Be Inspired! Shirley Ayres Consulting

Photo copyright Julie Broadfoot, all rights reserved, used with permission

I am passionate about empowering people through knowledge and the power of ideas to change attitudes and lives. The internet provides a wealth of information, knowledge and inspiration for social learning. I was fortunate to attend and contribute to the learning technologies conference and exhibition (#emtech11) held at the Heriot Watt University in Edinburgh on Friday 25th February. It was really interesting to explore how technologies offer new ways to engage, converse and collaborate to improve social services practice.

People are now using the internet to communicate and interact in a completely different way. People want to be heard and understood and this has implications for social learning. This presents both opportunities and challenges for learning, education and training professionals. Is the new role for learning and development as brokers for learning, connecting people to each other and to other sources of learning and not just providing formal learning opportunities?

Social media can be one of the most powerful ways to understand what we do and why, learn as we go, and share what we learn with others through discussions and observation. Social media is, in many ways, all about learning. 

My workshop demonstrated how we can use the internet to answer the question “What would you like to learn today? Slightly daring because those who know me are aware that technology per se is not my strong point!

A big question for me. At a time when public support is urgently needed to protect social work and social care why are we not using social media to engage with our stakeholders? One of my favourite videos from Erik Qualman about the phenomenal growth in social media activity during the past two years

“it is not a question now about whether you should be involved in social media but how well you do it”

I believe everyone should know about TED a unique phenomenon which gathers the best minds from around the world to explore thoughts and ideas. TED shares the inspirational ideas through videos which are freely available online. Two of my favourite TED talks: 

Derek Sivers: How to start a movement 2010
Lessons about leadership and the importance of the first follower with help from some surprising footage, Derek Sivers explains how movements really get started.

JK Rowling: The fringe benefits of failure 2008 At her Harvard commencement speech, “Harry Potter” author JK Rowling offers some powerful, heartening advice to dreamers and overachievers, including one hard-won lesson that she deems “worth more than any qualification I ever earned.”

Do you know about ALISON? - This website has a lot of free resources to help staff improve their basic skills. ALISON is a free online learning resource for basic and essential workplace skills including study skills.

Some excellent resources for social services

Social Care Institute for Excellence: Free e-Learning resources which provide audio, video and interactive technology to assist in exploring the nature of Personalisation

The Alzheimer Society of Calgary has developed an on-line educational resource called Dementia Basics. As a first step to understanding dementia and the disease process, this resource helps families living with dementia and professionals.

Mental Health Foundation: Assessing Mental Capacity This site has been developed to help staff working in health and social care (including those in the private and voluntary sectors) as well as unpaid carers, to improve the way they assess mental capacity. The Assessment of Mental Capacity Audit Tool (AMCAT) is a simple online tool to help staff and others evaluate, reflect and learn about an assessment of mental capacity they have done.

Free access to a Personal Assistant Induction e-learning course through the Independent Living Association (ILA) West Sussex. 

horsesmouth is an online mentoring platform where people affected by dementia can offer each other informal information and advice. Horsesmouth have teamed up with the Department of Health’s ‘Living Well with Dementia’ programme.

Get Safe Online is particularly useful with lots of clear and useful advice about things that you can do to avoid becoming a victim of fraud and identity theft. try the  quiz  “Just how safe are you?” . 

The best thing about social media tools is that they are easy to get started with and can be very inexpensive.

Twitter is a great way to share and discover what is happening in real time through micro-blogging. Start communicating, sharing and interacting with people using short 140 character text messages. It’s a simple way to network with like minded people. My twitter name @shirleyayres

People who tweet about social learning on twitter

@hjarche

@JaneBozarth

@C4LPT The Centre for Learning & Performance Technologies is a good resource to find out about social media for working and learning

@DonaldClark

@JudithELS

If you were not fortunate enough to win a copy of Jane Harts excellent Social Learning Handbook at #emtech11 you can purchase a copy here  

Professional Development through LinkedIn.  LinkedIn is a professional networking site which enables you to connect with colleagues, share information and join groups to discuss and debate professional issues.

