Work Sheet One:

This is my first blog posting it will focus on information technology and the following:

• Ethical consideration
• IT in occupational therapy practice
• The prevalence in today society
•  My personal understanding of IT

According to differencebetween.com IT (Information Technology) refers to an entire industry that uses computers, networking, software and other equipment to manage information. Modern IT departments in large companies are equipped with computers, DBMS (Database Management Systems), servers and security mechanisms for storing, processing, retrieving and protecting information of the company. ICT (Information Communications Technology) is a term widely used in the context of education. Even though there is no universally accepted definition for ICT, it mainly refers to utilising digital technologies such as computers, television, email, etc to help individuals or organisations to use information.(http://www.differencebetween.com/)

If I was to define this into my own words, Information Technology is a much border term, used to cover anything related to computers and technology. Whereas Information communications technology is more specific as it is more commonly used within universities hospitals or organisations to communicate and share information

I feel I am not the words greatest when it comes to using IT devices or systems. I am able to use the basic functions on my laptop, such as word, power point , internet etc.Why may I be limited in this area? One possible reason could be, going to school in the 1990s we were not introduced to computers until the age of 12, before this I only knew two people who owned a computer. My lack of exposure to IT coupled with a general disinterest is probably responsible for my limited knowledge.

The following short videos demonstrate the prevalence of IT in today society. They look at  this history, how IT has evolved and the future for IT .

The following is a short animation showing the evolution of communication.

This video is a longer and more detailed history of IT ......

Here we have a funny video with a different concept, trying to get kids of today to use old technology.

The world as predicted in 2021.

During my placements I have seen IT used as a way for hospital staff to communicate with each other, eg email. On both placements there was not a huge amount of IT usage, as most of the notes and not writing was done on paper and stored in the hospital basement.

There are many ways in which IT could be used as a tool in Occupational Therapy practice. As Verdonk points out IT and communications technology are becoming increasingly popular and becoming an everyday meaningful activity for occupational therapy clients. Therefore it could be used as a potential therapy tool and therapists should capitalise on the opportunities offered by mainstream technology(Verdonk,2008)

For example it has become increasing popular to use video games such as Wii it rehab settings. Not only would it improve basic motor and co-ordination skills, as the movements required to play the game have the potential to work with rehabilitating physical and possibly cognitive impairments. It is also a fun and enjoyable for clients so it so they becoming more motivated to engage in therapy (Halton,2008)

Having a better understanding to IT and ICT will help Occupational Therapists in practice. As IT usage is increasing, it is fast becoming a meaningful activity for individuals. Therefore it is essential that therapists understand so they can facilitate this for clients.

Ethical considerations:

There are many ethical considerations when sharing photos on the internet. When you upload a picture onto Facebook or any kind of social network site, who then owns it? And who is able to view them? Facebook does have privacy settings so you can restrict who views your photos but how clear are these set out for the consumer? For example when I signed up for Facebook I set all the privacy settings on full, Facebook then changed the lay out and put my setting to default. Having my setting on default allowed Facebook to regulate what was available to the public. The question is does Facebook have an  interest in making your profile public and who owns these images when if I decided to delete my profile.

 The following is an  interesting article about an artist interested in the uploading of photos onto sites such as flicker........ check it out.......

http://www.petapixel.com/2011/11/11/art-exhibit-lets-visitors-swim-through-24-hours-of-flickr-photos-literally/Date retrieved 18/5/2012

References 

http://www.differencebetween.com/ Date retrieved 13/4/12

Halton,J.(2008).Virtual rehabilitation with video games: A new frontier for occupational

therapy. Occupational Therapy Now. 9(6).

Verdonk MC,Rysn,S.,(2008) Mainstream technology as an Occupational Therapy,71(6),

253-256.