Participation 2

Check out this page to see my blog for semester 2, its bigger, brighter and better! http://tankaek1.blogspot.com/

Video Production Session (wk5)

Youtube is such an amazing tool. I personally can not get enough of it, i am constantly discovering new videos. My fave's would have to be epic fails and bbc talking animals.. hilarious! Along with copious others. Youtube is a site were people can upload, share and view a whole range of videos for free. An amazing tool that is so widely used, a place to discover all kinds of things.

Drawing from my own fieldwork placement last year, i was in a special needs school working with children with a whole range of disabilities. the therapists with in this setting used youtube to see what tools other practicing occupational therapists were using seeing new equipment.

Video Production Session (wk 4)

It was an interesting experience creating short film. Despite it only being 30seconds long, there was still a significant amount of work that went into it. Great thought went into every little detail of the film, i cant even imagine how long it would take to put together a full length top quality feature film! In a group of about eight, we all put our heads together to come up with a movie idea based on the concept of over coming adversity. we came up with the idea of copying the TV add about "leaving your mates at home" when drinking. this advert is aimed at promoting responsible drinking and over coming irresponsible drinking. In order to portray this we came up with the idea of turning our fingers into different characteristics that people may display when they are drunk; for example the angry drunk or the sick drunk.

Story boarding assisted us in doing this as it gave us an idea of what setting we could do for each character which we then drew up on a piece of paper and made the back drop. This worked well! we then had to sequence together the captured images and edit it so that it ran through like a film, it even had a backing track! Wow, impressive.

Completion

And sadly this day had finally dawned on me when i have to say good bye to the wonderful world of blogging! Although it was not exactly a strength of mine there is certainly something very therapeutic about blogging and i think i am growing more fond of it! I have enjoyed sharing briefly with you my learning experiences. Till next time!

Assistive technology

• Technology meant to provide help in performing a task, whether general or specific. Assistive technology for the web includes braille keyboards, audio browsers which read web pages, or alternative entry devices such as a mouth-stick.

www.joedolson.com/glossary.php

my interpretation of this definition is that its the things we use to make our lives easier. these "things" are pieces of technology that have been designed specifically to assist in a certain activity.

the following link is to a piece of technology i found particularly interesting so check it out and see what you think! 

http://kidcomputers.com/go_index.php?l=product_detail&maintpl=simple&p=Kids_Cybernet_Station_All-In-One_Computer&ez=  

its so exciting to see all the advances in technology around us everyday. And whats even more exciting is that these new discoveries are being used to help facilitate individuals with disabilities who are unable to manage themselves. who know what will be next!

The internet and online communities

An online community is a virtual community that exists online and whose members enable its existence through taking part in membership ritual. An online community can take the form of an information system where anyone can post content, such as a Bulletin board system or one where only a restricted number of people can initiate posts, such as Weblogs. Online communities have also become a supplemental form of communication between people who know each other primarily in real life. Many means are used in social software separately or in combination, including text-based chat rooms and forums that use voice, video text or avatars.

I am going to be looking at:

http://www.facebook.com

http://www.stumbleupon.com/home/

http://www.trademe.co.nz/

Millions of people use Facebook everyday to keep up with friends, upload an unlimited number of photos, share links and videos, and learn more about the people they meet.Giving people the power to share and make the world more open and connected. 

facebook is a very interactive site were you are always able to post a comment, like a status or instant message people whenever you please. It has become such a popular tool now days, ther is only a very few people i know who DONT have an account. peaople contribute to the site by sharing status updates, adding links to something they may like or updating photos. there is so much one can do on facebook!people that choose to join acebook immediately become connected with a whole range of people, from you best friend, to someone you havent seen since primary school. It is a place were people seek friendship, interaction and connections between a whole lot of people who love doing that exactly!

StumbleUpon helps you discover and share great websites. As you click  Stumble!, we deliver high-quality pages matched to your personal preferences. These pages have been explicitly recommended by your friends or one of over 15 million other websurfers with interests similar to you. Rating these sites you like () automatically shares them with like-minded people – and helps you discover great sites your friends recommend. (http://www.stumbleupon.com/aboutus/ )

In 1999, young computer consultant Sam Morgan founded Trade Me. It was a novel concept: people sending money to sellers they've never met, for goods they've never seen.

Fed up with other websites that offered poor usability and didn't cater well to Kiwis, Sam single-handedly built the site and ran it out of his small Wellington flat. Within two days, the site had twenty registered users. (http://www.trademe.co.nz/About-Trade-Me/Our-Story)

within these communities there are a range of ethical issues that can arise, such as breach of privacy, giving out details, having no control over what you recieve through the site just to name a few. despite measures that have been put in place to prevent the wrong use of these commuunities, people still need to be mindful of the potential dangers in them.

These online communities are quite different to the traditional types of networks, these ones you can be on the other side of the world you you can still be fully in touch with whats going on and communicate effectively with others. 

Information Technology and Ethical Issues

My first post is a general look at what IT is in todays society and more specifically how it effects me.


Definitions


Information Technology : n. (Abbr. IT)
The development, installation, and implementation of computer systems and applications.

Information Communication Technology: 

 ICT consists of all technical means used to handle information and aid communication, including computer and network hardware, communication middleware as well as necessary software. (Hill, 2011)

IT and ICT are the ways in which we deal with information and communicate this information with others. These new means of information gathering and communication have completely transformed society and technology is continually improving to and developing to better our use of these tools. 

Consider the definition of IT you have provided. How is this form of technology prevalent in our society? How common place has it become?