The Advanced Social Work Practice Network (ASWPN) is a group for social work practitioners, academics, employers and partner organisations who wish to support the development of professional leadership in social work

The Personalisation Group to revolutionise social care Delivering quality, efficiency and outcomes to support ordinary lives This group is for passionate people in the sector who just want to get on and do it – make the change where it counts

The Scottish Social Work Network  is a new group which provides opportunities for social workers working in Scotland to network, ask questions and share information.

Why not start your own personal social learning network today! I hope this brief overview of the resources available inspires you to use the internet to explore resources, engage in conversations and share your knowledge and expertise. Please feel free to post your recommendations about good social learning resources here and contact me with your comments and thoughts shirley@shirleyayresconsulting.co.uk  

I have recently joined Aspire Knowledge as Consultant Director Third and Public Sector Knowledge. We have now launched the Third Sector Digital Communications and Social Media Convention 2011  Two days of engaging, inspiring and must have knowledge for the third sector covering all aspects of innovation, developments, leading practice and strategy in digital communications and social media

 

Tags: social care, social learning, social media, social services, Social Work

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“We don’t want to be ‘Left Out In The Cold’ ”, say Britain’s disabled people.  On the eve of the second reading of the government’s controversial Welfare Reform Bill on 9th March, a stark image of disabled campaigner Kaliya Franklin aims to convey how vulnerable some of the bills proposals will leave sick and disabled people across the UK.

The photograph depicts a naked Franklin lying on the sand on a wintry beach, next to her empty wheelchair.

Just like Franklin’s wheelchair in the image, social care and support will be left out of reach for many of those most in need if these reforms go ahead, literally leaving many “Left Out in the Cold.”

“We decided to use one thought provoking image to make our point,” explains Franklin. “Sick and disabled people are often left voiceless in society, so we hoped using a single image might reflect this.”

Says Franklin, “It’s vital we all remember we are just an accident or illness away from becoming disabled. Many people think if they do become disabled that the state will look after them.

“But the fact is that even under current provisions, disability benefits are not enough for disabled people to live on. If the Welfare Reform Bill is passed, the situation will become unimaginably worse.”

In January, Franklin released a video on YouTube that explained how able-bodied people would be in for a major shock if they found themselves needing to apply for disability benefits. The video can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q7EXSpmrVMU.

The Broken of Britain group has been campaigning since summer 2010 to raise awareness of the government’s wider anti-disability policies. The group has consistently drawn attention to disabled people being the target of unjust government rhetoric and sham consultations, tabloid slander and political myths.

It says: “We are now the targets of deep and damaging cuts to disability services that are contained in and symbolised by the Welfare Reform Bill. The Bill disguises cuts and changes to a number of benefits, from housing benefit to Income Support that will punish disabled people.”

Tags: disability, social justice, social work and social care, the Broken of Britain campaign

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Gordon Chapman

Deaf people who use British Sign Language (BSL) have traditionally gone to their social worker whenever they had a problem. That is because the social worker understood the needs of deaf people and, more importantly could communicate fluently in BSL.
The absence of post qualifying training has resulted in the absence of social workers willing to work with deaf people. Despite the desire to see a specialist social work service retained, we have to face reality and concentrate on how we can support deaf people more effectively.
Taking into account that most of deaf people’s problems arise directly from their poor language skills and the resultant communication problems, it makes sense to concentrate on how to overcome these in the first instance.
The use of online interpreting services over the Internet provides a simple and low cost solution. By having a computer with a webcam and broadband access in the duty room, you can deal with any query immediately. Similarly, a social worker can take a netbook with a 3G dongle with them when visiting clients.
We have worked very closely with North Lanarkshire Council and have a very successful model which has been very effective in removing the deaf community’s dependence upon social work and shared the burden across the whole of the Council. I believe the time has come for all Local Authorities to look at Online Interpreting and consider using video technology to overcome the communication barrier with deaf people. Sign on Screen is an online interpreting facility which makes access to a qualified British Sign Language interpreter available to anyone, anywhere at any time.  

About the author: Gordon Chapman is Chief Executive of Deaf Connections the oldest charity established for Deaf people in Scotland. He is a child of deaf parents and grew up in a bilingual environment. Gordon is a qualified social worker and registered Sign Language Interpreter and he has been Chief Executive of Deaf Connections since 1983 .

