Overview

This brings me to the end of my posts for Participation in Occupation One, I have found that it has taught me many things about blogging that I was completely oblivious to before, and I have also come across some interesting content on the internet. I hope some of the posts have been interesting for others too.
Thanks!
Breanna

Tutorial Eight: Assistive Technology

"Assistive technology (AT) can be defined as any item, piece of equipment, or product system, whether acquired commercially off the shelf, modified, or customized, that is used to increase, maintain, or improve the functional capabilities of individuals with disabilities" (What is assistive..., n.d.). My understanding is that assistive technology can be anything from wheelchairs to computers to hearing aids and everything in between. It is basically anything which allows an individuals limitations to be overcome by aid of a device.

One piece of assisstive technology introduced in the assistive technology tutorial is the Ipad. This is a device which has taken the world by storm, it is very small and very thin in order for the easy transportation and cost around $800.00. It allows the user to do may things depending on the applications they have loaded onto the Ipad. Most useful is that the Ipad can be used for surfing the internet, taking photographs, reading, writing, listening to music, the list goes on.

Because the Ipad is touch screen it can be much easier to use for someone with limited hand funcion as they do not have to press small buttons as they would on a computer/laptop keyboard. It can also overcome access problems if someone is unable to get somewhere to use a computer the Ipad is completely transportable. It also provides zoom and voiceover for those with visual and auditory impairments.

The following YouTube video gives a great example of how the Ipad has helped in rehabilitation. This example is of a speech language therapist using the Ipad to help a stroke patient communicate with other people as he has difficulty speaking.

References:

What is assistive technology, (n.d.). Retrieved 11 May, 2011, from http://standards.gov/standards_gov/assistiveTechnology.cfm

By looking through some of my classmates blogs I can see they have put a lot of effort into them and it is great to see some really interesting things relevant to occupational therapy. You will see some below that I found really great.


http://rhiannhikuroa.blogspot.com/ This is  a great blog with some really interesting stuff on sensory modulation

http://rachelmareethomas.blogspot.com/ This blog is fun to look at and has some humorous content as well as some very relevant information to occupational therapy.

http://jessica-ot.blogspot.com/ This blog also looks really great as it is complemented with interesting fonts and pictures. It also has some really interesting sites linked into it such as Bluebird Vintage clothing.

http://kendylw.blogspot.com/ I loved the videos on stroke on this blog, I found them really informative at a basic level.

http://jooneill.blogspot.com/  I found it great to see someone else had information on relaxation. It was interesting to see what videos someone else came up with regarding the same topic as me.

By having a look at the above blogs you will see I have posted comments on a couple of things I liked.

Tutorial Six: The Internet and Online Communities

The focus of this post is online communites with a more direct focus on social networking. The three specific sites below will be looked at more indepth:

www.facebook.com

www.twitter.com

www.bebo.com

These social networking sites have a main focus of encouraging interaction between people around the globe. However there are some differences between the sites too.

Facebook:
Facebook is a site which allows people to have a profile about themselves, providing their basic details and their interests. It allows people to get in touch with friends all around the globe, chat directly with friends who are online and post comments or photos on what they have been doing.

Twitter:
Twitter is a site which allows you to 'follow' people, this can be friends, businesses, celebrities, basically anyone who interests you, as well as posting your own comments and updates if you wish.

Bebo:
Bebo is similar Facebook as it is again more centred around each individual having a profile about themselves and sharing images and conversations.

 Each of these sites are about people keeping contact around the globe so it is easy to see that they are all very interactive sites. Facebook and Bebo are very similar in the way that people merely contribute information about themselves and their interests whereas Twitter can also have businesses advertising their latest deals and offers.

Majority of people use these website communities in order to keep in touch with friends or family, or even meet new people. The main reason why people contribute is as it is a form of  free communication when perhaps there is no other alternative. People are generally just seeking contact with other people, usually friends or family. Information on Facebook and Bebo can be considered reciprocal as most comments are between 2 or more people. However, with Twitter the idea is more about 'following' a person, business etc and therefore it can be considered less reciprocal as the information is generally given without reply from followers.

Examples of content shared on Facebook, Bebo and Twitter are provied below

This was a post on Facebook from a friend of mine, it is a great example of how people can let their friends know what they have been doing:

"has been just been offered the opportuninty of a life time and is rather excited to be leaving new zealand in 10 days and heading for belgium :) roll on some good times"

Similarly to the above post this is a post from one friend to another in a Bebo conversation, this is a great example of how social networking can keep people in touch:

"Hey havnt seen u in ages, will be in Invercargill this weekend if u wna catch up."

