Tute one: information technology

Hi, welcome, my name is Amy van der Heyden and I am currently in my second year of occupational therapy.

My first post is going to attempt tackling the huge topic of Information Technology and its Ethical issues.

So what is Information Technology?

Information Technology “defines an industry that uses computers, networking, software programming, and other equipment and processes to store, process, retrieve, transmit, and protect information.” (http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-information-technology.htm)

Information technology is very dominant in today’s society and we have become increasing dependent on it over the last 50 years. Growing up as a generation Y’er, the “facebook generation”, information technology has been a big part of our up bringing. The computer and Internet alone have changed the way we shop, communicate, learn and essentially work. Technology and the accessibility of the Internet have undoubtedly spoilt our generation. In writing this blog I can confidently say that the majority of us would agree that we automatically searched this topic in Google and to the dismay of our lecturers, Wikipedia.

Worryingly, research conducted by the Journal Science shows that generation Y’s collective memory is falling by the wayside because of the way we carry out our academic work. According to researchers Dr Betsy Sparrow and Daniel Wegner (2005), knowing that information and facts are accessible whenever we need them online, makes us less likely to remember them. Our brains are simply learning that they don’t need to retain information in the same way our parents’ did. The debate here is whether this is pure laziness or resourcefulness and maximizing the function of the Internet.

I am a strong advocator for technology and believe that it is not making us more lazier but more efficient in they way we productively spend our time. Information technology (IT) tends to focus on making life easier and more productive.

The IT device I feel most comfortable using definitely has to be my laptop. Without my laptop (with internet access of course) I would be lost. I use my laptop to keep in contact with my friends through facebook, communicate with my family on skype, complete online class work on moodle, complete assessments through Microsoft office, shop for cloths, online banking and keep up with the latest music on youtube. As you can see I use this device for many purposeful occupations such as communicating with loved ones and productive work. Growing up using this device has made me very dependent on it and I would struggle to function effectively without it. Even so there are still times in my life when I wonder whether this device can sometimes cripple people’s social and physical functions. The accessibility and usability of the internet and computers prompts people to spend more time inside rather than socializing in the community.

Last year I completed my first fieldwork placement in a community physical setting at a hospital. This hospital had a computer system which stored all of past clients health records on. This system was effective and useful as it provided easy and fast access to client information. Without such a system the therapist would have to go through truckload filing to find the correct information. This IT system has improved the efficiently of the hospital.

In the future IT and IT devices are going to become a huge tool in the occupational therapy practice.  These systems and devices have already started making there way into this setting and as the industry grows so will range of ways in which we will be able to use them.

In occupational therapy IT can assist in simplifying everyday activities that some may be unable to do themselves. For example you are know able to order your groceries online as well as get the delivered. This would be an effective tool to use in practice for someone who is still independent at home but is having difficulties in mobility.

It s important to become familiar and keep up to date with the latest IT systems and devices because they will without a doubt change the way we function in the future.