Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Monday, May 18, 2009
Tutorial 7: Assistive Technology
Assistive technology is "any item, piece of equipment or product system whether aquired commercially or off the shelf, modified or customised that is used to increase or improve functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities" (Cook & Hussey, 2000).
A Clevy Keyboard is a brightly coloured keyboard, with different colours for different keys. It has been designed to be ideal for children to use when learning about writing and computer skills. It allows children to get used to using a computer more easily. The keys on this keyboard are larger than normal making them easier for a child with motor control issues to use. The coloured keys also make it ideal for children with visual impairments to use. They keyboard is very sturdy so it can withstand bangs and knocks.
Features:
• keytops 4 times larger than standard
• lowercase charactors easily recognised by children
• sturdy construction
• cheerful colours making it attractive for kids to use
• a lower number of keytops to reduce confusion
• vertical layout of keytops
• Clevy function keys tool CD, install on your PC to use the function keys with the Clevy keyboard
(Star Educational, n.d.).
A keyboard glove is available to protect the board from dirt and dust. A keygaurd is also available for children with motor skill issues in order to prevent them from hitting two keys at once.
The keyboard can be connected to both PC's and MacsThis product costs $140.
References:
Cook, A.M., & Hussey, S.M. (2000). Assistive technologies: principles and practice. St Louis: Mosby
'Star Educational'. (n.d.). Retrieved on 21 May, 2009, from 200http://www.star-educational.co.nz/view_details.php?detail=true&cat=73&subcat=&id=170
A Clevy Keyboard is a brightly coloured keyboard, with different colours for different keys. It has been designed to be ideal for children to use when learning about writing and computer skills. It allows children to get used to using a computer more easily. The keys on this keyboard are larger than normal making them easier for a child with motor control issues to use. The coloured keys also make it ideal for children with visual impairments to use. They keyboard is very sturdy so it can withstand bangs and knocks.
Features:
• keytops 4 times larger than standard
• lowercase charactors easily recognised by children
• sturdy construction
• cheerful colours making it attractive for kids to use
• a lower number of keytops to reduce confusion
• vertical layout of keytops
• Clevy function keys tool CD, install on your PC to use the function keys with the Clevy keyboard
(Star Educational, n.d.).
A keyboard glove is available to protect the board from dirt and dust. A keygaurd is also available for children with motor skill issues in order to prevent them from hitting two keys at once.
The keyboard can be connected to both PC's and MacsThis product costs $140.
References:
Cook, A.M., & Hussey, S.M. (2000). Assistive technologies: principles and practice. St Louis: Mosby
'Star Educational'. (n.d.). Retrieved on 21 May, 2009, from 200http://www.star-educational.co.nz/view_details.php?detail=true&cat=73&subcat=&id=170
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Tutorial 6: Online Communities
In class over the last few weeks we have been looking at Online Communities. I have chosen to look at one about travel called Travel Blog (http://www.travelblog.org/). This community focus's on peoples travel experiences around the world. It offers people the chance to share photos, videos and their experiences through blogs. Essentialy it is a travel diary. It allows you to link family members and friends to your blog and let them know everytime you add a new post. You can also track your travel using maps and flags. This makes it a highly interactive site. Travel Blog is a free service which makes it great for travellers and its so easy to use!
I believe that people contribute to Travel Blog as a way to share their excitement about their trip. It is a way to keep in touch with friends and family who may be on the other side of the world to you and not miss anybody out! It saves on time as it means you don't have to write individual emails to everyone (although this does de-personalise things a bit). I also think people who use Travel Blog are seeking a way to share travel experiences and offer advice to people who are thinking of travelling in the future.
This is an excerpt from someones travel blog:
"We left for the Vietnamese border the next morning. It was a long drive - 5 hours, we crossed the border with no problems and within 45 mins we arrived at Chau Doc. The afternoon was spent on a riverboat cruise and we saw floating fishing villagers at work.
We arrived at a small place where, after a nerve jangling walk across a rickety wooden bridge we met with some local children. They were keen to strip us of sweets, pens and when these were depleted - cash."
