Book Group Discussion Guide for Teaching Social Work with Digital Technology

Posted By on Jul 2, 2020 | 0 comments

Back in September, Melanie Sage, Nancy Smyth, and I announced a virtual book group for our work – Teaching Social Work with Digital Technology.  The goals of the book group were to: 1) create a supportive learning community; and 2) provide space for reflection about one’s own professional development with teaching with technology.  You can read more about this blog post: 

Teaching Social Work with Digital Technology Book Group

We launched our book group in January and ended it in June 2020, with monthly meetings and a moderated online private Facebook group. The group included a monthly live virtual meeting with discussion moderated by the authors and guest facilitators. Live meetings allowed members to participate and ask questions. In between these live meetings, the facilitators  led and moderated discussions about teaching with tech, offering reflective questions and simple learning tasks. Additionally, all live meetings were recorded and archived for later viewing in the group. We will leave the group up as an archive until the end of 2020.  Please know that this group will no longer be moderated.  

Overall, we had a total of 223 members in the group, and based on the group analytics there were over two hundred posts submitted, and a lot more members reviewing/reading the posts. Although we expected greater engagement, we know that this year brought unexpected challenges for all of us. We believe that good discussion prompts and questions from our facilitators promoted thoughtful reflection and engagement each month.  We are sharing these questions and prompts here in this blog post  so that others can use them for their own review or to start book groups in their institutions.  Here is the discussion guide:

Unit 1 Topic: Pedagogy & Digital Literacy for Online Learning 

Readings: 

  • Chapter 1- Introduction
  • Chapter 2 – Digital Literacy
  • Chapter 3 – Pedagogical Approaches to Technology in Social Work Education
  • Appendix 4 – Reflection Questions for Digital Literacy

Three learning objectives for topic:

  1. Identify your current digital literacy and use of technology as an educator and/or professional social worker .
  2. Explore the strengths and myths of using technology in social work education and/or practice.
  3. Identify and create opportunities to support your commitment to the paradigm shift of adopting technology in the social work profession.

Discussion Prompts: 

  • Welcome to this book group!  Let’s take this first week to get to know each other.  Please share: What brings you to this book group?  What’s your interest in integrating technology and social work?  
  • Since we’re in the early phases of this book club, let’s take some time to identify where we’re all positioned regarding our current digital literacy and uses of technology.  To do this, we’ll focus on chapter 2.  Review both “Breakout Box 2.1. Theory Talk” on pages 38-39 in the hard copy and location 673-74 in the ebook and Rogers (2003) Innovation Life Cycle (from “Figure 2.1. Innovation Adoption Lifecycle: Digital Literacy & New Technologies” on page 41 in the hard copy and location 717 in the ebook).   Then, identify one digital literacy area where you are an innovator and one where you’re a beginner.
  • Finally, it’s time for show-and-tell:  please share something cool you’ve done with technology, learned about technology, read about technology, etc. 
  • Review Appendix 4: Reflection Questions for Digital Literacy in Social Work, on pages 597-606 and location 8957-9101 in the ebook.  This references Belshaw’s Eight Essential Elements of Digital Literacy.  Reflect on the questions and identify one area where you would like to grow in your understanding of digital literacy.  Pose a question that asks your peers in this book group for help, advice, or guidance in an area that you would like to grow your understanding of digital literacy.  Then, respond to a peer’s question with a resource, an example from a personal experience, or a response to any specific question  
  • In the last discussion, we tried asking for help and providing help, which is an application of collaborative learning and connected learning, as described in chapter 3: Pedagogical Approaches to Technology in Social Work Education (pages 73-105 in the hard copy).  Now, let’s think more about chapter 3 and focus on student motivation.  Reflect back on the last questions and consider: How did you use motivation and self-regulation to engage in this discussion?  
  • Consider your own parallel process (see below for more information) with your adult learning and your students’ adult learning:  What motivated you personally to ask or answer a question?  Can you connect that to something you read in chapter 3 and share what it takes to motivate you as an adult learner to learn new digital literacies, technology tools, social media, etc., and how might that impact your planning when working with students/colleagues/clients?  (To learn more about parallel process:  listen to or read the transcript of the University of Buffalo’s social work podcast, InSocialWork, episode on parallel process:  Dr. Lawrence Shulman: Models of Supervision: Parallel Processes and Honest Relationships. 

Unit 2 Topic: Tech-Mediated Assignments

Readings: 

  • Chapter 4 – Technology in the Social Work Classroom
  • Appendix 1 – Assignment Compendium
  • Appendix 2 – Technology-based Learning Task List

Three learning objectives for topic:

  1. Discuss the 4 levels of the SAMR model.
  2. Analyze technologies currently being used in participants’ classrooms and for current assignments.
  3. Identify learning technologies they would like to learn and implement in the next 12 months.

