A Child’s Voice – Watch this Film Today!

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I am thrilled to support and recommend the film A Child’s Voice from No Restrictions Entertainment. This film is now available to rent online for $3.99. Here is the trailer:

A Child’s Voice from No Restrictions Entertainment on Vimeo.

Supernatural thriller. A homeless teen hears the voice of a child calling for help and leads him on a journey to track down the child’s killer. #EndHumanTrafficking

Press release: drive.google.com/file/d/1Fyx5ey5fVYYgEird9zhEm3W-atfrDor-/view

© 2018 A Child’s Voice, LLC | All rights reserved | NoRestrictionsEnt.com

imdb.com/title/tt7709804

As a social worker, I greatly appreciate the tough subjects that No Restrictions Entertainment addresses and the loving, social justice-oriented perspective that John Paul Rice brings to these films. I first met John back in 2011 when I interviewed him for an article in The New Social Worker Magazine. At this time I learned of his innovative use of Kickstarter to both create a community with his films and fund this important work. John’s work has always tackled important social issues and difficult interpersonal dynamics in an approachable, multidimensional human way that is not often seen in film.  

John’s current work, A Child’s Voice, builds upon this rich history with an impressive cast that truly brings this story to life. Children that survive horrific sexual abuse and sex trafficking are seldom given a voice in our popular culture, and yet A Child’s Voice not only gives them a voice but an avenue for justice for the crimes committed against them. These crimes may be difficult for some to fully comprehend, and yet the silence and absence of dialogue about these crimes only serve to exacerbate their negative ramifications for the children and families involved. Child sexual abuse is more common than most realize. One estimate suggests “one in 9 girls and 1 in 53 boys under the age of 18 experience sexual abuse or assault at the hands of an adult.” Additionally, it is estimated that there are currently 5.5 million child victims of sex trafficking. A Child’s Voice is critically important for social workers, law enforcement, and the general public in order to enable conversations and actions needed to stop child sexual abuse and sex trafficking, and help spread the love, understanding, and knowledge survivors need from us to heal as best they can. I strongly encourage you to support this work. 

I was so excited to attend the premeire of A Child’s Voice last week in Los Angeles. I had such an amazing time! 

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Sherrie Gonzalez, John Paul Rice, and Karen Zgoda. Photographer Joseph Cruz jmcpresence.com

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Karen Zgoda and Sherrie Gonzalez. Photographer Joseph Cruz jmcpresence.com

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Using Twitter in Reclaiming Macro Practice, and Affirming Our Social Work Roots #MacroSW #swtech

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New publication!

Congratulations to #MacroSW partners Sunya Folayan, Laurel Hitchcock, and Karen Zgoda for their publication in a special issue of Reflections on the Interconnectedness of Micro and Macro Practice: …

Source: Using Twitter in Reclaiming Macro Practice, and Affirming Our Social Work Roots #MacroSW #swtech

Social Work Educator Tips: Guidelines for Online Discussion Forums | Teaching & Learning in Social Work

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IMG_7804.PNGKaren Zgoda is a social work educator, a Doctoral Student in Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts in Boston, MA,  and a founding member of #MacroSW, an online community for macro social workers. In this blog post, she shares her tips for helping social work students learn how to be professional in online learning environments.

Source: Social Work Educator Tips: Guidelines for Online Discussion Forums | Teaching & Learning in Social Work

inSocialWork Podcast #231 – Dr. Allan Barsky: Practice Standards on Social Work and Technology: Changes, Challenges, and Ongoing Debates

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Listen to the podcast here: Episode 231 – Dr. Allan Barsky: Practice Standards on Social Work and Technology: Changes, Challenges, and Ongoing Debates

Interviewer: Karen Zgoda, MSW, LCSW, PhD candidate in Public Policy at the University of Massachusetts-Boston

In this episode, our guest Dr. Allan Barsky discusses updates and enhancements that were recently made to the practice standards involving the use of technology. He describes how the standards can provide guidance when utilizing technology in micro, mezzo, and macro level interventions and in developing policies that address the benefits, challenges, and risks associated with the use of technology in practice.