Any online community has ethical issues. Travel Blog definately has ethical issues to do with identity. People can identify them how they wish, so you could have people claiming to be someone else or using a false name. Although you can choose directly who view your posts, blogs can be made public for anyone to see and therefore someone could gain information about you or where you are and use this in an unethical manner.
This online community holds advantages over a normal, everyday community (eg. the people in your neighbourhood), as it allows for communication from all areas of the world that have internet access! It also allows for you to communicate with a large number of people at once, rather than just a few. This can also be seen as a disadvantage though as it does not allow for face to face communication. Blogs can be impersonal and when something is written, not spoken, it can be hard to see where the emphasis is, eg. what the writer found most exciting, or most interesting.
Overall, Travel Blog is a great tool to communicate with people all around the world. I would definately consider using it myself when I go overseas!
I believe that people contribute to Travel Blog as a way to share their excitement about their trip. It is a way to keep in touch with friends and family who may be on the other side of the world to you and not miss anybody out! It saves on time as it means you don't have to write individual emails to everyone (although this does de-personalise things a bit). I also think people who use Travel Blog are seeking a way to share travel experiences and offer advice to people who are thinking of travelling in the future.
This is an excerpt from someones travel blog:
"We left for the Vietnamese border the next morning. It was a long drive - 5 hours, we crossed the border with no problems and within 45 mins we arrived at Chau Doc. The afternoon was spent on a riverboat cruise and we saw floating fishing villagers at work.
We arrived at a small place where, after a nerve jangling walk across a rickety wooden bridge we met with some local children. They were keen to strip us of sweets, pens and when these were depleted - cash."
Any online community has ethical issues. Travel Blog definately has ethical issues to do with identity. People can identify them how they wish, so you could have people claiming to be someone else or using a false name. Although you can choose directly who view your posts, blogs can be made public for anyone to see and therefore someone could gain information about you or where you are and use this in an unethical manner.
This online community holds advantages over a normal, everyday community (eg. the people in your neighbourhood), as it allows for communication from all areas of the world that have internet access! It also allows for you to communicate with a large number of people at once, rather than just a few. This can also be seen as a disadvantage though as it does not allow for face to face communication. Blogs can be impersonal and when something is written, not spoken, it can be hard to see where the emphasis is, eg. what the writer found most exciting, or most interesting.
Overall, Travel Blog is a great tool to communicate with people all around the world. I would definately consider using it myself when I go overseas!
Tutorial 5: Storyboarding and Planning
As part of my Participation in Occupation 1 class we got into groups and created our own short film (see next post). Planning was an essential part of creating our short film. We needed to know what our storyline was, who was going to act and who was going to film. Among other things we also needed to know how to use a video camera.
To create these films we used a storyboard to plan the plot of the film. Storyboards were used by Sergei Eisenstein, in the very beginnings of cinema. Walt Disney and his staff created the storyboard system in 1928 to enable the making of his films. A storyboard is the plan of what the finished film will look like. We used storyboards so that when we began filming, everyone in our group knew what needed to be done. It saved us time and made it a lot easier to know what shots needed to be filmed.
By planning our short film before we began filming we saved a lot of time. We also avoided any arguments as everyone knew what the plan was from the beginning.
To create these films we used a storyboard to plan the plot of the film. Storyboards were used by Sergei Eisenstein, in the very beginnings of cinema. Walt Disney and his staff created the storyboard system in 1928 to enable the making of his films. A storyboard is the plan of what the finished film will look like. We used storyboards so that when we began filming, everyone in our group knew what needed to be done. It saved us time and made it a lot easier to know what shots needed to be filmed.
By planning our short film before we began filming we saved a lot of time. We also avoided any arguments as everyone knew what the plan was from the beginning.
Tutorial 4: YouTube
YouTube was founded in 2005 and is the leading website in online video. In 2006, it was purchased by Google.
Services offered by Google:
Services offered by Google:
- Set up your own account
- Upload videos to share with the world
- View other peoples videos
- Create videos on your mobile phone and upload them to YouTube
- View videos on YouTube from your phone
- Upload YouTube videos onto your personal website or blog
- You can comment on other peoples videos
- Streams (chat with others on YouTube)
- You can add captions to your videos
- On YouTubes homepage you can see lists of videos currently being viewed, 'featured' videos, and, if you have your own account, videos reccommended for you (based on videos you have already watched)
- You can connect with friends over YouTube and see what videos they watch and recommend.
