Technology
Being proficient with our modern technology is crucial in our professional work. While I will be doing direct work with clients, I also need to establish an efficient way to perform tasks, especially as technology and systems develop throughout my career as a human service professional. According to the ISTE standards, Human Services professionals and students must be proficient in categories of; “creativity and innovation, communication and collaboration, research and information fluency, and critical thinking, problem solving, and decision making.” (ISTE) To exercise these skills in the human services coursework, we have worked one on one and in larger groups by applying skills to develop a useful final project. I was able to meet each of the ISTE standards within courses and fieldwork in the Human Services program and will be presented through each category.
Creativity and Innovation
In HSP 440, my internship at Brookdale Senior Living, I was able to incorporate my piano major within the internship and study music therapy with the residents. This internship helped me explore an experimental outlet as I led my own music activities, such as music trivia, and other fun ways to help the residents connect with music that they enjoy listening to. I conducted the choir for the holiday program, and all the residents met weekly to sing together as I accompanied them on the piano. I was also able to work in the memory care unit by performing classical, Broadway, and jazz piano, songs (piano program) that residents with dementia and Alzheimer’s might be able to recognize. I tried various activities, including relaxing art and music therapy, and interactive singing of familiar songs. Throughout this internship I learned how to implement my own creative ideas and learn from them as I went along. Not only did I gain leadership and collaboration skills, but got the chance to lead in a creative musical process.
Communication and Collaboration
In the HSP 485 program planning and evaluation course, we established ways to collaborate effectively between peers within our group evaluations. As our team of four worked on a program plan with Western’s campus radio station K.U.G.S., we used Western’s canvas board to collaborate our group and communicate research, papers, and presentations with each other. With our modern technology there are many ways to stay in communication with others via email, Google share drive, text, and messaging boards and it is important to regularly use these resources to be a reliable team member. Within the process of program planning, our group had to communicate with K.U.G.S, outside resources, conduct interviews, and take surveys to implement our assessment and program evaluation. We had to constantly be communicating our ideas, information and research to come up with new innovative plans to perform.
Research and Information Fluency
HSP 385 Applied Research Methods was the first introduction to conducting extensive amounts of research and using that information by critically analyzing resources and methods. One of the most important skills to attain not only when conducting research papers, but in any field of writing is knowing how to use APA paper outlines and correct citations for sources. I learned how to write an effective APA research paper with many guidelines and sources of help to state factual information.
Fire Department Community Paramedic Program
HSP 341 Practicum and internship has given me experience opportunities to use my skills and knowledge by connecting with the outside Bellingham community. My first position in the human services field was for the Bellingham Fire Department Pilot Community Paramedic Program. The Community Paramedic’s role in the community involved tracking down high risk patients who utilized 911 frequently and intervened with them to connect them to social services, health care, or doctors. For this program, the project was to present the statistics to the mayor in June of 2015 to see if they will fund a future Community Paramedic program in Bellingham. My role at the office was to help gather and input data that we could later use to present to the mayor. I also created a flow chart to keep at the station for the next community paramedic to use the following year. To prepare for the city council presentation, I worked with another individual who was highly proficient with technology and had worked in an Information Technology (IT) department previously. Not only did I learn how to collaborate with a team member, but I also learned important research skills, and development strategies to best present these statistics. As there was a demand for technology efficiency, research skills, and creative presentation ideas, I was able to give feedback on the presentations and offer my college research resources within the process of putting it all together.
Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
A lot of work in this field involves critical thinking, especially when needing to make decisions for group work. In HSP 303 and HSP 305, as we learned about social identities, perceptions, and interpersonal communication I was able to get experience working in dyads and also in larger groups. I learned how to collaborate with my partner on a small project with the Lighthouse Mission (program flyer) as we distributed our work evenly and frequently communicated with each other in order to be successful. As a person who is not a natural discussion leader in larger groups, or the person who generally makes decisions, I gained a lot of skills from being forced to work through these decisions. The next step after thinking critically about theories and subject material was to communicate and come to decisions or agreements within our group. It was easier to make decisions in my dyad group, however in larger groups there were many strategies used to come to agreements, problem solve and complete our tasks evenly.