Follow @DeafConnections on twitter and join the Deaf Connections facebook group

Tags: Deaf Connections, Gordon Chapman, online interpreting services, Social Work

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At a time when public support is urgently needed for social work and social care why are we not using social media to engage with our stakeholders? One of my favourite videos from Erik Qualman about the phenomenal growth in social media activity during the past two years (and the statistics today are even more impressive). (Video courtesy of @equalman http://www.socialnomics.net)

I agree with Erik – >“it is not a question now about whether you should be involved in social media but how well you do it”

Erik Qualman is the author of Socialnomics: How social media transforms the way we live and do business. “Social Media Revolution was one of 2010′s most viral videos on YouTube.

Tags: Erik Qualman, online communications, social care, social media, Social Work

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Human attention is one of the most restrictive limitations to accessing resources on the internet. Wise words and good case studies from Clay Shirky author of “Here Comes Everybody – The Power of Organizing Without Organizations” talking at Web 2.0 Expo New York in 2008. (Video courtesy of OreillyMedia)

I am a great supporter of ‘Kaizen’ – the gathering of the wisdom of the masses. Networked tools are allowing groups to form and collaborate without any of the traditional friction that comes from managing the efforts of multitudes. “Group action just got easier” Clay Shirky speaking about his book, “Here Comes Everybody – The Power of Organizing Without Organizations” at the World Bank in May 2008. (Video courtesy of WorldBank)

http://shirky.com/

Tags: Clay Shirky, Here Comes Everybody - The Power of Organizing Without Organizations, Kaizen, social media

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My thoughts from the Public Sector Innovation Huddle hosted by Viadeo and Dell, as part of Social Media Week London 2011. The unconference was for public sector and third sector communications professionals using or exploring social media best practices. There were nine sessions and I wanted  to attend them all because there was such a range of interesting and diverse subjects!

More thoughts and videos from the Public Sector Huddle on the Viadeo Blog http://blog.viadeo.com/en/ 

 A stitch online – Macmillan’s super scarf http://bit.ly/gOFnfU  @timolloyd 

“From knitting to nudity” key takeaways from #smwldn_ps http://cot.ag/h7zB0i

Social Media Week is a global platform that connects people, content, and conversations  around emerging trends in social and mobile media. Between 7th and 11th February, nine cities around the world including London, New York, Paris, Istanbul held hundreds of events focusing on all things social media.

Tags: #lgovsm, #nhssm, #smwldn, #smwldn_ps, Dell, encouraging innovation, online communications, social media week, The public sector and social media, Viadeo

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A unique online directory of resources for professionals working with vulnerable children and young people.

The Click Guide to Children’s Services has now been accessed over 2000 times across the world by child care practitioners, foster carers, adoptive parents, teachers and social entrepreneurs developing new services. The Click Guide originated from an awareness that, while many fantastic resources are available to support children in care, information about these resources is often difficult to find and spread across many different sources on the internet.

Download your free copy of the Click Guide to Children’s Services here

The Guide is also available to purchase as a printed book

Tags: Click Guide to Children's Service's, free guide, looked after children

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Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) sponsored the event Disabled People at the Forefront of Resistance at which this footage and interviews were shot. The event was held at Friends Meeting House in Euston on February 12th 2011. It was part of a day of events focused on organising opposition to the cuts to public services.

For more information about the People’s Convention visit: http://righttowork.org and for more about DPAC go to http://dpac.net

Tags: disability, Disabled People Against Cuts

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Sergio López Figueroa asks whether evaluation forms are the best and most effective tool to capture the value and impact of your organisation’s work? What about using the power of video for web distribution and involve a number of stakeholders in the making? The value lies in a diverse representation of stakeholders, beneficiaries and influencers being engaged in the creative process using video interviews and by endorsing in their own way the benefits, so the outcome becomes personal and unique.

We work with charitable organisations, mainly -but not exclusively- in the health and arts sector in order to measure the impact of the video in their training, events or to asses fundraising strategies or stakeholder engagement. Moreover our facilitation process involves making sure participants interact with each other, shooting or recording and making it happen. We at Big Bang Lab are not lazy, but facilitators in search of quality of information.