Friday, May 15, 2009
Blogging
So, ironically enough, this is a blog about blogging. As OT students we are being taught to blog as a way of communicating over the internet. It is a great way for OT's to communicate and express their ideas to other OTs worldwide.
Blogger:
Blogger began in 1999 and was created by Pyra Labs, a small company in San Francisco. Despite a few hiccups along the way (money troubles) Blogger has become a great website used by thousands of people. In 2002, Google bought Blogger, meaning Blogger is now a small team in Google.
Blogger gives people the ability to create blogs with ease. The blogs can be easily customised, with backgrounds, styles and colours. Blogs give people the chance to express themselves on the internet, wether this be your own personal thoughts, a news flash or photos (among plenty of other things!) Blogger offers features such as your own free website, a customisable template, a simple to use interface. It allows you to add photos and videos to your blog and build up online communities. Once you have opened a Blogger account you create your profile and you can comment on other peoples blogs, which allows for an even easier way of communicating online! Blogger even allows you to blog through your cell phone!!
It doesn't take long to create a blogger account and create your own personal blog, Blogger has made this process incredibly easy!
Another website that enables blogging is www.wordpress.com
Blogger:
Blogger began in 1999 and was created by Pyra Labs, a small company in San Francisco. Despite a few hiccups along the way (money troubles) Blogger has become a great website used by thousands of people. In 2002, Google bought Blogger, meaning Blogger is now a small team in Google.
Blogger gives people the ability to create blogs with ease. The blogs can be easily customised, with backgrounds, styles and colours. Blogs give people the chance to express themselves on the internet, wether this be your own personal thoughts, a news flash or photos (among plenty of other things!) Blogger offers features such as your own free website, a customisable template, a simple to use interface. It allows you to add photos and videos to your blog and build up online communities. Once you have opened a Blogger account you create your profile and you can comment on other peoples blogs, which allows for an even easier way of communicating online! Blogger even allows you to blog through your cell phone!!
It doesn't take long to create a blogger account and create your own personal blog, Blogger has made this process incredibly easy!
Another website that enables blogging is www.wordpress.com
Thursday, May 14, 2009
Digital Cameras
Digital cameras have virtually taken over from the old film based cameras now. Although there are many advantages to using the newer technology, there are also some disadvantages.
Digital cameras are easy to use, and a great feature of them is that you can preview the images immediately after taking them. This is great in contrast to the use of film cameras when you have to wait until you have printed a film of photos before getting a look at them. With this feature on a digital camera you can pick and choose between what photos you would like to print, or even just store them on the computer. With film cameras, you must print all photos taken which means you might end up with quite a few bloopers!
The disadvantage about storing digital photos on the computer only means that you run the risk of loosing them. If the computer crashes, all those images can be lost within seconds. Even creating back ups of the photos can be risky, it seems that discs only last for up to 15 years and after that quality can deteriorate considerably. This also takes away from the traditional form of storing photos in an album. This is a shame as photo albums generally hold a lot of sentimental value and can be great fun to look at. Digital cameras also compromise on quality compared to that of a film camera.
Photos can be stored, manipulated and transferred using many different technologies. They can be stored on a camera, computer, cell phone, ipod, flash drives and discs among other things. They can be transferred using computers, email, pxt messages, fax machines and the more traditional way of printing them and posting them in the mail. Digital images can also be published onto the internet using social networking websites such as facebook. There are specific websites such as Flicker and Snapfish which are used specifically for the sharing, manipulating and storing of photos. There are also specific programs which are used to manipulate photos such as Photoshop.
Thinking about how easy it is to post photos on the internet, many ethical issues also arise. Photos that people do not wish to be shared can easily be put on the net for anyone and everyone to view. Once they have been put on the internet, although they can be removed, it is likely that people will have already viewed them. OTs may use photography to capture images of clients doing specific tasks and use these as evidence. Due to confidentiality issues it is important these photos are stored correctly in a manner that other people cannot view them and identify the person.
If a photo is to be put on the internet, the person who posts it should have permission from the people in the photo. By photoshopping a photo, it can be manipulated to look different to the initial image. This can create images that are untrue and also causes many ethical issues.
