See Beauty... in that which is simple
Technology Essay
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My knowledge and experience with technology over the past two years has grown significantly. Things are progressing so rapidly that it’s difficult to keep up. I can’t say that I do well staying up to date; in the past I didn’t think it was very important to do so. My perspective of technology and all it has to offer has shifted as I’ve come to understand the benefits it offers for communication, innovation, and information. As with most things, there is a responsibility to be acknowledged, especially with something so instantaneous, but being technologically knowledgeable is becoming a necessity.
My job at Sean Humphrey House as a Clerical Assistant has provided a range of opportunities to develop my skills with technology. I came into the position with very minimal experience, but I can now navigate Microsoft Excel and Access. I frequently utilize email and Google Calendars to communicate with the Board and coordinate meetings. I began a project to redevelop the way we keep up with our contacts. Microsoft Access seemed like a much more effective way to keep track of contacts for our mailing list and donors. I did not have any familiarity with this program, so I utilized tutorials available on the internet and explored the program in order to become confident enough to create the new system. I am able to make this available for all management, by centralizing the contact information, rather than having several different databases with essentially the same information. The goal is to reduce duplications and make things simple and consistent and we are on our way to doing just that.
Using technology for group work has made projects much easier and more effective. During a project for Human Service Professionals and Community Systems, HSP 404, our group was to do a presentation on the services available in Whatcom County. Our group took a creative approach and we decided to relay this information to our classmates with a rap-The ABC’s of Whatcom County Nonprofits. To work on this project our group used Google Docs so that all of us could concurrently be working on the same document, which is helpful when writing a rap to see what has been covered and what has not. Not only were we all able to see the document at the same time, but we also had the ability to modify the document at the same time. I’ve also found that using Facebook and Blackboard as a resource for group communication is preferred to email because you can access the information much faster and it visually easier to follow.
Using PowerPoint has become very common when needing to present information to a group. For Human Services and Management, HSP 435, I used PowerPoint to present the information I had gathered for my organizational analysis on Northwest Youth Services. I do think PowerPoint can be very useful, but I found it much more stimulating to work with iMovie this year. During the same project we did the rap for we created an iMovie, Whatcom Nonprofits. I was extremely proud of the end product, generating something not only for ourselves, but also for the community. The process took brainstorming and creativity to make something that would keep your attention and be informative. The value of iMovie versus PowerPoint is that the video is able to circulate without us. The project was successful, fun, and a new experience.
During Applied Research Methods, HSP 385, I was able to use Western’s Library database to find articles for my literature review. There are useful techniques to searching a database such as EBSCO. I have been able to learn how to navigate and filter out irrelevant information to find what it is I am looking for. When I was seeking out information for my literature review I had to be assessing the articles presented with a critical lens. In Applied Research Methods we did class exercises discussing what the information presented is really saying. Often information will be presented in such a way to insinuate one thing, but factually mean something completely different. It is important to reflect on what an author might be trying to claim; this can give insight to whether the later information presented may be swayed one way by a bias or that a study may be lacking strong evidence.
As I stated before, with all of the benefits of technology there has to be attention given to the responsibility and civic duty of utilizing it. Technology can be a great resource for case managers in finding services for their clients, but it can also become a risk if a client’s rights are compromised. Any information on an organization’s machine can be read. If you send information through email there are concerns surrounding confidentiality because if the email is received on a public computer it is accessible to anyone. There are precautions that must be taken to protect a client’s confidentiality. At Sean Humphrey House we combat this by using numbers as opposed to using the residents’ names. Their names and confidential information do not get put in the computer in any way that it could be a risk for their confidentiality.
I have come to understand that technology can have serious negative consequences when treaded on lightly, but as long as I give acknowledgement to how it can impact others, I should absolutely be continuing to expand my knowledge of what technology has to offer the nonprofit community. I have just started to tap into resources that are at my finger tips and it’s important that it’s something that I continue to build on.
My job at Sean Humphrey House as a Clerical Assistant has provided a range of opportunities to develop my skills with technology. I came into the position with very minimal experience, but I can now navigate Microsoft Excel and Access. I frequently utilize email and Google Calendars to communicate with the Board and coordinate meetings. I began a project to redevelop the way we keep up with our contacts. Microsoft Access seemed like a much more effective way to keep track of contacts for our mailing list and donors. I did not have any familiarity with this program, so I utilized tutorials available on the internet and explored the program in order to become confident enough to create the new system. I am able to make this available for all management, by centralizing the contact information, rather than having several different databases with essentially the same information. The goal is to reduce duplications and make things simple and consistent and we are on our way to doing just that.
Using technology for group work has made projects much easier and more effective. During a project for Human Service Professionals and Community Systems, HSP 404, our group was to do a presentation on the services available in Whatcom County. Our group took a creative approach and we decided to relay this information to our classmates with a rap-The ABC’s of Whatcom County Nonprofits. To work on this project our group used Google Docs so that all of us could concurrently be working on the same document, which is helpful when writing a rap to see what has been covered and what has not. Not only were we all able to see the document at the same time, but we also had the ability to modify the document at the same time. I’ve also found that using Facebook and Blackboard as a resource for group communication is preferred to email because you can access the information much faster and it visually easier to follow.
Using PowerPoint has become very common when needing to present information to a group. For Human Services and Management, HSP 435, I used PowerPoint to present the information I had gathered for my organizational analysis on Northwest Youth Services. I do think PowerPoint can be very useful, but I found it much more stimulating to work with iMovie this year. During the same project we did the rap for we created an iMovie, Whatcom Nonprofits. I was extremely proud of the end product, generating something not only for ourselves, but also for the community. The process took brainstorming and creativity to make something that would keep your attention and be informative. The value of iMovie versus PowerPoint is that the video is able to circulate without us. The project was successful, fun, and a new experience.
During Applied Research Methods, HSP 385, I was able to use Western’s Library database to find articles for my literature review. There are useful techniques to searching a database such as EBSCO. I have been able to learn how to navigate and filter out irrelevant information to find what it is I am looking for. When I was seeking out information for my literature review I had to be assessing the articles presented with a critical lens. In Applied Research Methods we did class exercises discussing what the information presented is really saying. Often information will be presented in such a way to insinuate one thing, but factually mean something completely different. It is important to reflect on what an author might be trying to claim; this can give insight to whether the later information presented may be swayed one way by a bias or that a study may be lacking strong evidence.
As I stated before, with all of the benefits of technology there has to be attention given to the responsibility and civic duty of utilizing it. Technology can be a great resource for case managers in finding services for their clients, but it can also become a risk if a client’s rights are compromised. Any information on an organization’s machine can be read. If you send information through email there are concerns surrounding confidentiality because if the email is received on a public computer it is accessible to anyone. There are precautions that must be taken to protect a client’s confidentiality. At Sean Humphrey House we combat this by using numbers as opposed to using the residents’ names. Their names and confidential information do not get put in the computer in any way that it could be a risk for their confidentiality.
I have come to understand that technology can have serious negative consequences when treaded on lightly, but as long as I give acknowledgement to how it can impact others, I should absolutely be continuing to expand my knowledge of what technology has to offer the nonprofit community. I have just started to tap into resources that are at my finger tips and it’s important that it’s something that I continue to build on.