1. Assessment #1: Essay-Blog: write it 4 public, why we should talk about it, highlight its importance to us.

   : who is your audience?  When writing, write from your own perspective, aspects of the issue (s) that reflect your ideas/ cultural world view.

   • Students should follow the tone of the instructions
     • It should be a scholarly piece that is a bit conversational
     • The blog should have graphics to appeal with readers
     • It should be between a newspaper and a personal diary
     • Persons opinions may be added, but only to a small extent
       • For example, “this is interesting to me because I have also experienced…”
     • The main focus of the blog is highlighting the issue.
     • Students will need 3 references.
     • Hyperlinks may not work if students need to upload copies of their blog into VUWs through Turnitin.
       • Hyperlinks can be used to make the experience of reading the blog ‘richer’ by linking the reader with external resources to further explain concepts
     • You are writing the blog post as a social worker – you are writing from viewpoint of a social worker to a broader audience
       • You can address a topic that you are interested in
       • It is not an academic paper
       • There are usually graphics, hyperlinks (that take readers to additional online resources)
       • It is a condensed version of information accessible to a wider range of people – e.g. non-academics or people who are not familiar with the topic
     • Referencing – for major sources of information on your blog
       • If you are using the information on your blog, hyperlink the source and cite it
     • Keywords/tags – there will be a place in the portal for you to include them, but if the site does not work, just include them somewhere in your blog post
     • Aim of the assessment: How do you, as a social worker, disseminate valuable information to audiences outside of writing academic papers?
       • When you are doing social work, you will rarely (or never) need to write an academic paper for a client or health care worker.
     • A1 – blog (essay), due week 4
       • Speaking to a non-professional population
       • Talk about a health issue
       • Delivering information to a different audience
       • Part of doing health work is talking to the general population
       • Once you work in social work, you will be writing case notes, not academic papers

    

    

   Assessment Overview

   This written assignment is to be presented in the form of a blog. Students will provide a

   critical analysis of a health topic or issue constructed as an academic-style blog post. Your

   post can be based on any issue covered under Concepts of Health for Social Work Practice –

   Health as a social issue in global and local contexts, Public Health, Health Promotion, and

   Social Determinants of Health, Social health as a characteristic of individuals, families, and

   communities, Health and Social Justice. For example: Access to Prep is a social justice and

   public health issue, Body shaming: How social workers address bullying, Smoking in

   marginalized communities: A social worker’s response

   Your task is to create a well-referenced, academically-informed, and yet still approachable

   piece. You are targeting agency placement colleagues who may not know much about your

   topic or College students, in particular social work peers in the early stages of their education.

   Weblogs …Blogs allow you reference news that you see on the internet and link to that news.

   Additionally, you provide your own commentary and analysis of the issue as well as engage

   in a dialog with other visitors. As a genre, blogs are more informal and immediate than most

   other forms of technical writing. The purpose of this assignment is to use that informality, as

   well as the capacity for linking to a variety of online media, to encourage you to think

   reflectively about an aspect of social work and health. This may be a topic being discussed in

   the class or one you want to explore. The assessment requires you to engage more thoroughly

   with the topic while communicating your learning in a format that you may utilize in your

   professional lives.

   In this assignment, I am asking you to write a blog post for students based on the concepts

   you have read about throughout the semester. Here is some more information about the

   assignment. Each of the features is a criterion that I will use to assess your blog post.

   Content:1-  You should focus on the information that you think would be most useful to

   inform your reader of the topic. Content is complete, accurate, relevant, AND offers new ideas. Clear

   evidence of going beyond material covered in class.

   2. Visual Appeal: The blog post should be readable and visually appealing. Using relevant original

   (that you take), hand-drawn (that you create) or stock pictures for the post.

   3. Links: Each blog post must contain an active link to a news article, community resource

   or other media source that continues the discussion of the topic.

   4. Title: Please think of an engaging title to attract readers!
   5. Length: Your blog post should be approximately 750 words long (+/- 25 words, not

   including the ref list).

   6. Writing Quality: While this format is more informal spelling and grammar are important. For each

   error a point will be deducted. More than five errors scores a zero for the criterion. Additionally, the

   style should be engaging and appropriately colloquial.

   7. Analysis: While a summary is expected of the topic and articles, an analysis will receive higher

   marks.

   8. Evidence The blog should be grounded in empirical evidence. Please include information from at

   least five (5) sources, two must be from outside of the assigned essential readings. All the claims and

   suggestions you make need to be directly related to scientific evidence from scholarly work, which

   should be properly cited.

   9. Cited: Note: Use the citation format standard APA style

   Directions:

   Step 1: Type your blog post in a Word document. Then copy & paste the pictures into

   the appropriate location in the text.

   Step 2: On tutorial #3 come in with your blog draft. We will workshop the drafts so

   that you receive peer comments and feedback.