OT's also use photos to share information with other OT's around the world. With the permission of the person who has been photographed, photos can be put on websites in order to illustrate what OT's might do with clients. http://www.nzaot.com/ is a website which uses photos to illustrate what OT's do.
Flicker
Flicker is a website used to upload, store, edit, crop and share images. It allows you to manage who can view the photos you upload and can be used to make things using your images, such as photobooks and DVDs. www.snapfish.co.nz is a similar website used to store and manipulate photos.
Most cameras have both optical zoom and digital zoom. Optical zoom works just like a zoom lens on a film camera. The lens changes focal length and magnification as it is zoomed. This results in high quality images.
Digital zoom is when the camera does not have an extendable zoom lens. It simply crops the image to a smaller size, then enlarges the cropped portion to fill the frame again. This results in a loss of quality, the zoomed image may become pixalated and blurry. Digital zoom can also be done on a computer.
A megapixel (MP) is 1 million pixels (which is the smallest piece of information in an image). The more megapixels a camera uses, the better quality the images will be, especially when they are enlarged. So a 3MP camera will take better photos than a 1MP photo
Digital cameras are easy to use, and a great feature of them is that you can preview the images immediately after taking them. This is great in contrast to the use of film cameras when you have to wait until you have printed a film of photos before getting a look at them. With this feature on a digital camera you can pick and choose between what photos you would like to print, or even just store them on the computer. With film cameras, you must print all photos taken which means you might end up with quite a few bloopers!
The disadvantage about storing digital photos on the computer only means that you run the risk of loosing them. If the computer crashes, all those images can be lost within seconds. Even creating back ups of the photos can be risky, it seems that discs only last for up to 15 years and after that quality can deteriorate considerably. This also takes away from the traditional form of storing photos in an album. This is a shame as photo albums generally hold a lot of sentimental value and can be great fun to look at. Digital cameras also compromise on quality compared to that of a film camera.
Photos can be stored, manipulated and transferred using many different technologies. They can be stored on a camera, computer, cell phone, ipod, flash drives and discs among other things. They can be transferred using computers, email, pxt messages, fax machines and the more traditional way of printing them and posting them in the mail. Digital images can also be published onto the internet using social networking websites such as facebook. There are specific websites such as Flicker and Snapfish which are used specifically for the sharing, manipulating and storing of photos. There are also specific programs which are used to manipulate photos such as Photoshop.
Thinking about how easy it is to post photos on the internet, many ethical issues also arise. Photos that people do not wish to be shared can easily be put on the net for anyone and everyone to view. Once they have been put on the internet, although they can be removed, it is likely that people will have already viewed them. OTs may use photography to capture images of clients doing specific tasks and use these as evidence. Due to confidentiality issues it is important these photos are stored correctly in a manner that other people cannot view them and identify the person.
If a photo is to be put on the internet, the person who posts it should have permission from the people in the photo. By photoshopping a photo, it can be manipulated to look different to the initial image. This can create images that are untrue and also causes many ethical issues.
OT's also use photos to share information with other OT's around the world. With the permission of the person who has been photographed, photos can be put on websites in order to illustrate what OT's might do with clients. http://www.nzaot.com/ is a website which uses photos to illustrate what OT's do.
Flicker
Flicker is a website used to upload, store, edit, crop and share images. It allows you to manage who can view the photos you upload and can be used to make things using your images, such as photobooks and DVDs. www.snapfish.co.nz is a similar website used to store and manipulate photos.
Most cameras have both optical zoom and digital zoom. Optical zoom works just like a zoom lens on a film camera. The lens changes focal length and magnification as it is zoomed. This results in high quality images.
Digital zoom is when the camera does not have an extendable zoom lens. It simply crops the image to a smaller size, then enlarges the cropped portion to fill the frame again. This results in a loss of quality, the zoomed image may become pixalated and blurry. Digital zoom can also be done on a computer.
A megapixel (MP) is 1 million pixels (which is the smallest piece of information in an image). The more megapixels a camera uses, the better quality the images will be, especially when they are enlarged. So a 3MP camera will take better photos than a 1MP photo
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
Tutorial One: Information Technology and Ethical Issues
Ok here goes, my first attempt at a blog! In our first tutorial for Participation in Occupation 1 we looked at information technology and ethical issues.
