Tutorial Eight

Provide a definition of Assistive technology.
“Any service that directly assists an individual with a disability in the selection, acquisition or use an assistive technology device.”

“The science or study of the practical or industrial arts applied science and method, process, etc. For handling a specific technical problem.”


Describe one piece of equipment introduced in the assistive technology tutorial. Provide information on size, cost and functions.

Communication device =1000-$5000 New Zealand Dollars.
The self contained tech/talk augmentative communicator has 6,8 or 12 levels which a client and therapist use to record and playback distinct messages. Up to 48 to 96 messages can be stored and vary from “Will you do something” to “ I am worried”.
It is easy to operate by pressing the 8 squares available on the dash board.


How does your chosen piece of equipment increased functional capacity for the user? Provide examples here from the tutorial and lecture.

This assistive talking machine would be excellent for a person that can’t express how they may be felling or show what they want to do.
It would assist a person with limited physical function, although would need some some hand functions to be able to push the buttons. Some cognition to know what you want.
This assistive device doesn’t need others to help it function it can be functioned solely by the user.

Tutorial Seven

Explain the step by step process required to embed You Tube videos into your Blog . Consider using screen captures to provide a visual representation of these steps.

To add You Tube footage:
1. Find You Tube tags - OT, participation, students, Dunedin
2. Copy link
3. Go to blog
4. Add an element
5. Go to Video clip
6. Add title and paste code into description

Explain the step by step process required to embed a Flickr Badge into your Blog . Consider using screen captures to provide a visual representation of these steps To add a Flickr badge:

1. Log on to your Flickr account
2. Upload photos
3. Help - Tools
4. Create a Flickr badge
5. Choose a layout
6. Choose colours of the background
7. Save changes and copy the code
8. Go to blog
9. Add an element
10. Go to Java html
11. Add title and paste code into description

Tutorial Six

The internet and online communities

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

Myspace.

Chatroooms, blogs, forums, music, film, T.V., games, horoscopes, videos and advertising. This site is very interactive as it is easy to join up to groups and leave messages on other peoples or groups blog pages. You can ask questions and have -them answered within seconds.


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

Peter Kollock (1999)

- Anticipated reciprocity
- Increased recognition
- Sense of efficacy
- Sence of community



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

Privacy | Help | Sign Up People MySpace Web Music Video Home | Browse | Search | Invite | Mail | Blogs | Favourites | Forum | Groups | Events | Film | MySpaceTV | Music | Games | Apps

Cool New Videos on MySpaceTV 69,290 uploaded today!


-Popcorn With Cell Phones
-Rooster
Vs. Mop
-Finger Spin Tricks
-Crazy Glowing Skateboards


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.
"When technology is injected into a setting, the roles and responsibilities of those in that setting change. What might have been obvious ways to assess responsibility in a less technologically supported environment become obscured when the human-technology balance is recalibrated with the introduction of new technology. In such cases, the new responsibilities and relationships need to be identified and articulated so that people know what their new role entails and the necessary requisites for performing it."

Retrieved February 14, 2007 from, http//plato.stanford.edu/entries/computing-responsibility.

On myspace people have the opportunity to be someone they're not. It is easy to pretend to be someone else and give information that is not accurate.

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

-Can compliment real life communities
-Can provide large amounts of information
-Can provide connections over great distances instantly
-Ability to connect with people of similar interests/needs/concerns
-Can foster understanding and unity
-Can allow silent observation prior to participation
-Often without monetary cost
-Individual generally have an equality of voice. A move away from mass media.
-Speed of information sharing
-Ability to monitor and regulate users.


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

-Digital divide (who has access)
-Technology compatibility
-Misuse
-Delusional reliance on virtual communities
-Rapid grown may result in unwanted or unperceived changes
-Limited communication tools
-Validity of the information being shared
-Who sustains and managers the community

Tutorial Five

Tutorial Four

Provide a brief summary of the services offered by U Tube. Information can be drawn from the week five tutorial hand out.

youtube offers a site for the public to join as a community and share videos online. Everyone can watch and share experiences of events being educational, funny, interesting, political, and strange. Access to youtube can come via your cell phone, Youtube can be integrated onto another site such as a blog, or have youtube as a feed. You tube is a website which people can upload video footage of themselves. The idea behind You Tube is to broadcast yourself. It also offers a community page with groups and contests. Test tube is the ideas incubator and offers active sharing (a feature where you can share with other users the videos that you're watching), audioswap (a feature that allows you to attach licenced music to video clip) and streaming (a feature that connects you with others watching the same video).

Tutorial Three

Services offered by Blogger....

A blog is usually an individually managed website that has a running commentry about what ever the person wishes to type about or post to show. This can include words, videos, audio or pictures. Other people can view your posts and leave feedback on your page. Through blogging you can communicate your interests with others and vice verca. Blogger offers users to publish thoughts, talk with people, share photos, videos and music and recieve information.
Another bloger site to visit is... www.thoughts.com

Tutorial Two.

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? Digital camera technology is not superior to film based cameras in every way. There are definitely aspects of a digital camera that are more appealing to the everyday public although there are also aspects of the traditional film based camera that have not been able to be transfered with the up date of technology.

List some of the ways that digital images can be stored transferred and manipulated using other communications technology. Images can be stored on computers and disc either C.D. or DVD. They can also be kept on an external hard drive or in a USB stick. There are programs on the computer such as photo shop that can "pollish" the image, deleting unwanted aspects and making the image look different.

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. Because capturing an image is so quick and easy to do, permission of the captured may not be sought, and this may offend. Privacy issues may arise when an object or person is included in an image without being told or asked beforehand.

Briefly discuss some of the ways that digital images could, or are, being used in occupational therapy practice. Digital images may be used for home modifications, for example to show a draftsman or builder or to be a reminder of what the area looks like for the OT when drawing up plans.

Provide a brief summary of the services offered by Flickr.com A way to get your photos to people around the world. UPLOAD= from your desktop, send by e-mail, or use camera phone. ORGANIZE= Use collections, sets and tags to organize photos. SHARE= Use groups and privacy controls to share photos. MAPS= Share where photos are taken and see photos taken near you. MAKE STUFF= Cards, photo books, framed prints, DVD's ect. KEEP IN TOUCH= Get updates from family and friends.

Name one other photo storage website which offers a service similar to Flickr.com Fotopic.net, Broadcaster.com, Photobucket, Polanoid, Webshots, Yahoo! photos, Zooomr.

Explain what the difference is between a digital and an optical zoom Digital zoom lessens the quality of the image taken as it crops the photo down in size and makes it larger. Optical zoom on the other hand actually changes the length of the zoom lens and magnification stays at the same quality depending on how many pixels your camera has.

Explain what is meant by the term mega pixel A mega pixel is a tiny square in which a digital image is made up of. The more mega pixels the camera has, the better the resolution and quiality will be on your image especially if you enlarge it. A mega pixel is one million pixels.