Being a Social Work Student in the times of COVID-19: One way to share, document & support
The COVID-19 public emergency is unprecedented and affects our personal and professional lives. From trying to find diapers and toilet paper to figuring out how to learn remotely as a social work, few of us were prepared for the speed with which this emergency changed our daily lives. And we have yet to know and understand what things will look like in the next few weeks or months.
Thus, we are trying to capture this moment in history by harnessing the power of technology for social good. Through short videos posted on Flipgrid (a social learning platform designed for video discussion forums), we are hoping to create community while also collecting stories from social work students. We hope these stories can help us support and learn from each other during a time of social distancing as well as provide a source of information for future ways to prepare students and educators for these types of crises (i.e. what are the best ways to learn remotely as a social work student or how do I stay connected with my friends and peers from school). We anticipate that these videos will provide a wealth of information for blogs posts or other scholarship that will inform how social work needs to adapt to complex social problems. This might include qualitative thematic analysis or quotes from posts. Any peer-reviewed content will be anonymized, but please remember that these posts are a form of public social media.
We ask that you share your stories with us in the form of short videos (2-5 minutes) on FlipGrid. It is very simple to record your video through the platform, and you can view and respond to other people’s videos. We will have two opportunities for you to share your stories:
- Your current lived experience of work impacts with COVID-19 (max 5 min)
- How you are using self-care during this public emergency (max 2 min)
Here is how you access the Flipgrid for this project:
- Download the Flipgrid app for free for iOS or Android devices. You can also access on a computer.
- Use this link https://flipgrid.com/swstudent
- The grid code is student! or the QR code if you use the app.
- Click on one of the topics.
- Tap the green plus button and start the recording.
- You will be asked to log-in with a Gmail or Microsoft email address.
- You will be able to review the video and take a selfie to customize your response.
- Enter your name.
- You can reply to videos of others using the reply button. They will get notice of your replies.
Additional thoughts:
- The purpose is to normalize, share and get peer support.
- You can post as many videos as you want, and also respond to as many people as you want.
- Please know that these videos are public; employers, other students, teachers, and others may see your responses.
We hope you will share your thoughts and experiences as we all move through this emergency together. Please let us know if you have any questions by posting a comment below.
Be safe and healthy!
How to cite this post:
Sage, M. & Hitchcock, L.I. (2020, March 20). Being a Social Work Student in the times of COVID-19: One way to share, document & support. [Blog Post]. Retrieved from Teaching & Learning in Social Work website: https://laureliversonhitchcock.org/2020/03/20/being-a-social-work-student-in-the-times-of-covid-19-one-way-to-share-document-support/