   Step 3: Create a blog by uploading it to the designated platform. The instructor will

   notify students.

   Step 4: On tutorial #5 your tutorial cohort will review blogs and vote on their

   favorites

   I’d suggest students look at the following templates for structure and tone:

   1. Reimagining Social Work Collective: http://www.reimaginingsocialwork.nz/

    

   2. Social Work Research NZ: https://socialworkresearchnz.wordpress.com/

    

   Teacher Instructions:

   Please find below some additional resources & clarification on your A1 -Blog.

   Additional Social Work Student Blog Sample sites:

   1. 713 BLOG: Auckland Uni Social Work Students Have Their Say
   2. 713 students 2017: The Social Work Issues Blog
   3. 713 Big Issues 2018

   Further Instructions: 

   1. Title – no more than ten words 
   2. Your name or a pseudonym (pen name)
   3. Key words for tagging -up to three keywords
   4. Body – up to 750 words maximum – no fancy fonts as they probably won’t transfer over.
   5. Links: Use at least one link to external  open sources – government documents, mainstream media, other blogs etc. You will need the full URL and please test that the link works from your word document.
   6. You need to highlight the text you want linked to the external site e.g. highlight the title or reference. You then embed the URL via the portal.
   7. Please include 3 references (2 must be from outside your readings) – add URL to link to anything that is open access. 
   8. Definitions or links to definitions can be good- use the text and acknowledge the source.
   9. Graphics/ photos: please only use images that are free of copyright and send as separate attachments, not embedded. Links to YouTubevideos are OK.
   10. You are submitting this online via a blog portal; however, I need a copy uploaded to vUWS as well for marking purposes and since pseudonym may be used on the blog.  

   Example of how to cite a blog post:

   Stanfield, D. (2015, June 11). The sudden importance of social media to social workers in New Zealand [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://www.reimaginingsocialwork.nz/2015/06/the-suddenimportance-of-social-media-to-social-workers-in-new-zealand/

   Advice

   • If your respond to a post… Remember be critical but polite and professional.
   • No personal comments e.g. critique the politician or other on media statements or actions not appearance/ aspects of identity or culture.
   • This is in the professional realm
   • Questions to consider: who is your audience?  When writing, write from your own perspective, aspects of the issue (s) that reflect your ideas/ cultural world view.   
   • What I am interested in is how you engage with these issues.

   Comments

   • I will set up the blog  and provide the link on class #4
   • Please read each other’s posts and make comments or ask questions.
   • This is not a requirement for the assignment but will make the assignment more interesting.
   • If you choose to circulate it take care

    

   Criteria:

   1-Content/Originality: Content is complete, accurate, relevant, AND offers new ideas. Clear evidence of going beyond material covered in class.

   2-Visual appeal: Very visually appealing, relevant original pictures created or taken for the post.

   3-Links: Provided.

   4-Title : Provided.

   5-Writing Quality: Few (1-2) spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors are made. Writing is crisp, clear, and succinct. The writer incorporates the active voice when appropriate and supports ideas with examples. No spelling, grammar, or punctuation errors are made. Stylistically: Engaging and appropriately colloquial for the blog post.

   6-Analysis:  Provides critical examination of the material such as interrelationship and personal connection. Notes implications or its relevance to social work.

   7-Evidence: Three (3) scholarly sources, two must be from outside of the assigned essential readings.

   8-Cited:  No mistakes.

   Very loosely adapted from:

    http://www.mayo.edu/mayo-edu-docs/mayo-school-of-health-sciencesdocuments/grading-rubic.pdf

   1. Content: You should focus on the information that you think would be most useful to

   inform your reader of the topic. Content is complete, accurate, relevant, AND offers new ideas. Clear

   evidence of going beyond material covered in class.

   2. Visual Appeal: The blog post should be readable and visually appealing. Using relevant original

   (that you take), hand-drawn (that you create) or stock pictures for the post.

   3. Links: Each blog post must contain an active link to a news article, community resource

   or other media source that continues the discussion of the topic.

   4. Title: Please think of an engaging title to attract readers!
   5. Length: Your blog post should be approximately 750 words long (+/- 25 words, not

   including the ref list).

   6. Writing Quality: While this format is more informal spelling and grammar are important. For each

   error a point will be deducted. More than five errors scores a zero for the criterion. Additionally, the

   style should be engaging and appropriately colloquial.

   7. Analysis: While a summary is expected of the topic and articles, an analysis will receive higher

   marks.

   8. Evidence The blog should be grounded in empirical evidence. Please include information from at

   least five (5) sources, two must be from outside of the assigned essential readings. All the claims and

   suggestions you make need to be directly related to scientific evidence from scholarly work, which

   should be properly cited.

   9. Cited: Note: Use the citation format standard APA style

    

    

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