Keynote session at the Georgia Career Development Association's 2017 Mini-Conference: Linking Technology to Career Development

1. Top Trends Guiding
Tech Use in Your
Career Practice
Dr. Melissa A. Venable
Dr. Debra S. Osborn
TechnologyTwins.com
@TechnologyTwins
GCDA 2017

3. In this session:
• Identify current trends technology + career
counseling settings
• Discover devices and applications driving the
future of technology + career development
• Prepare to make decisions about the use of
tech-driven tools in your work

4. What is Career Counseling?
The process of assisting individuals in the
development of a life-career with focus on the
definition of the worker role and how that role
interacts with other life roles. (NCDA)

5. What do we do?
Help clients …
• Learn more about themselves
• Gain educatioal and occupational information
• Learn about decision making and career
planning
• Conduct a job search
• Apply to graduate/professional schools and
training programs
• Cope with career challenges and transition
issues (NCDA)

6. CURRENT TRENDS IN TECH AND
CAREER COUNSELING

7. Top Tech Trends
Mobile Tech

8. Mobile Tech Examples

9. Implications
• Constant connection-any time, anywhere, always
on
– Clients connecting to you
– You connecting to clients (e.g., live streaming)
– Need to be nimble (responsivity to alerts,
notifications, in the moment)
• App-ortunity
• Remote learning (e.g., youtube channels)
• Need to integrate into overall service delivery
plan

10. Top Tech Trends
Data Visualization & Digital Graphics

11. (Dice.com)
(Andrew Cunning/Visual.ly)

12. A few examples…
Want to build your own? NCDA in Orlando:

13. Implications
• Reporting data with graphs, charts, etc.
• Using digital graphics tools, e.g. infographics
– Easel.ly, Piktochart, Canva, Venngage, Dipity,
Wordle, Infogram, Visme…
• Creating visually interesting content for
center/office websites, outreach materials
• Helping clients do the same

14. Future Tech
Artificial Intelligence & Cognitive Science

15. Eliza
http://psych.fullerton.edu/mbirnbaum/psych101

16. Ellie

17. Implications
• Changing counselor roles:
– Initial contact w/clients to assess and coordinate a
plan for services and interaction
– Refer to automated resources and “computerized
counselors”
– Work with programmers to design and develop
smarter, more intuitive systems
– Assess and evaluate effectiveness of AI systems
– Provide guidance and standards related to ethics
use of these systems
(Counseling Today, ACA)
(Futurism.com)

18. Top Tech Trends
Chatbots

19. https://tinyurl.com/jykvw8w
Turn Your Resume Into a Bot

20. Implications
• Software applications that interact with
people through text chat
– After-hours access to assistance
– Job application process
– Recruiting
• Still a ways to go
• Wide range of data science and user interface
– tech career paths

21. Top Tech Trends
Digital Literacy

22. Implications
• Need for a Continuous Learning Approach
• Counselors and Career Offices
– So many options! Applications, devices, etc.
– Narrowing the field and making appropriate
selections for use with your audience
• Students and Clients
– Skills required beyond social media, in courses, job
search, professional communication

23. Career Information Literacy
• Recognize that career information is needed, followed by
the capacity to locate, evaluate, and effectively use the
information.
• Evaluating - a core element of digital literacy. Involves
capacity to:
– Understand the nature of career information online,
– Analyze the origins of the career information, and
– Consider the usefulness of the career information
• We have a responsibility to teach individuals and clients to
be critical consumers of all information.