Information technology is the use of computers, TV, telecommunications and other forms of technology to store, process and manage information (Hanks, 1989). This form of technology is extremely prevalent in society today. Nearly everybody uses some form of technology to communicate with others, store information or just plain for fun. You would be hard pressed to find a person who didn't use a computer, cellphone or television frequently. Computers are used extensively for both personal and business uses.
I feel comfortable and confident using most IT items that are available to me such as computers, cell phones and digital cameras. Computers are an essential part of my life in order to communicate with others, type up and hand in assignments and find out information.
IT is used in occupational therapy constantly. These days, in many practices occupational therapists store client notes electronically. This allows ease when sharing information between team members. However, it also can cause difficulty when computer systems crash etc and these notes may become inaccessible for a period of time. OT's use cellphones to communicate with eachother and their clients. Sometimes OT's can use computers and other forms of technology in therapy with clients. They may have to teach a client to use a computer, type up a CV, or show them an informative website. Telephones are also commonly used to contact clients.
With the use of technology a whole new set of ethics comes into action. It is so easy to share information over the internet, however sometimes innappropriate things such as images are put on the net. Once put up these images can be spread worldwide rapidly. It is pretty much impossible to stop this sort of thing happening. The other issue with using technology is the possibility of hackers accessing private and personal information on computers. This creates problems for health professionals especially who may store confidential information on systems on the computer. There are programs that try and prevent this happening such as firewalls and virus protection etc which try to prevent damage to computers and prevent other people accessing private information.
Computer ethics is a branch of practical philosophy which deals with how computing professionals should make decisions regarding professional and social conduct.
Computer Ethics. Retrieved May 13, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_ethics
Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind: inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce.
Intellectual Property. Retrieved May 13, 2009, from http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/
Social justice 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.
Socail Justice. Retreived May 13, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_justice
Reference List:
Hanks, P. (ed). (1989) Collins Concise Dictionary. Glasgow: Bath Press.
Information technology is the use of computers, TV, telecommunications and other forms of technology to store, process and manage information (Hanks, 1989). This form of technology is extremely prevalent in society today. Nearly everybody uses some form of technology to communicate with others, store information or just plain for fun. You would be hard pressed to find a person who didn't use a computer, cellphone or television frequently. Computers are used extensively for both personal and business uses.
I feel comfortable and confident using most IT items that are available to me such as computers, cell phones and digital cameras. Computers are an essential part of my life in order to communicate with others, type up and hand in assignments and find out information.
IT is used in occupational therapy constantly. These days, in many practices occupational therapists store client notes electronically. This allows ease when sharing information between team members. However, it also can cause difficulty when computer systems crash etc and these notes may become inaccessible for a period of time. OT's use cellphones to communicate with eachother and their clients. Sometimes OT's can use computers and other forms of technology in therapy with clients. They may have to teach a client to use a computer, type up a CV, or show them an informative website. Telephones are also commonly used to contact clients.
With the use of technology a whole new set of ethics comes into action. It is so easy to share information over the internet, however sometimes innappropriate things such as images are put on the net. Once put up these images can be spread worldwide rapidly. It is pretty much impossible to stop this sort of thing happening. The other issue with using technology is the possibility of hackers accessing private and personal information on computers. This creates problems for health professionals especially who may store confidential information on systems on the computer. There are programs that try and prevent this happening such as firewalls and virus protection etc which try to prevent damage to computers and prevent other people accessing private information.
Computer ethics is a branch of practical philosophy which deals with how computing professionals should make decisions regarding professional and social conduct.
Computer Ethics. Retrieved May 13, 2009, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_ethics
Intellectual property (IP) refers to creations of the mind: inventions, literary and artistic works, and symbols, names, images, and designs used in commerce.
Intellectual Property. Retrieved May 13, 2009, from http://www.wipo.int/about-ip/en/
Social justice 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.
Socail Justice. Retreived May 13, 2007, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_justice
Reference List:
Hanks, P. (ed). (1989) Collins Concise Dictionary. Glasgow: Bath Press.
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