This is my very first
official post! **Whoot**
Throughout this course, I will be posting all of my
weekly tutorial content on my blog as part of my assignment and for those of
you who just want to have a read.
Here goes!!
So in this post, I will be discussing
Information Technology and Ethical Issues.
According to the American
Heritage Science Dictionary, Information Technology, or I.T., is the
"technology involved in the transmission and storage of information,
especially the development, installation, implementation and management of
computer systems within companies, universities and other organizations"
(Dictionary.com, n.d., para. 2). Mhhh, for those of you who still don't know
what IT is...in simple terms, I'd explain it as the communication of information
using technology, whether it is using computers, iPads, iPods, iWhatevers! There
is more to I.T. than just fooling around on an iPad, as the definition above
states, it is the “development and management” of it too. So, I figure I.T.
users include technology fixer uppers as well as those who use technology for
other purposes such as work or play.
Here is a slightly cheesy
video clip I found on YouTube that explains pretty well what I.T. is. Have a
listen, disregard the last sentence or two… :)
Technology has become so
huge in our society today; it is almost strange to see a teenager without a
cell phone or iPod as they walk to school. This is the century of technology
and we are becoming more and more dependent on technology to do the simple
things in life. Don’t get me wrong, I’m loving being able to look up a
definition or a photo or whatever in the space of a few seconds using my
laptop. And I’m loving being able to transfer money from my savings account to
my everyday account using my phone! *Eeeek* But has this made us all lazy…?
Mhh, I think this opens a-whole-nother can of worms. I’ll save that for another
day!
Watch this video, it is 7
minutes long, but I managed to sit through it and thought it was rather good.
It starts of saying “I
teach, show, know, play with, suit, remind, accompany, entertain, speak to,
make money for, connect, love and kill you. Who am I? I am Technology!” This is
so true! We go through our everyday lives without realising that technology
goes with us wherever we are! Even while we’re casually cruising at 39000 feet
in a cozy plane eating peanuts! We’re still connected!! -_- This is crazy! But good,
right? We all love technology. Yes, we often get frustrated as it doesn’t do
what it is meant to, or what we want it to do, but I’m sure there are very very
few people that would rather live without technology and find life easier that
way. All I know is that I sure don’t! Thank goodness that the days of sending
telegrams are gone! Here, today we send an email in the morning and can have a
reply by that same afternoon. How good is that!?! Like the video said, it was
mans curiosity that started all of this. And statistics show that technology
will continue to develop until there are computers that exceed the “computational
abilities of the human race” (YouTube, 2009). OH MY GOODNESS!! Does this not
freak you out a little?!?! It sure gets me thinking…When will humans stop being
so nosy!! Okay, this is also a whole different conversation that I quite
simply refuse to get into at the moment! :)
Righty, on a slightly
different note…I own a laptop, an iPod, iPod dock, a touch screen cell phone, as
well as a GPS. I can think of many other things that involve technology that I
own, but this is enough for the point I’m aiming to make here. Bare with me, it
usually takes me a while to get to my point as I always get sidetracked!
I feel comfortable using all of these forms of technology, sure it took some
learning and manual reading (which is normally the last resort!!) but I
consider myself I.T. able… Mhh…loving how that doesn’t make sense. But I’m sure
you understand. :) I
took typing lessons at school, so am pretty speedy at that. The internet doesn’t
faze me either, I know where to find what I need and have learned how to
upload, download and any other kind of ‘load’ there is. This comes in very
handy as most of my OT course is online, so it forces me to use I.T. every day.
Its not all rainbows and jelly beans though!! When it comes to fixing a
computer or any form of technology, I take it to my brother! Lucky for me he
knows these things back to front and inside out, so I don’t waste $$$ every
time I break something!! :) (I
manage to do that without trying!!)
I find I.T. extremely useful
when it comes to engaging in what I see as my meaningful occupation. I love art
and creating things from nothing. So I tend to use the internet for ideas and
new methods, but I also use Photoshop. I’m sure most of you have heard of it. It’s
a fun program that allows you to edit and create and go crazy with photos and
suchness. It’s awesome; I love it, and would hate to make do without!!
So, I.T. in OT aye? “What is
that?” you may ask. "How
is Information Technology used in Occupational Therapy? Last year, I was placed
in a ‘special’ school. At this school the class had a special touch screen
computer with all sorts of interactive games. This allows the OT to test reflex
skills as well as hand eye co ordination and ability to follow instructions. I
found this very interesting, I had never seen something as interactive as this
on a computer, but the children loved it and I was able to learn a lot about a
child by watching them play these games on the computer. There are, of course
heaps of different ways to incorporate I.T. into OT, but I have yet to
experience such encounters. :) At my other placement, I was told by my OT supervisor that at her previous job, all the clients notes and files and all that were done on the computer! This means there are no giant files falling apart, you quite simply press a button, and BAM!!! You have the history of old Mr. Smith without having to lift a finger!! I.T. does make things easier in the workplace, but with any good thing, there have to be some negatives, I suppose. One negative could be that if something were to happen to our computer systems, that all those client files would be lost in an instant. Unless there are adequate backups, you're pretty much dead (for lack of a better word). That's something to think about, I suppose! Another good use for I.T. in OT is that if a client presents with a disease that you have never come across before, there is always the trusty Google!!
As I stated before, we live in the era of technology. There is constantly something new in the shops. You'll never have the newest of anything as it is constantly updated! This means that us as OT's must have a good understanding of I.T. and the benefits it has for us in the workplace and the interventions that we use with clients. We need to take into account that in a few years, everything will be 'I.T.' The way that we do everything will be influenced, even more than it is now, by I.T. and we must be prepared for the changes that that will bring.
So lastly, there are always ethical issues involved in the capturing, sharing and transferring of information via I.T. devices and we need to be aware of privacy and plagiarism. It's a simple matter of courtesy to those in the photos, or those whose work you are using. Asking permission before using material, whether it be photos or written work or ideas. One must then acknowledge that you retrieved that information from another source and not claim it as your own.
Till next tutorial!
Have a great week!
Sally~
Here are the references of the material that I used.
References:
Dictionary.com.
(n.d.). Information technology. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/information+technology
YouTube.
(2011, May 20) Information technology:
have you heard about it? Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt8xiJyJ2Sc&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1
YouTube.
(2009, May 12). Evolution of technology.
Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBNpQNWSHlY&NR=1&feature=endscreen&safety_mode=true&persist_safety_mode=1