24. Top Tech Trends
Data Analysis

26. Implications
• Building skills in data collection, analysis, and
reporting – discover patterns
– Making informed decisions making about
websites, career courses, services
– Personalizing learning and working environments
– Sharing your data/trends with different audiences
• Interpreting reports, national trends (e.g., BLS,
Gartner’s)

27. Top Tech Trends
Microlearning

28. Implications
• “Just-in-time” training delivered in small burst
(5-10 minute) rich media formats and multiple
platforms
– Potential for career services
– Continued learning and workplace training uses
– Use of scenarios, case studies, assessments,
flashcards, podcasts, games…
– Converting existing long-form resources into
multi-piece, standalone resources

29. http://bit.ly/1p0xJKO

31. Top Tech Trends
Workplace Automation

32. Implications
• Evolving workplace
– remote, telecommuting opportunities
– Increased usage of tech across industries
• Skills/Knowledge gap – preparing clients for
changing needs of employers
• Technostress – “our reaction to technology and
how we are changing due to its influence” (Weil
& Rosen)
– Impact on job security, multitasking, career
progression and decision-making
– Anxiety related to omnipresence of tech

33. http://n.pr/1Hxh9WW

34. Top Tech Trends
Cybersecurity

35. Implications
• Confidentiality & Privacy Concerns
– Data collection, storage, sharing?
– Use/recommend apps with privacy protections
• Client Verification
• Social media policy
• Records/Documentation
– Creating, maintaining, storing, disposing
• Licensure considerations:
– Some insurance companies consider apps as telemental
health.
– Most consider counseling as occurring in the state where
the client resides. (Know the law).

36. Implications (cont.)
– How to lock mobile device, Computer/laptop
– How to erase/lock/find device if lost or stolen
– How to handle requests from apps for permissions
to share information, access private information,
etc.
• Keep up with … updates!
– Software, apps, operating systems

37. Top Tech Trends
Social Media

38. Implications
• Who’s using what?
• What’s hot, what’s not?
• What do I want to share?
• Where do I spend my time?
• Why am I connecting?
• How often do I want to post/tweet/share?
• How will I know if it’s worth it?

39. DEVICES AND APPLICATIONS
DRIVING THE FUTURE

40. Future Tech
Wearable Tech

41. Implications
• Reaching clients-reminders, announcements
• Interacting during events (workshops, job fairs)
• It’s mobile, but more
– Synching
– Always-on connection
– Monitoring, data collection, feedback
– Smaller size
– In direct physical contact with you (not just in your
pocket or bag)
”Today, 65% of American adults own a smartphone,
but less than 2% own a wearable.”
– Experitest.com

42. Future Tech
Virtual and Augmented Reality

43. Public Speaking Anxiety

44. Implications
https://www.engadget.co
m/2016/10/09/virtual-
reality-interview/

46. Virtual Job Search Interview for Google Hardware

47. Future Tech
Holograms, Virtual Robots and More

48. Virtual Home Robot

49. Pepper’s Ghost

50. Hololens
(Microsoft)
http://bit.ly/1yw9JTc

51. Implications
• Distance counseling opportunities
• You to them, or they come to you – clients,
guest speakers…
• Mock interviews/practice
• Emerging career fields and technology skill
sets
• Teaching and learning potential

52. PREPARING TO MAKE TECH
DECISIONS

54. Tech Decisions
Make the Theory-to-Tech Connection
http://bit.ly/2mtDpib
Cognitive
Information
Processing (CIP)
Theory

56. Tech Decisions
Be Aware of Ethical Considerations
• Appropriateness
• Cost
• Learning curve
• Confidentiality/Privacy
• Client buy-in
• Counselor competence
• Integrate into counseling process

57. Tech Decisions
Stay Current Through Collaboration
Find your tech twin(s)!
Tweeps:
@TechnologyTwins
@counselingtech
@CareerTechForum
@dsosborn
@Melissa_Venable
@PeterCarey
Also:
Google Alerts
Newsletters
- Lumina Foundation
- EdSurge

58. Tech Decisions
Keep Learning and Networking

60. (http://blog.bizzabo.com/technology-events)

61. Tech Decisions
Take a Tech Break

62. Thank you!
Top Trends Guiding
Tech Use in Your Career Practice
Dr. Debra S. Osborn
Dr. Melissa A. Venable
TechnologyTwins.com - @TechnologyTwins
GCDA 2017