Tutorial Eight : Assistive Technology

Task One: Provide a definition of Assistive Technology.

Assistive Technology (AT) is a generic term that includes assistive, adaptive, and rehabilitative devices and the process used in selecting, locating, and using them. AT promotes greater independence for people with disabilities by enabling them to perform tasks that they were formerly unable to accomplish, or had great difficulty accomplishing, by providing enhancements to or changed methods of interacting with the technology needed to accomplish such tasks. According to disability advocates, technology is often created without regard to people with disabilities, creating unnecessary barriers to hundreds of millions of people. Retrieved 5th June 2008 from http://encyclopedia.thefreedictionary.com/assistive+technology

Task Two: Describe one piece of equipment introduced in the Assistive technology tutorial.

A Blink Switch - This was attached to a pair of glasses, when the wearer of the glasses blinks it will turn the stereo either on or off.
This is a very compact device, which fits onto a normal pair of everyday glasses, and has a cord running to a small control box that sits on the table or bench beside the user this controls the sensitivity of the blink action. It costs around $1000.00.

Task Three: How does you chosen piece of equipment increase the functional capacity for the user?

This piece of assistive equipment is an important tool for a person with a severe physical disability with a limited range of movement or a person who is non-verbal to have some control over their environment and aid them in communicating.

Tutorial Seven: Posting You Tube Videos and Flickr Badges to your blog.

Task one: Step by Step process required to embed You Tube Videos into your blog.

Step 1 - Log onto You Tube and look up the video you wish to post to your blog.
Step 2 - Log onto your own Blog site
Step 3 - To post the You Tube video onto your blog all you need to do is copy the URL code from the video (URL codes can be found next to all video footage on YouTube.com)
Step 4 - Paste the URL code into a new post for your blog.
Step 5 - Give your posting a heading and a description on what the video clip is about.
Step 6 - Save changes to your new posting.
Step 7 - Publish your post.


Task two: Explain the step by step process required to embed a Flickr Badge into your Blog.

Step 1 - Log onto your Blog account.
Step 2 - Log onto your flikr account.
Step 3 - Click on tools at bottom of page.
Step 4 - Follow the step by step instructions until end where the URL code comes up.
Step 5 - Copy the URL code.
Step 6 - Click on customize.
Step 7 - Click on add elements.
Step 8 - Click on script.
Step 9 - Paste URL in box provided.
Step 10 - Give your Badge a name e.g. Photo Badge, Pictures etc.
Step 11 - Save changes to your new posting.
Step 12 - Publish your new Post.

O.T. World

A 30 second film on student life

Tutorial Six:

The internet and online communities

Either search online for a community which interest you or choose one of the provided online communities to investigate. Make sure your selected a community that comprises some form of online forum, discussion page or chat room. You may also wish to see if your community has a Wikipedia entry.

Provide the web address and the name of the community you are investigating

http://www.thelowdown.co.nz

What is the brief or focus of this community
The Low Down has a focus of Depression. It is a safe place where people can speak openly about depression and feel supported. Yes, The Low Down are on Wikipedia

What services are provided? How interactive is this site? How can people contribute?

There is a range of services on the website; There is a site guide that shows you everything that is on the website and which shell to find it. Depression fact sheets, Self test, help services and urgent help. Stories from those that have been through depression. Chat is a chat room where you can talk openly about how you feel and you can ask for help from others. Knowledge with frequently asked questions and fact sheets. Multimedia there are a quite a few music clips on the site as well

The interaction is great as there is a choice of navigators that you can choose to show you around the site, You can e-mail or text questions to the low down team anytime but between the hours of noon to midnight is when someone can reply to you.

People can contribute by joining in the existing chats or starting a new discussion themselves.

Consider material presented during the lecture and make comment on why people choose to contribute to this community. What is it they are seeking?

Some people will be seeking help for themselves and others will be trying to find out information to either better understand depression or to help someone they know. There are many reasons why people may visit this site it may be just to listen to the music clips or to take the self test on depression.

Cut and paste an example of the type of topics being discussed (you may have to provide a context to your excerpt).

I can not cut and paste exerts from the website but I can give you some ideas of the types of things people may be discussing. The topics may have titles like; Having a rough time, Feeling Low, My friends don’t understand me, Feeling useless. All of these titles discuss how the individual is feeling at the time they were writing it.