Discussion Prompts: 

  • Please review Table 4.1 (p. 113) from the book and answer the following: Identify the tools that you use in your current social work classroom setting – both in terms of the general type of learning tool as well as specific products.  How does this support the learning environment of your classroom? Are there any tools you would like to be more familiar with but do not yet currently use?  Be prepared to share your experiences, interact with your fellow book group members and to provide feedback.
  • Please review Figure 4.1 (p. 117) from the book and answer the following: Social work assignments haven’t changed much in 100 years. But that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t change yours. How can you do this? Put your assignment through Puentedura’s SAMR Model for Technology Integration. SAMR stands for substitution, augmentation, modification and redefinition. Pick an assignment you’re giving this semester. Read through the SAMR model. Pick a SAMR level that you want to apply to your assignment. Which SAMR level are you using and how the assignment is different at that level?  Please provide feedback to other participants about their adventures with the SAMR model. 

Unit 3 Topic: Design & Delivery in the Online Classroom

Readings: 

  • Chapter 5 – Online Classrooms

Three learning objectives for month’s topic:

  1. Identify key components of an online course environment.
  2. Identify teaching strategies for successful online course design.
  3. Develop effective course designs for online teaching.

Discussion Prompts:

  • Now that you have explored ideas for using technology in online courses, we are going to turn our attention to creating online courses. Box 5.1 – Practical Tips: Review table 5.1 on page 160. Consider what type of course your institution is providing (e.g. traditional, web facilitated, blended/hybrid and/or online). What are your experiences thus far with course development? What elements of your online course design felt like the biggest facilitation or barrier to your own learning/teaching? Going further: How have elements of course design evolved? 
  • When planning learning activities in your online course, there are many different sample student activities to consider. Review table 5.2 on page 176 for examples of student and instructor learning activities. Discuss an activity that students have enjoyed in your courses. Review one new sample student activity and how you can use this in an online course.
  • Communicating with students is unique in the hybrid and online course environments, and course design can either weaken or strengthen this interaction between students and the instructor. Look at Breakout Box 5.3, “Establishing a culture of communication in an Online Course” and review the three quick tips.Review one “Quick Tip” and discuss how this would improve communication in your online course. What is one successful strategy (“tip”) that you have used to improve online communication? (Consider how you’ve interacted with students in a group, in breakout sessions, or one-on-one.) 
  • Giving feedback is an important skill to hone. There are multiple methods for giving feedback in online courses, including written, audio, and video elements. Within these methods, we must keep in mind how our tone may be received, especially in asynchronous communication, what would be the most important practical tips you would give a new online instructor about communicating feedback to students? What is one practical tip on giving feedback that you would like to focus on more (e.g. always balance positive with critical, track comments, etc.)?

Unit 4 Topic: Online Programs including Field Education

Readings: 

  • Chapter 6 – Online Programs
  • Chapter 7 – Field Education Online: High Touch Pedagogy
  • Appendix 5 – Social Work DEAR 

Three learning objectives for month’s topic:

  1. Identify their institution’s resources, supports, and capacity to successfully prepare for implementing an online program at their institution through the use of the SW-DEAR checklist.
  2. Identify technologies that can be used across the different stages of the field placement process – from placing students to overseeing student progress – and will understand how these tools can be used to foster engagement with students and community partners.
  3. Participants will also begin to understand what technology skills are required for faculty and staff involved in field education, and what is meant by the term “technology mindset”. 
  4. Explore the ways software and technology can support and streamline processes within their online programs and field education. 

Discussion Prompts:

  •  Creating or converting your social work program(s) to the online space can seem like a daunting task for social work education administration and educators. By allowing yourselves space and time to examine the possibilities and opportunities that online education creates for students, faculty, communities, and institutions you can begin identifying the driving forces for change, approaches schools of social work have and can take to create such change, and then identify what is necessary to successfully launch your online social work program(s). If you already have an online program, how did it come to be? Was it organically developed? Was it university led? Or community/student driven? 
  • What do you believe is something your university does well and could be considered “best practice” in online programming? How is implicit curriculum developed and supported within your online program(s)?
  • Now that we have had some time to consider the rationale for going online and how to get your program online, assessing your social work program’s resources and capacity to support such a transition is key (See the SW-DEAR checklist and Appendix 5 for considerations!). What university, program, faculty, or student resources does your university offer to support this endeavor?  What are some potential barriers you foresee your school encountering or your school has encountered as you develop(ed) the online program(s)?
  • The term high-touch pedagogy in the field of online instruction describes instructional approaches that enhance connection between students and instructors by incorporating the right blend of technologies.  Principles of high touch pedagogy can also be applied to field education at a distance. Technology can be used at every stage of the field placement process to develop relationships with students and partners, prepare students, and alleviate student anxiety. However, this requires the adoption of new technologies and the acquisition of related technology skills. For example, Zoom or other video conferencing software might be used in place of in-person meetings, and the Remind app might be employed to increase engagement with field students.  Beginning on page 273, technology related duties of the coordinator, liaison and instructor roles are described.  What additional knowledge and technology related skills are required for field coordinators and liaisons in distance programs? What is a technology mindset?  What are some technologies that can be used to foster engagement with students and community partners?
  • Managing Field Education is complex, and these challenges grow exponentially as field educators place students at a distance and across state borders. Utilizing a field placement software system can help streamline some of these processes and support accreditation requirements, but selecting and implementing a system can be costly and time intensive. Review pages 284-291, including breakout boxes 7.5 and 7.6, for practical tips about field education software. Does your university use a software system or other “home grown” tools to manage field education? What is working well with your current process, and what challenges are you experiencing that we can try to problem-solve as a group? What are some reasons for resistance and/or enthusiasm for investing in a new field placement software system?

