Social Media in Social Work Education

Abstract

Why a book about social media in social work education? The aim of this book is to bring together some important work which has been developed and already has an impact on social work education. Many of us, whether educators, practitioner or students, use social media to connect with our friends, peers, colleagues and our families. Harnessing the benefits of social media in an educational context brings many challenges and the authors of the chapters in this book have already begun to grapple with these and find solutions to these. How can you use Facebook safely with students to encourage them to critically reflect on their values and inform their intervention? What contributions does blogging make to social work education and how can writing a blog contribute to your own academic writing? What barriers are there for students to use social media in their learning journey? The projects discussed in this book illustrate creative approaches to social work education which provide the flexibility, and accessibility which students require.