Considering material presented during the course and make comment on the potential ethical issues that may arise in this community e.g. lack of identity and accountability.

The Low Down has moderators watching the content that is placed on the website, making sure that it is safe and not offensive. They have a block of some sort that does not allow you to cut and paste any excerpts from the chats.
There is huge potential for ethical boundaries to be misused, as you can sign in with a different name and make up stuff if you wanted to. As well as what ever you write can be viewed by anyone so there is a potential that someone might recognise you by what you have written.

Consider material presented during the lecture and make comment on the benefits this community holds over traditional notions of community e.g. communities reliant on geographic proximity

It can provide a large amount of information that anyone with internet access can view and join in distance is not a factor (geographically). It can compliment real life communities and foster understanding and unity between users.

Consider material presented during the lecture and make comment what this community lacks or can not provide which traditional communities can.

The limitations can be not being able to talk to someone face to face, not knowing if someone is being honest as you can’t see them. If you do not have access to the internet you can not access the web site. There is not necessarily a follow up for the users that may need it. They will be limited rapport building with the moderators.

Tutorial Task Four and Five

Task Four (Blog Posting): Provide a brief summary of the services offered by U Tube. Information can be drawn from the week five tutorial hand out.

YouTube is a video sharing website where users can upload, view and share video clips. YouTube was created in mid-February 2005 by three former PayPal employees. The San Bruno-based service uses Adobe Flash technology to display a wide variety of user-generated video content, including movie clips, TV clips and music videos, as well as amateur content such as video blogging and short original videos. Unregistered users can watch most videos on the site, while registered users are permitted to upload an unlimited number of videos. Some videos are available only to users of age 18 or older (e.g. videos containing potentially offensive content). The uploading of videos containing pornography, nudity, defamation, harassment, commercial advertisements and material encouraging criminal conduct is prohibited. Related videos, determined by title and tags, appear onscreen to the right of a given video.
Retrieved May 20, 2008, from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/YouTube

Task Five (Blog Posting): Provide a brief account (1-2 paragraphs) on how the use of planning (story boarding and scripting aided your groups short film).

The story board was a useful visual aid of all the photos/video shots that we wanted to use in the film. It was a good way to get our ideas for the film in order. The theme was, what did being a student in Dunedin mean to us and how could we show it in a 30 second video clip we used the story board as a reference to keep us on track and make sure we were not taking footage that we did not need.

We did not have very long to come up with the basic idea and then design our story board, get organized and take the photos/video, and return to the classroom to edit the shots into the 30 second video clip. Our video clip is made up of scenery around the Otago Polytechnic campus, the things that we see everyday. While we were editing the video clip we decided to call it O.T. World.

Tutorial Task Three

Blog Creation Task
Provide a brief summary of the services offered by Blogger.

Blogger.com offers a place to create a blog. A blog is a space on the web where you can can write about your thoughts/feelings, opinions/ideas and even your dreams, you can write about any thing that you are doing in your life or inform others of things you have learnt about during the day, a story you thought was interesting or funny. You can share this with friends that you allow to see you blog or allow every one to view it.
You can set up an account for no cost and it can be set up reasonably easily
(I had a little help from some notes). Once you have your blog set up you can change the settings, you can customise colours, fonts and the templates. There are drag and drop page elements to help you organise your posting and your blog.
You create a personal profile telling people who you are and what sorts of things you like. You can post video clips and photos from either your personal computer files or link them from other web sites such as Youtube or Flikr

Another blog host site is Blogster.

Fieldwork Placement 3

I am on my fieldwork 3 placement at the moment. I am at Older Persons Health at Dunedin Hospital and really enjoying it, I could see myself working there in the future. I have seen a wide variety of people and conditions and am learning heaps. Tasha

Tutorial Two: Digital Camera use and applications

“A new technology is rarely superior to an old one in every feature”. Briefly discuss this statement in relation to digital camera technology. What would you consider to be some of the pluses and minuses digital camera technology holds in relation to more traditional film based cameras? + Instant results, do not need to leave the house to process the photos, only print the photos that you want, Size of the camera, Easily altered, Lots of settings on the camera. - Lots of settings on the camera, Size of the camera, Quality of the photos, Loss of human contact to process films.