Lastly, this is a post on Twitter of the celebrity Britney Spears to keep her fans updated on what she has been doing and her latest work.

"Love this #FemmeFataleTour promo created by LaceLProductionz. What do you guys think? http://youtu.be/nMI9S3bJGpo -Brit"

It is easy to see that there are ethical issues with sites like these as information can be taken from the sites and added to other places on the internet, or people can create fake identities and illicit information from people through those identities.

Online communities such as the three communities looked at above do provide some benefits in comparison to traditional geographical communities. Firstly, online communities can actually compliment traditional communities as it can provide furthur communication between members of that community. It can also allow contact of people living large distances away from each other, and allows people to connect with those who share common interests but may have otherwise never met each other. These are the main benefits however there are many other underlying benefits also.

Despite the benefits we have described above it is also important to note that there are disadvantages to online communites too, perhaps an important one to note is that not all people have access to internet and therefore are not given the opportunity to use these sites. Also, as talked about earlier, people can misuse these communities with or without other people knowing e.g creation of fake identities. Lastly, people can often begin to rely on these online communities which means they begin to interact less in their geographical community.

Tutorial Five: Video Production Sessions

Youtube is a website which allows anyone to upload and share videos globally, it also allows people to share their opinions on the videos or add information they think is suited to the video. Aside from these basic services you can also do many other things such as hire movies, use youtube on your cellphone, watch videos in 3D, watch videos with subtitles along with many other advanced services (YouTube essentials, n.d.).

An area which I found interesting during Fieldwork One Placement was relaxation and the different methods available. The following five videos are examples of relaxation which I think are enjoyable to listen to.


This video is an example of visualisation. Visualisation can be used  with any place you enjoy but for me the beach is very relaxing and therefore I find this video is a great source of relaxation.

This video is an example of progressive muscle relaxation which seems to be great way to relax the whole body.

This video provides an example of a position which is relaxing for most people. You can use visualisation or progressive muscle relaxation in a position like this or simply just concentrate on breathing.




This video provides a demonstration of how diaphragmatic deep breathing can help relax the muscles and give the body more oxygen. This is great method to learn to improve the quality of your breathing and relax during stressful times.




This last video provides an example of meditation which is a way of clearing the mind of any thoughts with the body in a position which greatly helps relaxation.




References:

Retrieved May 10, 2011, from http://www.youtube.com/t/about_essentials

Tutorial Two: Digital Imaging

Digital images are stored, transferred and manipulated through many methods using information technology. Ways which I am personally familiar with include:

• Digital cameras
• Memory cards
• USB hard-drives
• Electronic photo frames
• Social networking sites
• Enhancement programmes

The following three links are examples of digital imaging being used for information and recording:

• Imaging is a great way to keep friends and family up to date with what you have been up to and this is very common on social networking sites such as facebook.
• Imaging is great for before and after photos of things. It could be in order for landlords and tenants to know if a rented house is being looked after or to see the result of renovations
• Lastly, imaging can also be used for selling almost anything from houses to animals to chilrens toys. Trademe is a well-known site where many people use photographs to sell their items.

When looking at the statement "a new technology is rarely superior to an old one in every feature" we can discuss the positives and negatives of new digital imaging in comparison to traditional film based cameras. It is of benefit that digital cameras allow the photographer to sort through and choose which photots they are happy with and which they are not, and it is clear that with digital imaging we can manipulate images to a near endless extent. However this can be both a postive and negative as we can make images look how we want them to but they then provide an inaccurate representation of what happened. Traditional cameras are much harder to manipulate a picture and can also present a much clearer image if processed accurately.

Ethical issues can arise when photographs are manipulated without the consent of the person in the photograph or owner of the object in the photograph, as they begin to present a skewed version of the truth. Ethical issues can also arise when sharing of photgraphs through websites such as facebeook occurs as anyone can see photos uploaded by someone without the consent of those in the photographs.

Digital imaging has been integrated into occupational therapy in some ways and is likely to become more and more frequent as information teachnology advances. Examples of digital imaging within occupational therapy:

• Before and after photographs of physical impairments
• Photographs of impairments for teaching purposes
• Can become an occupation for someone with low levels of physical functioning.

This website provides a look at some photography taken by a man with a spinal cord injury, he took up digital photography after sustaining his injuries.