Allan Barsky, JD, MSW, PhD, is a professor with the Phyllis and Harvey Sandler School of Social Work at Florida Atlantic University, where he teaches ethics; conflict resolution; addictions; and generalist social work. His book credits include “Interprofessional Practice with Diverse Populations,” “Conflict Resolution for the Helping Professions,” “Successful Social Work Education,” and “Ethics & Values in Social Work.” Dr. Barsky is a past chair of the National Ethics Committee of the NASW. He received the 2015 “Excellence in Ethics Award” from the NASW. Dr. Barsky chaired the NASW’s Code of Ethics Review Task Force and was a member of the National Task Force on Practice Standards for Social Work and Technology.

Direct podcast link here.

APA (6th ed) citation for this podcast:

Episode 231 – Dr. Allan Barsky: Practice Standards on Social Work and Technology: Changes, Challenges, and Ongoing Debates. (2018, January 15). inSocialWork® Podcast Series. [Audio Podcast] Retrieved from http://www.insocialwork.org/episode.asp?ep=231

Digital Literacy in Social Work Education: A Case Study Incorporating Technology and Social Media Within the Social Work Curriculum

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Now published – Digital Literacy in Social Work Education: A Case Study Incorporating Technology and Social Media Within the Social Work Curriculum in the Special Section on Multimedia in Nonprofit Education of the Journal of Nonprofit Education and Leadership. I discussed this work at CSWE APM back in October. Here is the abstract:

To remain competitive and culturally competent, social work education must incorporate digital literacy and technological instruction to prepare students for work with clients and colleagues throughout their professional lives. When instructors offer a grounding in technology skills for modern social work practice and provide feedback to students in a supportive classroom setting, social work students become more confident and poised to handle the complications of technology and social media while interacting with clients, agencies, nonprofit organizations, and society as a whole. The purpose of this article is to present a case study of a social work course on classic and contemporary communication skills that focuses on communication, writing, and digital literacy, designed for BSW students. The article includes rationale for course development, course description, and sample digital writing activities from the course.

I worked with amazing social work writer Kryss Shane on this article. Special thank you to Jimmy Young, editor of this special issue, for your feedback and support to improve this work. To access the article (log in required), head to the journal’s web site. To follow updates on this work, head to my ResearchGate page for the article.

Teaching Resources for Snowy Days

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In Boston, it’s currently snowing sideways so hard I can barely see across the street. It’s reasonable to expect at least one or two snow days during the school year in these parts and, having grown up in Buffalo, NY, I enjoy them greatly.

A Twitter conversation with a colleague prompted me to compile resources for staying on top of course material when the weather refuses to cooperate. If campus was closed and I was due to teach a face to face course today, I would hold the class online using the campus LMS discussion board. This is also helpful for situations in which falling behind on course material would negatively impact the rest of the semester (statistics and research courses, I’m looking at you).

Here is the syllabus language I use to communicate snow day expectations to students. We also review it together on the first day of class to address any questions or concerns students may have:

Inclement Weather: In the event of inclement weather and campus is closed, class will be held online using the discussion board in Blackboard. Instructions for class participation will be emailed to you.

Here are resources I have found helpful for holding class online:

The hardest part of a snow day should be making sure you have french toast ingredients and keeping a mischievous cat out of trouble.

Exhibit A: Mischievous Cat

Stay warm and stay safe!

Most Common Student Writing Mistakes and How to Fix Them

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Written communication skills are so important for students to learn. As a social work instructor for nearly 10 years, I often gave students feedback and guidance to improve their writing. The following list contains the most common writing mistakes I encountered and suggestions for how to fix them. This list is geared toward social science writing and use of APA Style.

Most Common APA Style Errors

Properly Using the Work of Others

Grammar

Writing Research and Other Scientific Papers

What is missing? What would you add to this list?

For additional back to school tips for social workers, check out my eBook: Back to School Guide for Social Work Students.

Wishing all the new and returning students (myself included!) much success in the coming year!