Meeting 5 Topic: Ethics in Social Work Education

 Readings:  

  • Chapter 8 – Ethical Considerations for Faculty who Teach with Technology                
    Appendix 3 – Educators’ Perspectives on NASW Technology Standards

 Three learning objectives for month’s topic:

  1.  Analyze common ethical challenges and suggested strategies to manage these challenges.
  2. Identify NASW technology standards that directly relate to your teaching with technology experience.
  3. Develop effective strategies to manage ethical challenges when teaching with technology.

Discussion Prompts:

  •  After reading chapter 8, reflect on your own journey teaching with technology. What is one ethical challenge that you encountered? Please describe it and include information about how you worked through this ethical challenge. If it is an active challenge, please ask the group for help and create a question that the group can help answer.
  • Boundary issues are a concern often mentioned when the concept of teaching with technology is discussed. Based on the ideas presented in chapter 8, what are you currently doing to maintain boundaries both in your online teaching and within digital spaces? What suggestions would you add to the ones included in this chapter?
  •  After reviewing Appendix 3 (page 571 in the hardcopy book), what NASW technology standard do you feel you have met? Please share an example of why or how you feel that you are meeting this standard.
  •  After reviewing Appendix 3 (page 571 in the hardcopy book), what NASW technology standard do you feel that you need additional help with? Please include a specific question that you have for the group about this technology standard and/or how others are working towards implementation.

Unit 6 Topic: Tech-Mediated Productivity

 Readings: 

  •  Chapter 9 – Technology for Professional Development 
  • Appendix 6 – Technology Tips for Social Work Practitioners & Academics 

 Three learning objectives for month’s topic:

  1. Discuss different types of innovation adopters.
  2. Analyze the various uses of technology for professional development.
  3. Articulate how to use technology for productivity, collaboration, and networking.

Discussion Prompts:

  • Online course offerings and online programs in schools of social work have increased throughout the United States. Technological advances have made distance learning more feasible through the incorporation of technology into teaching and our professional development. While the applicability of online education to social work initially was questioned it has received wider acceptance in the past decade and is now being used to deliver content across the social work curriculum.  Consider your own journey regarding the use of technology in your teaching and professional interactions. How would you classify yourself based on the Spectrum of Innovation Adopters?How does the culture at your institution impact your view of the use of technology?How have your colleagues’ views on adopting technology impacted the transition to remote teaching due to Covid-19?
  •  Professional Learning Networks (PLN) are a unique way for individuals to connect and collaborate with associates across the globe. There are many applications that were discussed in Appendix 9: Evernote, Flipgrid, YouTube, Pinterest, YouCanBookMe, SignUpGenius, Google Mail, etc. Take a moment and take inventory of the technology that you regularly use to engage with others professionally. What other applications and forms of technology would you add to this list?
  •  New and emerging technologies are provoking a re-conceptualization of teaching and learning, while also serving as catalysts for transformation and innovation. Each of us has varying levels of support at our institutions to help us stay abreast of available technologies. Consider your technology learning environment and discuss the availability and quality of tech support available at your institution.

To purchase the book, Teaching Social Work with Digital Technology, please visit the CSWE Press Bookstore.  You can also order from your local retailer or big online bookseller.

Finally, a big thank you for our book group facilitators who helped to create these discussion prompts:

If you have comments or questions about this book group guide, you can reach out to Melanie, Nancy or me on Twitter or post a comment below. 

How to cite this post:

Hitchcock, L.I., Sage, M. & Smyth, N.J. (2020, July 2). Book Group Discussion Guide for Teaching Social Work with Digital Technology [Blog Post]. Retrieved from: https://laureliversonhitchcock.org/2020/07/02/book-group-discussion-guide-for-teaching-social-work-with-digital-technology/

Author: Laurel Hitchcock

Dr. Hitchcock served as the editor for this blog post. The author is the Guest Blogger (Social Work Educator or Student).

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