Tutorial One: Information
Technology and Ethical Issues
Hello blog followers, this is my first
tutorial and in it I will be covering Information Technology and the ethical
issues that surround it.
Information
Technology is defined in Dictionary.com, (my source for definitions as I do
not possess a hardcopy dictionary) as “the technology
of the production, storage, and communication of information using computers
and microelectronics” (Dictionary.com, 2012, para. 1). To me this means
anything and everything invented to enable communication and information to
be transferred in the world today.
Information Communications Technology refers
to “the study of the technology used to handle information and aid communication...In
addition to the subjects included in Information Technology (IT), ICT encompasses
areas such as telephony, broadcast media and all types of audio and
video processing and transmission” (Dictionary.com, 2012, para. 1). To
me this basically means the study of all fields of information technology.
|
Consider the definition
of IT you have provided. How is this
form of technology prevalent in our society?
How common place has it become?
Information technology (I.T) is hard to be
missed in New Zealand society. It is so prevalent that it is uncommon to not
have many I.T items in the average house, shop, office or car in the New
Zealand Community. New Zealand Statistics says “Sales of information
technology (IT) goods and services (excluding communication services)
increased 0.6 percent to $7,015 million in the 2004 financial year”
(Statistics New Zealand, 2012, para 1).
This sounds like a lot of money, but technology has become a necessity
in New Zealand Culture both in communicating with others and going about
daily business. As a 19 year old my generation has grown up not knowing
anything different than relying on information technology, and I believe those
younger than me have been brought up with a heavier reliance on Information
Technology. For example at my Intermediate school for students in the top
class owning a lap top was made compulsory. In my life I find both my mobile
phone for texting people (mainly to meet up) and my lap top (for facebook,
receiving information form Otago Polytechnic, internet banking, skype,
Youtube and finding quick facts of information) very important. Facebook for
me is a really good way to communicate with others. I researched how many
people are on Facebook currently and found Facebook reported there were 845
million monthly active users at the end of December 2011 on their blog page http://newsroom.fb.com/content/default.aspx?NewsAreaId=22.
Thinking about this I wondered what the world would be like in the future and
found this Youtube video of the world in 2021 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z4bJEqoCAuI&feature=related
, it really gets you thinking, where to next?
|
If I was asked what IT devices or system do
you feel comfortable and competent using? I would say For my
generation I would be classified in the technophob category because I find
using technology does not come naturally to me. However I think I have just
become comfortable with it just because it has become a compulsory part of my
life, and although I found it hard to get used to at the start I get the hang
of using it in the end. From having it as part of my core curriculum in year
9 and 10 i foguired out I am not quick when learning to use Information
Technology, but as I use it today I rearly think about how much I am using IT
today. I think with IT my main limitation
is not believing I am going to master it and giving up easily. Also the
expense of new IT and time I have to use it (e.g a play station) puts me off
buying it. However, as technology changes, to keep up with the world so must
I. Observing others and learning from them helps me expand my use of
technology. A few examples of where I use technology to engage in purposeful
occupation are using Skype and Facebook to talk to friends and family, using
Youtube to do aerobics and other fitness programmes, using my I-pod to listen
to music and of course using Moodle to prepare for classes, assignments and
exams.
|
IT was very important to Occupational
Therapists in community physical. Firstly, this is the most efficient way of
easily assessing information. Secondly, the Intranet in the hospital was
great for receiving previous information about the client and communicating
with other health care professionals in the hospital. Thirdly, communication
was made possible by using a phone to ring clients to arrange visits and
emailing and ringing the builders and AcessAble about house renovating issues.
I believe ethics and confidentiality are
very important when using I.T. When using I.T the OT must think of who can
see the information of the client and whether this is in anyway exposing the
client or breaching the OT code of Ethics. Secondly, with all good technology
there will be a cost; therefore the effectiveness of the technology must over
ride the cost. Thirdly, technology is technical and there is the issue of
time and money spent to training the Occupational Therapists up and giving
them tools to train the client.
In community physical I can forsee
laptops or i-pads being used on all home visits and assessments and no hand
written documents needed (especially since some handwriting is very hard to
read). If clients live very far away from the OT’s workplace I can imagine
Skype could be a better way of communicating then a telephone as you see
their facial expressions and non verbal cues as the interview is conducted. Also
teaching and education sessions can be recorded and posted on the internet
for more clients to watch without leaving the comfort of their own home. I
also believe assistive technology will be so beneficial with enabling
communication, between clients and OT’s with a vast number of communication
devices such as these two http://www.dakotabilities.org/services-programs/communication-resources/
and http://www.tilrc.org/assests/news/0211news/0211state20.html
. These assist the client to share their thoughts and viewpoints on their
intervention therefore developing a more client centred approach.
In your own words
briefly critique why (or why not) a great understanding and use of IT
will help us in our practice and daily lives if our goal is to enable
occupation.
Like it or not
Technology is all around us and it is rapidly advancing. As professionals we
must adapt to the times and learn what IT will be beneficial to our clients
and how our clients find meaningful occupation through IT. In our daily lives
we must have a basic understanding of IT as it is becoming an efficient way
to find information and communicate with friends and family. If we don’t ‘get
on the boat’ we will simply be left behind.
|
What ethical implications
arise from the capturing, sharing and
transferring of information via IT devices (e.g. mobile phones) or systems
(e.g. internet)
When capturing, sharing and transferring
information via IT devices ethical implications can arise. This is mainly
centred around privacy where a person may not want a picture or video taken
of them, or any information that might identify them (e.g. their vehicle
number plate). Putting information on the internet (unless it is securely
made private) will make it public for anyone to see. Transferring of
information can be a dangerous matter, for example it can be a source of
either text or cyber bullying, which in extreme cases has lead to teen
suicide. Also an example in class was
sharing tips on how to cover up eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia
conditions.
|
References
Dictionary.com (2012). Information and
communication definition. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/information+and+communication+technology
Dictionary.com (2012) IT. Retrieved from http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/information+technology
Statistics New Zealand (2012). Information Technology Survey: 2004 financial year Retrieved from
Facebook (2012). Factsheet. http://newsroom.fb.com/content/default.aspx?NewsAreaId=22
No comments:
Post a Comment