Technology-Based Approaches to Social Work and Social Justice

ABSTRACT

Electronic advocacy is an emerging and exciting development in social work that requires both practitioners and educators to learn technology-based approaches to promoting social justice in the twenty-first century. Social software (often called “free software”) offers increased technological opportunities for nonprofit organizations concerned with advocacy and social justice. Social work educators and practitioners have been slow to adopt information technology (IT). This article suggests a need for integration of traditional and electronic advocacy models for practice in the twenty-first century. Failure to incorporate technology-based approaches into the curriculum puts social workers at risk of practicing with outmoded knowledge and skills in an increasingly cyber-active world.

KEYWORDS:

• Technology
• advocacy
• social software
• social work practice
• social work education

The authors wish to acknowledge the contributions of the Centre for Teaching and Learning at the University of Windsor which provided a Faculty Associate Grant (2005) to support the development of this collaborative initiative on electronic advocacy.