Last Summer I had the opportunity to work with the Otakar Kraus Music Trust (OKMT), a fantastic charity working with children with autism and other disabilities by helping them with one to one music therapy. The children were engaged searching new sounds and exploring their inner creativity. I was very happy to interact with them, their carers, parents and siblings and co-create a video for web. This will help OKMT to create awareness and show the intangible value to potentially new funders. In particular I was touched by the open and positive attitude of parents in relation to their children’s condition which we hope will touch other families in similar situation as well.

Click here to watch an example of this Shared Voices video  The Joy of Music 

For the full article click here  

Tags: autism, BigBang Lab, evaluation of care services, Otakar Kraus Music Trust, Sergio López Figueroa, social media

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Between 7th and 11th February, nine cities around the world including London, New York, Paris, Istanbul will be holding hundreds of events focusing on all things social media. Social Media Week   is a global platform that connects people, content, and conversations  around emerging trends in social and mobile media. There are a large number of both small and large social media events across the world which will be distributed via social media channels and mobile media. For London events  follow the #smwldn hashtag on Twitter

The schedule for London features almost 100 events across five days which range from breakfast briefings to evening debates. Most of the events are free but advance registration may be required.

Here is my brief guide to the events of most interest to the public sector, social care, childrens’s services, charities and social enterprises.

Who Owns the Social Space: A Debate
A debate on who should ‘own’ social spaces – or at least the bit that gets marketing budget!. Mon 7th Feb 4:30pm – 8pm

Social Recruitment Panel Debate  Sponsored by Like Minds

“Where’s the talent?”  How social networks and tools have transformed the hiring process and people management. Featuring one of my favourite social recruiting bloggers @andyheadworth  from Sirona Consulting Mon 7th Feb 6:30pm – 9:00pm

We Are Social Breakfast Briefing – What Social Media means for Charities 
Simon Collister, We Are Social’s Public Sector & Non-profit Director, will discuss the changes that social media is making to the environment that charities and third sector organisations operate in, and what they need to do to adapt. Tues 8th Feb 08 8:25am – 10:00am 

Social innovation speed dating with Simpl – the social innovation marketplace
Have you ever noticed how hard it is to find the right person in government (or any other organisation for that matter!) to help you make your idea a reality?  As part of Social Media Week we’ll be running ‘Social Innovation Speed Dating’ to connect people with ideas to people in organisations who can offer support to make those ideas a reality.  Tuesday 8th Feb 8:30am – 10:30am 

Public Sector Social Media Innovation Huddle, hosted by Dell & Viadeo
For UK Public Sector and the third sector communications professionals who are using or exploring social media best practices. People who want to share and network. There will be a broad range of Public Sector and Social Media experts. As with all unconferences you can also choose to speak on the day sharing a case study or leading a discussion group of your choice. I will be speakings about “Feel the fear and do it anyway”the challenges and opportunities for the public sector with #socialmedia. Tues 8th Feb 1:00pm – 5pm 

Social Media NOT just Social Marketing Hosted by 77Agency & GlobalGiving 
With guest speakers from YouTube, LinkedIn, The Guardian, Accenture Interactive and WSPA, the seminar will bring non-profit organisations together to share insights, case studies and knowledge and to highlight the promotional and fundraising opportunities available via social media ch
Soho House London. Tues 8th Feb 1:00pm – 5:00pm 

We Are Social’s “Meet the Communities” with Mumsnet & The Student Room. Justine Roberts of Mumsnet & Jamie O’Connell of The Student Room discuss how brands can successfully, and not so successfully, engage with their large and influential communities. This session will involve presentations followed by networking drinks. Thurs 10th Feb 4:30pm – 6:00pm

Measuring Social Media 2011
A session exploring measurement and monitoring social media including a drop-in clinic, panel discussion, demos and one-to-one sessions. Fri 11th Feb – 10.45am – 4pm

WorkSnug@Hub Kings Cross Daily (Mon-Fri) – 9am – 5pm Free co-working space with tea and coffee available daily throughout the week

These are only some of the events for Social Media Week London! Prepare to learn a lot about new business strategies for social networking,  better understand how social media is important for your professional life, and for things like entertainment and news, hear from industry innovators, and meet people who share your interests in these topics.  How has social media changed the way you work, connect, engage and converse using social media?

I shall be tweeting live from some of these events. Follow me @shirleyayres and ENJOY the week!

Tags: communications, Shirley Ayres, social media, social media week

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