Information Technology and Ethical Issues

Hi everyone!

This second post is for educational purposes around the area of IT and what I have learnt so far from the first tutorial from Participation in Occupation 1.
We first explored the areas of Information Technology, and informed consent in relation to information capture, transfer and distribution via technology. We next looked at ethical issues related to infomation manipulation and presentation via technologial sources.
Lastly we looked at the implications of Information Technology to Occupational Therapy.

I needed to discuss the following questions in this post:

1. Provide a definition of Information Technology/Information Communications Technology (APA reference required):

'Information technology (IT), n. The production storage and communication of information using computers and microelectronics.

Hanks, P. (ed). (1989) Collins Concise Dictionary. Glasgow: Bath Press

2. Consider the definition of IT you have provided. How is this form of technology prevalent in our society? How common place has it become?

This form of techology has become extremely common in society today, within New Zealand and worldly contexts. Most people worldwide either own a computer themselves, or at least have some access to one. Houses often have more than one computer inside. Forms of IT (e.g. blogging, social connections - facebook, myspace and sharing photos e.g. flickr is becoming growingly common and used by a significant proportion of people. Computers/electronics can be considered rather dominating as we use them in a variety of everyday situations from calculators to shop assistant tills to advanced gaming consoles.

3. What IT devices or systems do you feel comfortable and competent using?

Computers, my laptop, cellphones, digital cameras, household appliances, gaming consoles (DS, PSP, PS1, 2 & 3, Xbox 360...)

4. Thinking about your own feildwork experiences consider how IT is beng used in Occupational Therapy Practice?

Computers were used for forms for equipment requests, client data, assessment and other databases used for Occupational Therapy purposes. Security systems were operated using computers to ensued the secured unit satyed locked, and could be checked via the screens who was entering/leaving the building.

5. What ethical implications arise from the capturing, sharing and transferring of information via IT devices (e.g. mobile phones) or systems (e.g. internet)?

People can share personal information and photos of people they know. People can meet people they do not know in person via social connectings sites e.g. myspace and form relationships with them not fully knwoing who they are and how old they may be. With mobile phones people can take pictures of people in everyday areas, and put them online within minutes of taking the photo which can be damaging and an invasion of privacy.

6. Provide a definition of Computer Ethics (APA required):

'Computer ethics is a branch of practical philosophy which deals with how computing professionals should make desicsions regarding professional and social conduct.'

Retrieved Wednesday March 3rd, 2010, from www. wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_ethics

7. Provide a definition of Intellectual Property (APA references required):

'Intellectual property (IP) is a term referring to a number of distinct types of legal monopolies over creations of the mind, both artistic and commercial, and the corresponding fields of law.^[1] Under intellectual property law, owners are granted certain exclusive rights to a variety of intangible assets, such as musical, literary, and artistic works; discoveries and inventions; and words, phrases, symbols, and designs. Common types of intellectual property include copyrights, trademarks, patents, industrial design rights and trade secrets in some jurisdictions.

Retrieved Wednesday March 3rd, 2010, from www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property

8. Provide a definition of Social Justice (APA references required):

'Social justice is also a concept that some use to describe the movement towards a socially just world. In this context, social justice is based on the concepts of human rights and equality.'

Retrieved Wednesday 3rd March, 2010, from www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_justice

9. Provide a definition of Informed Consent (APA required):

'Informed consent is a phrase often used in the law to indicate that the consent a person gives meets certain minimum standards. As a literal matter, in the absence of fraud, it is redundant. An informed consent can be said to have been given based upon a clear appreciation and understanding of the facts, implications, and future consequences of an action. In order to give informed consent, the individual concerned must have adequate reasoning faculties and be in possession of all relevant facts at the time consent is given.'

Retrieved Wednesday, 3^rd March, 2010, from www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Informed_consent

10. In your own words briefly summarize why (or why not) a great understanding of ITC and the ethical issues it encompasses will help us in our practice and daily lives:

I believe that having a great understanding of the ethical issues around using ITC and ITC in general is a very vital thing to have. It can help not only us to know, but clients to be passed on our knowldge of these things in order to use computers and other devices to their full and intended purpose and potential. I believe that like most things in life there is a good side and a bad side, and computers are not without however despite the fact there is negative components overall the positive aspects of using computers and ITC outway the bad and we should not dismiss them because of it as it would be a loss to do so.

So that comes to the end of my second posting. My next post will cover what we did in Tute 2, and the questions I will need to address in it. Thank-you for reading!

Steph