Lauren's Blog

[sssclauren]

23 Things Digital - Thing 5 - Social Media

This workshop asked me to review the social media codes of practice, watch a short video, read articles and reflect on my own use of social media.

I believe that your social media presence is an extension of yourself and your personality. Therefore things that you say online have just as much importance as they would in real life.

I may show a different side to my personality than I do in a professional setting, the language and tone used may be more casual however once I press ‘post/send’ I have committed to showing this to the world and despite the option to delete being available, as soon as it is out there it cannot be fully taken back. It is important to think before I post as I would think before I speak in real life.

Social media is a now fundamental part of human culture and life in most places and can be a great thing when used correctly. It has made it significantly easier to create and maintain connections and relationships and obtain information instantly. This also comes with negative issues such as the spread of misinformation and online disagreements which can become toxic.

I do not post on social media frequently however when I do, I am happy that the things I share reflect the type of person I am and that I adhere to the social media policy of the SSSC.

The SSSC social media guidance for staff highlights how social media is a great tool for engagement and advises that staff should display behaviours which are in line with the same laws and expectations of real life. This is important as it can be easy to mistake the online world as a separate place where there is more leniency.

I aim to be more active on social media in my new position and currently share these blogs to twitter, I am looking forward to the connections I can make and information I can obtain through this increased presence whilst keeping in line with the SSSC social media guidance for staff.

[sssclauren]

23 Things Digital - Thing 4 - Digital Footprint

I have had access to technology from a young age and have likely left a lot of digital footprints over the years. When I think back to the amount of sites I would access and happily put my name, email address DOB etc in to it is quite scary.

When I google myself fortunately it is hard to find information without narrowing down the search through specific details however there is still information likely from social media and other sites I have signed up to in he past. I am not particularly active on social media anymore besides browsing so I can imagine for someone who posts a lot the results would be significant. 

As an adult I have become significantly more aware of how traceable your actions online are. This is extremely prevalent on social media where you can find copious information on an individual should you wish to. I don’t think that a lot of people think about it in that way, it is very normal to post online about where you are, who you are with and what you are doing in real time. I think that it is nice to be able to interact with people like this however it is important to be aware of the risks.

It is easier than ever for prospective employers to find information you have shared online. It is possible to find out a lot about a person’s character or opinions through the internet. Commonly referred to as ‘Cancel Culture’, it has become more prevalent for high profile people in society to be reprimanded for things that they have said/done a long time ago which has been recorded online. Sometimes this is positive and can shed light on important issues however it can also be misused or exaggerated and can have a huge impact on a person’s life. This filters down to regular individuals who may not realise the size or impact of their own digital footprint.

[sssclauren]

23 Things Digital - Thing 3 - Why Digital?

The infographic linked in Thing 3 on the digital experience of social service workers provides an interesting insight into how individuals use digital resources and how they rate their own skills - https://23digital.sssc.uk.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Digital-capabilities-infographic.pdf

As I am not a social service worker I can only provide my opinion based on my interactions with these workers or from people I know personally. 

I find it interesting that the survey reports that workers have confidence in their digital skills, in a lot of my customer service interactions I found that people have lower confidence in themselves and that they would surprise themselves when they were successful in their task.

The survey does only cover ‘basic’ skills however, and the disparity between the perception of the workers and managers could be related to what different people consider to be ‘basic’ skills.

I believe that there is a certain fear of technology present in some people, for example many customers and colleagues I have spoken with or provided training to are afraid to do certain things on a computer in fear that they will irreparably damage something, even if it is something harmless like moving an icon or an update. These fears are almost always unfounded and can come from a low level of understanding. There is also a lot of frightening information surrounding cyber security issues which can dissuade individuals from trying things out. Cyber Security is incredibly important however it is best when people know where the risks are and where there is little to no risk. This issue is more common in generations who did not grow up in a digital world however it is not uncommon to find this even in Millennials or Gen Z who have grown up with access.

As part of Thing 3 I completed a short self assessment form to rate my digital skills.

I scored myself as 4/5 for confidence and capability and 5/5 for relevant to my role.

I feel I have a good level of digital skills and am confident in my ability to pick new things up, I do however have a lot more I would like to learn and the amount of information can be intimidating. I scored the highest option for relevance to my role as I will need to use current skills and develop new ones to succeed in my role as Project Officer.

I think it is incredibly important to continue to educate people to not only use digital resources but to actually understand what it is they are doing and how things work. I believe if the social service workforce becomes more digitally capable and confident then this will only benefit workers as well as care service users. In an ever-changing digital world workers must be able to adapt to changes and new technologies which can assist in the work they do.

It is also important to consider the impact a more digital world may have on care service users, for example the infographic raises concerns staff have that the use of digital technology would reduce the time they spend with the people they support. It is vital to use digital technology to our advantage but not to lose the personal human interaction which is necessary in care. Workers should be encouraged to improve their skills however it is important to not add excessive pressure particularly to those who have low confidence with digital based tasks. Learning should be enjoyable rather than nerve wracking or stressful and the design of resources should be created with accessibility in mind.

[sssclauren]

23 Things Digital - Thing 2 - Open Badges

In this Thing I watched an video on Open Badges as well as read an article which provided an introduction to the platform.

Open Badges is a learning resource developed by the SSSC which offers a multitude of online courses. These are individually assessed which allows users to evidence what they have learned as well as receive feedback.

Users are able to focus on a specific area that they feel would be important for their role or take a broader approach if required. Open Badges provides users with a focused space where they can keep a record of their achievements. An example of this is the Continuous Professional Learning (CPL) Badge. This meets the CPL requirements of SSSC registrants in full and allows workers to focus on learning in one place rather than organising multiple records.

Open Badges also works in unison with the MyLearning app and allows users to link records together.

Through my previous role within the SSSC I have been able to observe how valuable this resource is and I am looking forward to learning more about this going forward.

[sssclauren]

First blog post!

Hi there! My name is Lauren and I have started this blog to document my journey in my new role as Project Officer in the Digital Learning team at the Scottish Social Services Council.

First a little about me, I moved from the Scottish Borders to Dundee for University and subsequently graduated with a BSc (hons) Psychology from Abertay University in 2015. Since then I have worked multiple jobs mostly in retail/hospitality however in September 2019 I was successful in gaining my first office based role with the Scottish Social Services Council in the Enquiries team.

Having no previous experience with the care sector or office based working, I was thrown in at the deep end. During my time in Enquiries I was able to develop my knowledge and understanding of the organisation immeasurably. This allowed me to be successful in gaining a new position as Project Officer in the Digital Learning Team, which is where this blog begins!

I will aim to use this blog to record my progress as well as complete the 23 Things Digital programme and Open Badges provided by the SSSC.

In addition to this I may sprinkle the odd non-work related post, I love video games, films, and books and I may post my thoughts on these as well as document things I do in my free time!