Our society completely revolves around computer systems and applications. Almost everything we use is a form of a computer system or the product of something as a result of a computer system. IT has enhanced the  abilities of humans and allowed us to do things that we though were unimaginable. Although in saying that human kind had the ability to develop such a tool that would so positively impact society to improve production rates, communication systems, data management, networking, administration and monitoring of entire systems. IT is also increasingly becoming integrated with technologies such as cell phones, televisions and automobiles which is very significant in the workforce.

The following video in my opinion gives a good idea of just how significant IT and ICT is in todays society so check it out.

What IT devices or system do you feel comfortable and competent using?

For me personally IT and ICT are crucial to me. They are my main means of communication not only between me and my circle of friends but also for my work, study, family, local community, general news and more! Through IT i am able to connect with almost everyone i want to at any given time in any given place at a simple click of a mouse. I feel pretty confident in using IT as it is something that i have been immersed in since a young age. It was used all though out school, in my home and now in my studies so i naturally have been required to be competent in using it. I feel there is nothing that could limit my use of IT these days as there is an unlimited amount of accessibility to it. Perhaps having a mac book pro would better my use of it! ....in my dreams 

Thinking about your own fieldwork experiences and referring to the tutorial readings answer the following questions:

• How is IT being used in occupational therapy practice? As IT continues to develop it has become more and more appropriate as a means of treatment in Occupational Therapy practice. Computers and video game consoles are being used rather than weaving activities as a treatment tool. Th internet provides a virtual environment in which a client can engage in occupation. Self cares can be attended to though IT such as having the ability to do online shopping, online telephone to be in contact with people and online banking to manage finances etc. The internet can also cater to leisure activities by providing online music, movies, television, telephones and connect an individual to virtual communities. Social interaction is made very available due to IT through things such as chat rooms, video messaging, instant messaging, email, blogs etc all of which have the potential to provide peer support for a client. IT also allows an individual to be very productive as they can buy and sell items online, organize travel online and advertise.  
• What issues exist around OT's adoption of IT systems and tools? Contrary to all the benefits the IT can provide, there are a range of issues that are also related to IT which OT's need to precautionary to. Addiction to gaming may become an issue for a client be it to a shooting game, gambling etc. Especially with the use of the internet it is very easy for a client to end up on pages that are not beneficial and could be potentially harmful to them such as illegal down loading sites, pornographic sites, giving out personal information, getting caught up in hacked systems (banking etc). It is important that the OT closely monitors the clients use of the internet and makes them aware of the potential dangers. 
• What are some of the ways you can envisage IT use becoming a potential tool of practice? It is certain that as technology continues to develop it will become more and more adaptable. Within practice this will mean that IT is likely to become a much more common tool for treatment as it will be made more suitable to a much wider range of clients and be easier to use. Also todays generation are smothered in technology from a very young age so people are much more savvy in using it. 
•  In your own words briefly critique why or why not a great understanding and use of IT will help us in our practice of daily lives. It is important that Occupational Therapists have an understanding of IT and the use of it in order to effectively utilize it in practice and as treatment. When used properly it can be very beneficial in relation to storing, maintaining and updating client data, as a way of communication with clients, other professionals, client families etc. IT is used significantly in many sectors of work in society so there is no reason why occupational therapy should be any different. It is obviously a very effective tool when used properly so it would be very beneficial for Occupational Therapists to have a comprehensive understanding of it. 

What ethical implications arise from the capturing, sharing and transferring of information via IT devices or systems?

Privacy and Confidentiality - all web communications are subject to "eavesdropping". Browsers record your activities in history files. Cookies deposited by web sites collect information about you and your browsing. EG many online e-commerce sites use cookies to track buying habits. When these cookies are collected into a database, they may reveal identities of individuals. Some companies sell these databases.

Freedom and Censorship of Speech - people have to respect Copyright laws, and many of these laws are being violated, resulting in other laws being enforced banning people from downloading things like music off the Internet. It is good for musicians who don't want their music stolen, but bad for musicians who are wanting their music to be downloaded so they can become popular. There are also people who warp what other people say, or criticise it. This isn't fair because the Internet is open to anyone to say whatever they want.

Security - it is becoming increasingly easy to hack into people's computers and websites. This needs to be stopped because hacking into someones computer is the equivalent to breaking into someones house - it shouldn't happen.

Computer Crimes and Computer Related Crimes - like Security, more and more people are hacking into computers and programmes. A lot more crimes are being committed over and because of the Internet also. For example people can hack into bank accounts and steal money, or manipulate systems to cause destruction. A man in Australia hacked into a sewerage system and released millions of litres of raw waste into rivers and parks.(wiki.answers.com, 2011)

(Ministry of Economic Development, 2010)

There are a range of ethical implications that are associated with the use of IT devices and systems which people need to be aware of. These things need to be monitored closely and can be avoided when  used correctly.

 

Provide a defination of Intellectual Property

Intellectual property (IP) is an umbrella term used for human innovations and creativity that are capable of being protected under national law and internation treaties. IP includes a diverse range of commercial assests from patents for new inventions through to copyright protected artworks.

 

IP is used what keeps peoples stuff original so that not just anyone can go and use their stuff and say that its their work. It includes things like copy rights, patents, trade marks, designs etc. in regards to OT practice and the use of information technology this may be used for a treatment plan or assessment that an OT may have developed that they don't want just any one using. also if they have put an extensive amount of time into the work they may require a payment for the use of the tool.

Provide a definition of Social Justice

Social justice would be principally concerned with equality, tolerance, compassion, fairness and participation.(Friesen, 2006)

Provide a definition of Informed Consent 
The process of understanding the risks and benefits of treatment is known as informed consent. It is based on the moral and legal premise of patient autonomy. You as the patient have the right to make decisions about your own health and medical conditions.

(experts for everyday emergencies, 2011)