald, 2016; Ito et al., 2013; Seimens, 2005). The presenters will share examples from their own PLNs as well as PLNs from other social work educators and other disciplines such as teaching, medicine, and counseling. Second, the presenters will share example assignments and learning activities for social work courses that promote student understanding and use of personal learning networks as a tool for social work practice and lifelong learning. Strategies for modeling PLNs across multiple courses will be discussed and numerous resources will be shared.
References:
Chen, Y.-L., Rittner, B., Manning, A., & Crofford, R. (2015). Early Onset Schizophrenia and School Social Work. Journal of Social Work Practice, 29(3), 271–286. https://doi.org/10.1080/02650533.2015.1014328
Council on Social Work Education. (2015). Educational Policy and Accreditation Standards. Washington, DC: Author.
Hitchcock, L. (2015, July 1). Personal Learning Networks for Social Workers. Retrieved from https://laureliversonhitchcock.org/2015/07/01/personal-learning-networks-for-social-workers/
Ito, M., Gutiérrez, K., Livingstone, S., Penuel, B., Rhodes, J., Salen, K., … Watkins, S. C. (2013). Connected learning: an agenda for research and design. Irvine, CA, USA: Digital Media and Learning Research Hub. Retrieved from http://dmlhub.net/
Jivanjee, P., Pendell, K., Nissen, L., & Goodluck, C. (2015). Lifelong Learning in Social Work: A Qualitative Exploration with Practitioners, Students, and Field Instructors. Advances in Social Work, 16(2), 260–275. https://doi.org/10.18060/18407
Michaeli, D. (2015, November 15). Personal Learning Network Twitter Cheat Sheet. Retrieved July 29, 2016, from http://www.socialwork.career/2015/11/personal-learning-network-twitter-cheat-sheet.html
National Association of Social Workers. (2017). Code of Ethics of the National Association of Social Workers. Retrieved from https://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp
Richardson, W., & Mancabelli, R. (2012). Personal Learning Networks: Using the Power of Connections to Transform Education (3rd edition). Bloomington, IN: Solution Tree Press.
Siemens, G. (2005). Connectivism: A learning theory for the digital age. International Journal of Instructional Technology and Distance Learning, 2(1). Retrieved from http://www.itdl.org/Journal/Jan_05/article01.htm
Smyth, N. J. (2016, October 14). Online Connections for Professional Learning. Retrieved from https://socialworksynergy.org/author/njsmyth/
How to cite this blog post:
Hitchcock, L.I., & Jones, N.P. (2018, March 16). #BPD2018 Harnessing Technology for one’s own Good: Professional Learning Networks in Social Work [Blog Post]. Retrieved from: https://laureliversonhitchcock.org/2018/03/16/bpd2018-harnessing-technology-for-ones-own-good-professional-learning-networks-in-social-work/