List some of the ways that digital images can be stored transferred and manipulated using other communications technology. On the web, Flashdrives, Harddrives, C.D’s D.V.D.’s, Memory cards/Sticks, E-mails, Cell phones, Laptops, Video Cameras.

Given the prevalence of image capturing devices, and thinking about the issues discussed in tutorial one, consider what sort of ethical issues may arise with their use. Trustworthiness. Anyone can access and change the information. The right people receiving the information.

Briefly discuss some of the ways that digital images could, or are, being used in occupational therapy practice. To capture every day activities e.g. The way someone walks or stands etc How to manuals with pictures. Tablet Laptops – Written your field notes straight onto the Tablet not onto paper. Digital Camera – Photos of Hazards, Renovations, and Equipment.

Provide a brief summary of the services offered by Flickr.com Storage of images, Transferring of images

Name one other photo storage website which offers a service similar to Flickr.com Facebook, Ringo, Bebo

Explain what the difference is between a digital and an optical zoom Optical Zoom works the same as a zoom lens on a film camera. Digital Zoom simply crops the image smaller.

Explain what is meant by the term mega pixel A mega pixel is made up of a million individual pixels or they make up the small squares within the image just like mosaic tiles.

Tutorial One: Information Technology and Ethical Issues

Provide a definition of Information Technology/Information Communications Technology (APA reference required) Information Technology: The study or use of processes ( esp. using computers, micro electronics, and telecommunications) for storing, retrieving, and sending information (e.g. words, numbers, pictures). The New Zealand Oxford Paperback Dictionary.(1998).In T. Deverson(Ed). NewYork;Oxford University Press.

Consider the definition of IT you have provided. How is this form of technology prevalent in our society? How common place has it become? Very, Most people have a wide range and number of micro electronics from cellphones to I-Pods, and most houses have at least one computer.

What IT devices or system do you feel comfortable and competent using? Computers, Camera, Phones, Video Camera, Texting, MSNing, E-mail, and Flashdrives to name a few.

Thinking about your own fieldwork experiences consider how IT is being used in Occupational Therapy practice? Tablet Laptops – Written your field notes straight onto the Tablet not onto paper. Digital Camera – Photos of Hazards, Renovations, and Equipment.

What ethical implications arise from the capturing, sharing and transferring of information via IT devices (e.g. mobile phones) or systems (e.g. internet) Trustworthiness. Anyone can access and change the information. The right people receiving the information.

Provide a definition of Computer Ethics (APA reference required) Computer ethics is a branch of practical philosophy which deals with how computing professionals should make decisions regarding professional and social conduct. Retrieved February 14, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_ethics

Provide a definition of Intellectual Property (APA reference required) In law, intellectual property (IP) is an umbrella term for various legal entitlements which attach to certain types of information, ideas, or other intangibles in their expressed form. The holder of this legal entitlement is generally entitled to exercise various exclusive rights in relation to the subject matter of the IP. The term intellectual property reflects the idea that this subject matter is the product of the mind or the intellect, and that IP rights may be protected at law in the same way as any other form of property. However, the use of the term and the concepts it is said to embody are the subject of some controversy RetrievedFebruary14,2007fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property

Provide a definition of Social Justice (APA reference required) Social justice mostly refers to an ideal of society, where "justice" refers to economic status rather than to the administration of laws. It is based on the idea of a society which gives individuals and groups fair treatment and a just share of the benefits of society, although what is "fair treatment" and a "just share" must remain unclear or subject to interpretation. Retrieved February 14, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_justice

Provide a definition of Informed Consent (APA reference required) Informed consent is a legal condition whereby a person can be said to have given consent based upon an appreciation and understanding of the facts and implications of an action. RetrievedFebruary14,2007,fromhttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Informed_consent

In your own words briefly summarise why (or why not) a great understanding of ITC and the ethical issues it encompasses will help us in our practice and daily lives. To keep yourself and any clients, friends, families, supervisors, and employers information safe to the best of your ability, while staying within the ethical boundaries that surround the ITC. This will help with providing the best practice possible within your setting.

O.T Assessment

Blogging

Well so far my first attempt at blogging is going quite well. If only I could figure out how to resize my photos so they fit properly.

Tasha's O.T. Space

Hi I'm Tasha O'Brien and this is my blog for my O.T. course. Participation in Occupation at Dunedin Polytech.