Video Production sessions 2

Youtube is an awesome website which has many useful services and tools available, Just some are:

-the ability to make personal videos and upload them
-rent a movie online and watch it
-respond to other peoples videos by leaving comments
-Like or dislike the videos you watch
-Watch 'suggested videos' which are a list of videos that automatically turn up and are similar to the ones you have just watched.
-Watch youtube videos from your phone or ipad if it has internet access
-You can use the Youtube 'Leanback' tool to watch videos from home on your TV

Click here to check out more of the services provided!

An occupation that is of personal interest to me is partner dancing! I love it and have done quite a bit of it within the past few years: salsa and ceroc. Its a great way to let loose, have fun and excercise!!

Below I have added some youtube videos of various partner dancing that is inspiring and enjoyable to watch,
please take a look.

Here are some amazing videos of partners dancing different styles from the TV series: 'So you think you can dance' and the movie 'Step Up'. 

 

 

Here are some great partner dancing lessons for beginners: ceroc and salsa.

Video Production Sessions

Hi there,

On the 11th of March we learnt all about video production and video cameras. Our lecturer gave us a task of making a short 30 second film that would show footage of various objects, people and places that begin with a certain letter. Our groups letter was F. We had a lot of fun finding and coming up with ideas of different things that we could film. This task gave us the opportunity to become more familiar and confident with using a camera. We also learnt how important it is to use a tripod as the quality of the film is significantly affected when you don't use one! ---> (shaky film does distract the audience from the actual footage you are trying to capture!) We then spent the last part of class coming up with ideas for the next film we were to make and designing the storyboard for it. Its theme is about overcoming adversities. Making the storyboard before filming was very helpful as we had a clear understanding of what shots we needed to take exactly. We could also see where our project is going and if the series of shots work successfully to deliver our overall message.

Our group ended up making a video on overcoming the adversity of what to do when people push in line. A group of us are standing by the microwave in a queue waiting to heat our food when suddenly an impatient perpetrator pushes in. The challenge is overcome when the victim fights back. Here it is, enjoy :)

Blog Creation Tasks

Hey there,

On the 5th of March I created my first ever blogger account! I cant believe it! I never thought I would have done something like this as the idea of it kind of freaks me out, the idea that anyone, anywhere in the world could be reading this right now....That actually really, really freaks me out. At the same time, I do understand the usefulness of blogging and it can be an amazing way to connect with a wide range of people from all over the world that share a common interest. I had a lot of fun designing my blog, so many colourful backgrounds and images to choose from!! and I like how we can connect to other peoples blogs via our own. I guess that makes me feel less alone in this. I also made my first ever Flickr account and was really impressed with how the quality of my photos turned out...the sharpness and clear contrast of the images was outstanding.

Digital Imaging

Some ways digital images are stored, transferred and manipulated using information technology are through:

-Adobe photoshop

-Macromedia Dreamweaver
(software programmes)

-Laptops

-Webcams

-Cell phones

-Ipods/ Iphones
(hardware)

-Three examples of digital imaging to provide information and recording are:

-Google Maps: Images of Christchurch after the earthquake. Families and friends can see what areas have been badly affected by the Christchurch earthquake as a way to connect with loved ones and share their experiences of this tragedy. (Click here)

-Flickr is another website that allows you to connect with people all around the world through photos. This page (Click here) shows us how you can use flickr and just some of the things you can do on it.

-Facebook is another very well known internet site that is used by many people. It allows you to upload photos and share them with friends and family. You can tag people as a way of connecting with them and allowing them to have a copy of that same image in their profile. If you haven't already signed up to facebook, at facebook.com

Just some of the opportunities digital camera technology holds, (in relation to more traditional film based cameras) are:

-That you can take more photos of a much higher quality.

-You can see the pictures that you have taken, immediately. This enables you to then choose whether you want to keep them or delete them instantly.

However the downsides are that they are more expensive to run as you do need a lot of additional equipment to store and print photos, such as a computer, printer, a memory card and battery etc..

With older/traditional film based cameras there is that element of surprise when you go and get your photos developed. But these days it can be a real struggle to find a place that can develop film. 

Ethical issues that could arise due to the prevalence of image capturing and distribution are:

-     -People could display images that someone else may not want to be publically displayed.
      -Photos can be manipulated easily using software programmes such as photoshop, therefore photos could not be the original and could have people or things added in, or taken away.

 

Digital images that could be used in occupational therapy practice include things like:

-ACC building modifications for client notes. This could help as evidence or justification when the Occupational Therapist is applying for a grant or funding.

-Be a form of meaningful occupation. A client can use this as a form of play/ leisure and can be very creative.

-Check out this page (click here). An OT writes about the value of scrap booking where she says it can really help those who have mental and/or physical disability. The process of making a scrapbook as well as the memories photos hold make it so therapeutic.

-Memory aid: Can act as a visual guide to someone’s environment

-James gave a beautiful example in class where one OT he knew created a communication  board for someone who was wheelchair bound and non-verbal. When watching the rugby, the client was able to express himself by pointing at the photos: cheering for the rugby team when they scored a point, booing when they lost etc... This communication board meant that the client was included and could truly participate in the occupation of watching a rugby game.

