1. TECHNOLOGY ENHANCED HUMAN SERVICE MANAGEMENT: ENGAGED LEARNING FROM MULTIDISCIPLINARY PERSPECTIVE
Murali Nair, PhD
Clinical Professor
Network of Social Work Management National Conference.
“The Business of Social Work: Mission, Morals, Morale and Money”
Fordham University, New York. June 16, 2017

2. What is Technology? Technology is the creation of tools or objects that both extend our natural abilities and alter our social environment -- From The Nature of Technology

3. Technology: An agent of Social Change
Making our lives easier everyday! or
Making our lives easier everyday?

4. Social Isolation
Societies have relied on social interaction for centuries to survive, what happens if this element is taken out of our lives?

5. TRIVIA – How clever are you?
Answer the following in your notes – point form.
You have 5 minutes.

6. What do you think have been the most significant technological changes of the past 100 years?

7. What 5 technological developments would you struggle to live without
What 5 technological developments would you struggle to live without? (i.e. cell phone, internet, microwave oven, specific medical advancement …. )

8. Societies have relied on social interaction for centuries to survive, what happens if this element is taken out of our lives?

9. How has your home been set-up to center around technology?

10. What types of skills do you think a person who spends their whole day on the computer in a virtual world, lack in their every day lives?

11. Technological Determinism
Defined as: “The view that social change is initiated by technology and not necessarily by the individual”
This is contrary to what traditional theorists believe
If this is true then new technologies, once invented, take on “a life of their own” and force society to adapt to changes

12. Running to Keep Up!
Another stressor of technological change is the feeling that we “can’t keep up” with what is new
Alvin Toffler describe this idea as “future shock” or the “dizzying disorientation brought on by the premature arrival of the future”

13. Many believe that technological change is happening so fast that the fundamental values of society are becoming blurred
Many also see the “click of a mouse” having an effect on society’s patience as we now cannot wait for the simplest of daily tasks

14. NASW & ASWB Standards for Technology and Social Work Practice
Standard 4. Technical Competencies
Social workers shall be responsible for becoming proficient in the technological skills and tools
required for competent and ethical practice and for
seeking appropriate training and consultation to stay current with emerging technologies.

15. Standard 9. Practice Competencies 9-1. Advocacy and Social Action
Social workers shall use technology to inform and mobilize communities about policies that will benefit individuals and groups and seek to provide tools,
opportunities,
and information
so that clients are able to advocate directly for their own interests.

16. 9-2. Community Practice
Social workers shall advocate for the adoption and use of relevant technologies that will enhance the well-being of communities.

17. 9-3.Administrative Practice
Social workers shall keep themselves informed about technology that will advance quality program operations and service delivery, invest in and maintain such systems, and establish policies to ensure access, appropriate security, and privacy in agency information systems.

18. Interpretation Technology is the backbone of agency administration.
Electronic systems are essential for routine operations as well as applications designed to enhance forecasting, long-range planning, and project management.

19. Major tasks, vital routines, ongoing communications, and agency outreach can be facilitated and enhanced through the use of databases, the Internet, and other technologies.
When used appropriately, technology can help an agency accomplish its mission in a cost-effective way.

20. Although the costs of hardware, software, personnel, and training can be daunting, technical systems planning and maintenance should be a routine part of the regular budgeting process.

21. Learning from Business settings: Virtual Organizations
A structure that makes it possible for individuals to work for an organization and live anywhere.
The Internet and corporate intranets create the opportunity for individuals to work from anyplace they can access a computer.
The structure of a virtual organization is networked.
Everyone has access to everyone else using technology.
is the most widely used means of communication.
Success in a virtual organization is the amount of collaboration that takes place between individuals

22. IT to Facilitate Communication
- a way of transmitting messages over communication networks.
First uses of the Internet.
Composted primarily of text but can include other mediums (video, audio, etc.).
Mailing list server
Intranet - Looks and acts like the Internet
Comprised of information used exclusively within a company
Unavailable to the Internet community as a whole.

23. IT to Facilitate Communication
Instant Messaging (IM) – an IP-based instant communication application.
Provides convenient communication between people using computers, cell phones, etc.
Can be used to check on telecommuting employees by managers.
Voice over IP (VoIP) - Method enabling telecommunications (phone calls) to be transmitted over an IP based network.
Skype is a type of VoIP system that permits users to make free phone calls over the Internet.
Very useful for communicating with remote workers.

24. IT to Facilitate Communication
Video Teleconferencing - set of interactive telecommunication technologies allowing two or more locations to interact via two-way video and audio transmissions simultaneously.
Unified communications (UC) - an "evolving communications technology architecture which automates and unifies all forms of human and device communications in context, and with a common experience
RSS - refers to a structured file format for porting data from one platform or information system to another.
Commonly used to keep up to date data at hand.

25. IT to Facilitate Communication
VPN (Virtual Private Network) - private data network that leverages the public telecommunication infrastructure.
It maintains privacy through the use of a tunneling protocol and security procedures.
Very useful for telecommuters.
File Transfer - consists simply of transferring a copy of a file from one computer to another on the Internet.
File transfer protocol (FTP), the most common type. Permits transfer of files, of almost any size, to be sent across a company or the globe.

26. IT to Facilitate Collaboration
Social networking - a web-based service that allows its members to create a public profile with their interests and expertise, post text and pictures and all manner of data, list other users with whom they share a connection, and view and communicate openly or privately with their list of connections and those made by others within the system (MySpace, Face Book, etc.).
Virtual worlds - computer-based simulated environments intended for its users to inhabit and interact via avatars (like Second Life).

27. IT to Facilitate Collaboration
Web logs (Blogs) - 0nline journals that link together into a very large network of information sharing.
Companies use for a variety of communication purposes.
Wikis - software that allows users to work collaboratively to create, edit and link webpages easily.
Groupware - software that enables group members to work together on a project, from anywhere, by allowing them to simultaneously access the same files.

28. HOW INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY CHANGES THE NATURE OF WORK

29. USC on Line MSW – DSW program
Case studies
USC on Line MSW – DSW program

30. The Technology Opportunity for Human Services
Just as innovative information technology has revolutionized commercial and social life, so, too, do new approaches to enterprise technology have the potential to human services agencies do their work more efficiently and effectively in the years to come.

31. Automation: Reducing Inefficiencies, Enhancing Services
Integration: Giving Workers the Full Picture
 Empowerment: Providing Clients Greater Control
Analysis: Evaluating Effectiveness
Accountability: Improving Performance
predictive analytics and big data management.

32. USC Tele-health program

33. Summary
Technology has played a major role in transforming the way work is done.
Virtual organizations permit workers to work from anywhere.
Communication and collaboration is becoming increasingly important in today’s work .
IT affects work by creating new work, and more.
Hiring and supervising employees is being driven more and more by technology.
Companies must support and encourage telecommuting to attract and retain employees.
Virtual teams are becoming more common.