Tutorial 6: The internet and online communities

The online community I will be looking at is Facebook (www.facebook.com).

Facebook is a free access social networking site. It is a very popular site and is a great way of keeping in touch with friends and family especially if they are overseas. Users can join different networks that are organised by areas such as country, region and school. Users can add other people as friends who can then contribute to and make comments on their profiles. All users can join groups or add their own group on a particular topic or area that interests them. Facebook allows users to contribute through posting information for everyone to see, sending private messages and posting photos.

Facebook is a free service that allows members to interact with other members of the service. The service can provide information on particular topics (depending on groups or networks that have been added). As with many social networking sites, Facebook has had a number of ethical issues that have arisen, many due to the fact that users can post information such as their name, date of birth, address and occupation. Some of these ethical issues include identitiy fruad, privacy issues and sexual predators.

Tutorial 7: Assistive Technology

Definition of Assisstive Technology: Any item, piece of equipment or product system whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customised that is used to increase or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities. (Cook & Hussey, 1995).

In this tutorial we looked at a number of different assistive technology devices and equipment from a company called Star Educational (https://www.star-educational.co.nz/). Below I have given some details of one of the devices that I thought could be very beneficial for people who are unable to use a mouse for a computer.

The device is called the Natural Point Smart Nav3. The device has software that is downloaded onto the computer and then has a small sensor that sits on top of the computer monitor. This sensor picks up a signal from a 0.3 inch reflective dot. The movement of this dot is used to control the mouse. When it is held in one spot for two seconds (can be set to make time longer or shorter) it acts as a double click of a mouse would. This reflective dot can be attached to a person’s forehead, glasses, hat etc as long as it is aimed towards the sensor.

This piece of equipment allows people who are unable to use their hands, the ability to use a computer. It is ideal for people who have very limited movement, such as a person with a spinal injury whose only movement is their head and neck area. It allows people to have more independence, is a way of communicating, provides a form of leisure and meaningful occupation.

Tutorial 4 and 5: Video Production Sessions

YouTube:
YouTube is a video-sharing website that allows users to upload and share video clips. If you are not a user you can still view videos on YouTube you just can't upload them. The website also allows people to post comments about videos and upload them to their own sites (such as a personal blog).

Storyboarding:

In class we made short films, our film can be seen under the blog posting dated Monday, 11 May 2009. Before we started filming we used storyboarding to help us plan our short clip. We did this by drawing a series of pictures that mapped out how our film would appear on screen. By doing this it meant that we knew each step we had to do when filming and that no time was wasted deciding what to do next.

Tutorial 8: Posting You Tube Videos and Flicker Badges to Blogs

Below is a You Tube on how to embed a You Tube video into your blog!

This video is a tutorial on how to embed a Flickr Badge into your blog!

Tutorial 3: Blog Creation Tasks

Blogger is a free service where users can create their own blog. Blogger allows users to record information that they can then post on their blog for everyone to see. Users can create their own style of template with different fonts, colours and designs and can also post things such as photos from flickr if they have an account, games, websites and youtube videos. The user decides who can view and access their blog and they can even send photos straight from their mobile phone to their blog. Another blog host is http://www.myspace.com/

If you want to set up an account on Blogger.com just follow the Youtube video below!

Tutorial 2: Digital Camera use and Applications

With the introduction of digital camera's we can check that our images are ok as soon as we take them. It also allows us to put them on a computer, cd's or dvd for instant viewing without paying for processing. However the quality of digital cameras in comparison to film is never quite as good! It also often means that people with digital cameras often don't get their pictures printed or that you have numerous copies of the same picture as everyone tries to get their poses perfect!

The website http://www.shortcourses.com/ has loads of different information about digital cameras. It includes information such as how to store images, about megapixels, digital and optical zoom and heaps of handy tips to remember.

As with a lot of technology, image capturing devices can cause ethical issues. An example of an ethical issue that does not have consent and is a privacy issue is Google Earth taking photos of peoples homes and streets that they live in. Digital images are becoming quite common in Occupational Therapy, especially with home modifications. The therapist is able to take a picture of an area they want modified to give the funding assessor a clear picture of the area.

Flickr.com is a wesbite that enables users to upload, store and share their photos. Users can create a profile where they can sort their photos and videos into albums that their friends and family can view. Other websites such as www.snapfish.co.nz and www.photobucket.com offer similar services to Flickr.com

Tutorial One: Information Technology and Ethical Issues

In this tutorial we looked at information technology and ethical considerations. I have provided some definitions and informaion about these topics below.

Information Technology: Information technology (IT), as defined by the Information Technology Association of America (ITAA), is “the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of computer-base information systems, particularly software applications and computer hardware”. IT deals with the use of electronic computers and computer software to convert, store, protect, process, transmit, and securely retrieve information.(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_technology)

IT is now very common place in our society with the majority of office based environments using computers, fax machines, photo copiers, phones etc. It has also become very common place in our everyday life’s with a large number of people using computers and internet for study, leisure, information and communication.

I use a number of different forms of technology, such as the Internet, mobile phones, television and stereo’s. Technology is become more common in the Occupational Therapy field. Some examples of this are the use of Nintendo WII’s, laptops, cameras, intranet, voice recognition software and mobile phones.

Computer Ethics: Computer Ethics is a branch of practical philisophy deals with how computing professionals should make decisions regarding professional and social conduct. Computer ethics is a very important topic in computer applications.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_ethics)

Intellectual Property: Intellectual property (IP) is a legal property right or IP created by the mind. It can be artistic or commercial, and, perhaps, in the corresponding fields of law. Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and artistic works; ideas, discoveries and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols, and designs. Common types of intellectual property include copyrights, traemarks, patents, industrial design rights and trade secrets. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property)

Informed Consent: Informed consent is a legal condition whereby a person can be said to have given consent based upon a clear appreciation and understanding of the facts, implications and future consequences of an action. In order to give informed consent, the individual concerned must have adequate reasoning faculties and be in possession of all relevant facts at the time consent is given.
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Informed_Consent)

With all the technology now readily available to everyone there are a number of ethical considerations that have arisen. The internet in particular has caused a number of ethical issues such as privacy and misuse. It is important to have a knowledge about technology in practice so we can offer different forms of intervention for clients and also have ideas about what forms of information technology may be beneficial to them. We should also be aware of ethical considerations to ensure we do not put ourselves or the client in any danger.

The video we shot