The photobadge at the top of my blog shows some digital photographs of my hometown Tuatapere.

Tutorial One: Information Technology and Ethical Issues

The focus of this post is on information technology and the fact that we must always consider ethical issues when using technological devices.

Information technology is defined as: “Information technology (IT) is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications” (Information technology…, n.d.). To me, this definition explains the process of using technological devices to aid in everyday life. For example, the modern information technology I use includes things such as internet banking, social networking, and digital photography.

It appears to me as though technology is becoming more and more prevalent throughout the world. In the past few years more and more technology has been included in the life of myself and those around me. We seem to be becoming more and more reliant on this technology to communicate with others, manage our finances etc. This YouTube clip provides a great example of the level of technology in our world today and how this had changed from the past.

There are some specific technological devices which I am comfortable and experienced using and others which I am not so comfortable and experienced using. Generally technology that is used by friends or peers expands my own use of information technology as I can learn from them how to use the devices. For example, cellphones, i pods, computers. However, with technological devices that are more uncommon or difficult to use I tend to make less effort learning how to use them.

With occupational therapy’s focus being involved with the manipulation of contexts in order for individuals to carry out their familiar everyday activities (Caulton, 2003) and with technology becoming more and more common in our everyday lives it is inevitable that the two are linked. Occupational therapists have begun to incorporate technology into their practice in two main ways. The first is to increase the independence of a client completing an activity and the second is as a therapeutic tool to improve occupational performance (Petty, 2003 as cited in Verdonck & Ryan, 2008). Issues have arisen with some occupational therapists embracing the incorporation of technology in intervention and others being more ‘stuck in their ways’ and less likely to use technology. When a client considers technology meaningful to their lives it can be difficult for the occupational therapist to include this in intervention if they have not been trained/ have no experience with technology. The cost of some technological devices can also provide an issue for occupational therapists as often funding is very limited. However, there are occupational therapists out their using more and more advanced technology to aid clients in some way. It seems that in the future there will be various ways for clients to drive their wheelchairs, do their cooking, use their computer and carry out many other daily tasks that were impossible for those with impairments in the past.

This link shows a technological device which allows those with visual impairments to enlarge text for reading. This is just one example of technology aiding in someone’s daily life.

I believe that it is important for occupational therapists to develop an understanding of available technologies, particularly for their practice as it is important they are able to acknowledge the role of technology in their client’s lives whether they consider technology important in their own lives or not.

When people capture, share and transfer information via technological devices, permission should always be sought from those who might be a part of the content. However, when photos are taken or information is posted on the internet often permission is not sought by those people and the content can be manipulated when on the World Wide Web.  This poses an ethical implication.

Intellectual property is the recognition of one’s intellectual input into an intangible idea and the subsequent copyright or trademark of that idea (Intellectual property..., n.d.). For example an artist may copyright their artwork so that someone else cannot claim that the art is the work of their own intellect (What is intellectual..., n.d.).  An example within the realm of occupational therapy may be an occupational therapist copyrighting their journal article so that someone else cannot claim it as their own work.

Social Justice is the idea of equal justice in all aspects of society. It is concerned with every person having equal rights and opportunities (What is social..., n.d.) For example from a political perspective anti-discrimination laws are a form of social justice (What is social...., n.d.). An example in relation to occupational therapy may be ensuring we treat each client in the same way despite their culture, religion, political views etc.

Informed consent is the concept of a client agreeing they have had adequate information to make an informed decision (What is informed..., n.d.). An example of this is a patient about to get surgery will sign an informed consent to say they understand the procedure and risks of the surgery (What is informed..., n.d.). This is similar for some treatments in occupational therapy the client may give informed consent to say they know all about what treatment is going to be administered on them.

References:

Caulton, R.F. (e.d). (2003). The best of occupation 1993-2003. Dunedin: Rogan McIndoe Print Ltd.

Retrieved March 25, 2011, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Information_technology

Retrieved March 25, 2011, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9XXaZRHhmxY

Retrieved March 25, 2011, from  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property

Retrieved March 25, 2011, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pyZkK2FK_Ig&feature=related

Retrieved March 25, 2011, from http://www.wipo.int/freepublications/en/intproperty/450/wipo_pub_450.pdf

Retrieved March 25, 2011, from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-social-justice.htm

Retrieved March, 25, 2011, from http://psychology.about.com/od/iindex/g/def_informedcon.htm