References
ISTE Standards. (n.d.). Retrieved May 16, 2016, from http://www.iste.org/standards
Creativity and Innovation
In HSP 440, my internship at Brookdale Senior Living, I was able to incorporate my piano major within the internship and study music therapy with the residents. This internship helped me explore an experimental outlet as I led my own music activities, such as music trivia, and other fun ways to help the residents connect with music that they enjoy listening to. I conducted the choir for the holiday program, and all the residents met weekly to sing together as I accompanied them on the piano. I was also able to work in the memory care unit by performing classical, Broadway, and jazz piano, songs (piano program) that residents with dementia and Alzheimer’s might be able to recognize. I tried various activities, including relaxing art and music therapy, and interactive singing of familiar songs. Throughout this internship I learned how to implement my own creative ideas and learn from them as I went along. Not only did I gain leadership and collaboration skills, but got the chance to lead in a creative musical process.
Communication and Collaboration
In the HSP 485 program planning and evaluation course, we established ways to collaborate effectively between peers within our group evaluations. As our team of four worked on a program plan with Western’s campus radio station K.U.G.S., we used Western’s canvas board to collaborate our group and communicate research, papers, and presentations with each other. With our modern technology there are many ways to stay in communication with others via email, Google share drive, text, and messaging boards and it is important to regularly use these resources to be a reliable team member. Within the process of program planning, our group had to communicate with K.U.G.S, outside resources, conduct interviews, and take surveys to implement our assessment and program evaluation. We had to constantly be communicating our ideas, information and research to come up with new innovative plans to perform.
Research and Information Fluency
HSP 385 Applied Research Methods was the first introduction to conducting extensive amounts of research and using that information by critically analyzing resources and methods. One of the most important skills to attain not only when conducting research papers, but in any field of writing is knowing how to use APA paper outlines and correct citations for sources. I learned how to write an effective APA research paper with many guidelines and sources of help to state factual information.
Fire Department Community Paramedic Program
HSP 341 Practicum and internship has given me experience opportunities to use my skills and knowledge by connecting with the outside Bellingham community. My first position in the human services field was for the Bellingham Fire Department Pilot Community Paramedic Program. The Community Paramedic’s role in the community involved tracking down high risk patients who utilized 911 frequently and intervened with them to connect them to social services, health care, or doctors. For this program, the project was to present the statistics to the mayor in June of 2015 to see if they will fund a future Community Paramedic program in Bellingham. My role at the office was to help gather and input data that we could later use to present to the mayor. I also created a flow chart to keep at the station for the next community paramedic to use the following year. To prepare for the city council presentation, I worked with another individual who was highly proficient with technology and had worked in an Information Technology (IT) department previously. Not only did I learn how to collaborate with a team member, but I also learned important research skills, and development strategies to best present these statistics. As there was a demand for technology efficiency, research skills, and creative presentation ideas, I was able to give feedback on the presentations and offer my college research resources within the process of putting it all together.
Critical Thinking, Problem Solving, and Decision Making
A lot of work in this field involves critical thinking, especially when needing to make decisions for group work. In HSP 303 and HSP 305, as we learned about social identities, perceptions, and interpersonal communication I was able to get experience working in dyads and also in larger groups. I learned how to collaborate with my partner on a small project with the Lighthouse Mission (program flyer) as we distributed our work evenly and frequently communicated with each other in order to be successful. As a person who is not a natural discussion leader in larger groups, or the person who generally makes decisions, I gained a lot of skills from being forced to work through these decisions. The next step after thinking critically about theories and subject material was to communicate and come to decisions or agreements within our group. It was easier to make decisions in my dyad group, however in larger groups there were many strategies used to come to agreements, problem solve and complete our tasks evenly.
References
ISTE Standards. (n.d.). Retrieved May 16, 2016, from http://www.iste.org/standards