Garison Coleman
Professor Dr.Palmiter
Technology and Social Work Practice
August 26, 2025
Technology in My Life and the Field of Social Work
Hello, my name is Garison.
I recently graduated from Belmont Abbey College, earning a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with a minor in Criminal Justice. During my time there, I was a track and field team member, specializing in sprints, mainly 200 and 400. Shortly after graduating in May, I passed the exam to become a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT). In this role, I work with children diagnosed with autism, helping them develop essential life skills to better function in society. My responsibilities include documenting daily session notes, which track each client’s progress and behavioral developments over time.
Technology plays a significant role in my personal and professional life. I use various platforms for entertainment and daily organization. I’m an avid anime fan, with Crunchyroll being my preferred streaming service. I also use my smartphone frequently for tasks such as looking up recipes, managing my calendar, and staying organized throughout the day. In my academic and professional settings, I rely on tools like Grammarly to improve email clarity and formatting, and I use Quizlet to study and reinforce key concepts for exams. I prefer taking notes in Google Docs, as it allows me to access my materials from any device without needing physical notebooks. I have recently started incorporating AI tools like ChatGPT into my study habits. I use it to generate practice questions, receive explanations for incorrect answers, and create study schedules.
Believe technology offers significant advantages in the field of social work. Software solutions can help social workers manage large caseloads, track client data, schedule appointments, and organize tasks efficiently. However, increased reliance on technology also introduces greater data privacy and security risks. Social workers must uphold HIPAA compliance and implement strong cybersecurity measures. Without proper safeguards, sensitive client information could be exposed, potentially leading to serious ethical and legal violations.
Hi Garison,
Thank you for sharing your introduction! I really enjoyed reading about your journey. Congratulations on graduating and on becoming an RBT! I can relate to your experience since I’m also working as an RBT, and documenting daily session notes is such an important part of tracking client progress. It’s great to see how your background in psychology and criminal justice ties into the work you’re doing now, and I imagine it gives you a unique perspective on supporting children with autism.
I also connect with what you mentioned about technology in both personal and professional life. Like you, I use organizational tools and AI resources to make studying and documentation more efficient. I agree with your point about the advantages technology brings to social work, especially with managing caseloads and scheduling. At the same time, your reminder about data privacy and HIPAA compliance is so important technology is helpful, but we always have to be mindful of protecting sensitive information.
Looking forward to learning alongside you this semester!
Hi Garrison,
congratulations on you RBT certification and welcome to social work! I definetly agree with you that AI would be awesome to use as a case manager, especially when you are carrying a heavy case load. I also agree that HIPPA would be a major issue to sort out and organize to make sure that client confidentiality is practice. I currently carry a case load of 15 and sometimes I think it would be wonderful to use AI to speak my notes and do documentation, but I get scared someone will find out or that someones information will end up on the dark web lol. I hope this semester treats you well!
Hi Garison! Congratulations on your degree; that is such an exciting achievement. Your role as an RBT sounds very rewarding, especially being able to support children with autism in building skills that help them thrive in daily life. I also find technology useful for many tasks, some of which you mentioned in your examples. In your last paragraph, I thought you made a strong point about balancing the benefits of technology and the risks it poses for client privacy. It’s important for social workers to not only know how to use these tools effectively but also ensure we are protecting sensitive information at the same time.
Garrison,
Thank you for sharing your experiences and thoughts. Congrats on the track team – and becoming an RBT. One just might come in handy with the other.
It seems that you are comfortable with technology and feel that you have a clear idea of its boundaries. I am going to be checking out crunchyroll for sure. We will be talking a lot about social media and the role it plays in our lives – professional, personal and societal.
We will also talk about data and security risks presented by technology in social work practice, as well as the basic ethical challenges it presents. And we will talk about the debate around the power of interpersonal communication and contact. What are we giving up?
I look forward to many more conversations.
Dr P