 

Information Technology and Ethical Issues

I wish to introduce my Online Record for the class: Participation in Occupation One at the school of Occupational Therapy in Dunedin, as part of my assignment. The following postings will contain information about IT and ethical issues, digital imaging, video production, the internet, online communities and assistive technology and how these all relate to occupational therapy. I hope you enjoy this blog and learn something new!

The definition I have come across for the meaning of IT (Information Technology)/ ICT (Information Communication Technology) is: "an umbrella term that includes any communication device or application, encompassing: radio, television, cellular phones, computer and network hardware and software, satellite systems and so on, as well as the various services and applications associated with them, such as videoconferencing and distance learning" Tech Target (2011).

From this definition, I interpret IT as a modern way of communicating and spreading information/ messages across quickly, to a large number of people.

It is everywhere and we are being constantly introduced to more as time goes by and technology advances. Technology is progressing faster than ever before where a computer bought a few years ago can now seem 'ancient'.
If we look at an example of a typical day of the average student, he/she gets bombarded with all sorts and forms of IT in only a few hours. At school: using phones to text and communicate messages in class, course content is only accessible via computers. To make an appointment with a specialist of any sort (eg. health care professional), computers are commonly used as diaries. To buy a product, eftpos machines must be used to swipe cards. Alternatively if cash is used, it would be put through an electronic till and so on...

IT is all around us and we have become very dependent on it. Without IT, society would stop functioning and financially our economy would be doomed. 

This youtube video shows us how we are becoming more separated from ourselves, others and the world by the use of technology. 

The IT devices or system that I feel comfortable and competent using are:

-Mp3 players (older versions)
-Cell phones (older versions)
-Lap tops and most computer programmes
I state ‘older versions’ in brackets as the newer versions seem overwhelming. They are unfamiliar and I feel like I have to spend a lot of time getting my head around learning the basic programme they run on. In the end, this can be too time consuming and I don’t have the patience to sit there and waste a lot of time achieving...not much.

IT is beginning to be used a lot in occupational therapy practice. Just some examples are:

-Nintendo Wii : used as a way for clients to exercise and have fun in the comfort of their own home, learn how to drive, working on clients co-ordination skills.
-Mobile phones: OTs can text clients to remind them off their next appointments
- Digital audio players, Personal Digital Assistants (PDA’s), hand-held game consoles:  can function as alarms, personal organisers, as a form of enjoyable occupation, memory aids
-Internet: way of connecting with others, keeping up with news and global issues Verdonck & Ryan (2008).
 Issues that can exist around OTs adoption of IT systems could be to do with the purpose intended for the particular IT. Are they really going to benefit the client?
I can imagine future Occupational Therapists using a lot of IT in their practice as technology advances more and more. People that are blind, death, have limitations in movement and so on will be given various IT that can help them do the same as everyone else, use computers to create, communicate and learn. With time and the further development of these already accessible programmes, IT for the disabled will become easily available and much more cheaper. 

This you-tube video got me thinking...  you could teach a person that struggles to recognize human emotions that people display in their body language and facial expressions with this ICT. (For example someone with Asbergers Syndrome) 

I believe that a great understanding of IT is useful in become a good practitioner, however I also believe that as organic beings, we are losing our connection with nature and that this loss can have devastating effects on our mental states. Therefore in some ways, adding more technology into our lives could be doing the opposite affect of what we could be initially intending. 

Some ethical implications from the capturing,  sharing and transferring of information via IT devices (e.g. mobile phones) or systems (e.g. internet) are:
-Accessing personal and private information
-Displaying images, videos of others that may not agree to having them shown publically.
-Not knowing exactly who the other on-liners are
-False information, identities 

A definition of intellectual property is: “Documented or undocumented knowledge, creative ideas, or expressions of human mind that have commercial (monetary) value and are protectable under copyright, patent, servicemark, trademark, or trade secret laws from imitation, infringement, and dilution” (WebFinance Inc, 2011).

I think Intellectual property is ideas and theories that other people have come up with where I believe it can be very easy to copy over the internet.
  
For me, social justice means that people should get a particular response that is ‘just’ to the actions they take. With ICT, if someone exploits or uses the internet unethically, there should be consequences for those actions. However when exploring this definition on the internet, I discovered that social justice within information technology  can mean “inequalities in access to information and communication technologies” (IGI Global, 2011). 

In Occupational Therapy, people with disabilities can struggle to access the same ICT resources as someone who is living without a disability. 

I believe informed consent is very important before information is displayed publically or shown to another person. An individual has to agree before her/his images, quotes, videos, songs and so on can be accessible to others. This provides safety and a form of respect for both parties. An OT should always ask for permission (even written consent)  as this makes her/him a professional practitioner that is empathetic and respectful towards their client where maintaining privacy of that patient is very important.

This video shows what some patients think about informed consent.

 

  
IGI Global. (2011). Information Technology and Social Justice. Retrieved from http://www.igi-global.com/bookstore/titledetails.aspx?TitleId=582
  
Tech Target. (2011). ICT (information and communications technology - or technologies). Retrieved from http://searchcio-midmarket.techtarget.com/sDefinition/0,,sid183_gci928405,00.html

Verdonck, M. C., & Ryan, S. (2008).Mainstream technology as an occupational therapy tool: technophobe or technogeek? British Journal of Occupational Therapy, 71(6)

WebFinance Inc. (2011).Intellectual property. Retrieved from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/intellectual-property.html