Wednesday, March 30, 2011

Doing it for the Community


טוטאָריאַל נומער זעקס (tutorial number six)

Language of the week:

Yiddish
This week we picked an area of interest and then found three online communities around this community.  I chose to look at online communities that work towards changing social injustice/ issues

The Three Communities I'm going to look at are:
-FaceBook - Streetworks



First up is The Prescha Initiative 

This is what their website says about them:
"We are a group of friends motivated by the values of JUSTICE and FREEDOM of all people. We are particularly passionate about seeing human trafficking eliminated. 
We are defined by our name - PRESCHA ("pray-sha") which means... 
-ACT URGENTLY
-WITH GREAT HASTE
-TO ADVOCATE FOR THE BROKEN HEARTED, 
in four different languages. We are a movement dedicated to advocacy, freedom and justice." 

The sites purpose is to raise awareness about human trafficking, then to encourage and facilitate action.  They do this by providing information and links to other websites to help people get educated around the issues of trafficking.  They then offer a forum for discussion, a space for people to post their creative response if they have one and information on how they can help, with a way for people to get in touch with Prescha.  They also have information on past and present events that Prescha are hosting or will be attending.  I believe that people want to contribute to this community because they see its value and the need for the community and their response

People are able to contribute via the creative response or the discussion forum.  This is an example of a topic being discusses:
13 April 2010 at 9:45am last edited: 15 April 2010 11:42am
Community Member 1:
I completely agree with what's being said here. I think chronic poverty makes people take unwise risks & it's heartbreaking that others take advantage of their desperation. Human trafficking as a global trade (which unfortunately it is) has fed off our obsession with acquisition, whether cheap food, clothes, employees or sex. We are a society of consumers that need to feed our own selfish greed. At the very minimum, we (as consumers) need to be aware of where our purchases come from. Are we prepared to put others before our own selfish desires??

Community Member 2:
15 April 2010 at 11:07am last edited: 30 April 2010 1:44pm
I think I would be and I'm stoked to see that there are more moralistic choices when buying...especially FOOD. But for example, in New Zealand, there are only a handful of equitable shops where you can buy fair trade clothes and often they're not even that cool. It would be awesome if we had more morally conscious options available, but at the same time, would we really shop at them if it meant we had to curb our spending or not look quite as trendy........?? I completely agree. Human trafficking is selfish acquisition. It centres on demand for self-gratification whether that is material possessions or sex. Nevertheless, it is one thing to SAY that we'll live unselfishly and another to do it... I love Joel Houstens quote where he says "it's time for a revolution.. fuelled by a dissatisfaction with self-centred living and complacent faith.. driven by a desire for truth, love and justice.. " But what does that actually mean and how does it affect us as individuals? How does it affect the wider scope of human trafficking?
Having the on-line community rather than a geographical one allows people from all over the world to share ideas and thoughts, which is important, as the issue discussed on the community is a global issue. 



Secondly is, Streetworks

Streetworks facebook page allows people to inform each other of events, to share photos and information and to share thoughts and feelings from events.  Streetworks is a Hamilton-based community initiative aimed at meeting the needs of the wider community through a variety of projects.  Put simply their purpose is to encourage a mindset in people whereby meeting the needs of the community is a part of daily life.  With this purpose in mind, Streetworks runs two major events per year and a number of smaller projects aimed at exposing the volunteers who attend them to different needs in the community.  To follow this up, they look to provide further opportunities for engagement with the community for those individuals or groups who are passionate about turning this type of activity into a lifestyle.  Streetworks looks to support and facilitate peoples’ ideas on how to get involved in the community rather than prescribe set way of doing things.

Over the last three years, Streetworks has run six major events, each attended by around 180 volunteers.  These events consist of about 20 different projects around the city being completed over the course of one day.
 

Examples of projects include:
• Chopping and delivering firewood
• Building sandpits in the homes of financially struggling families
• Cooking and freezing emergency meals for community centres to disperse
• Baking and visiting rest homes and hospitals
• Painting murals
• Cleaning houses and gardens
• Planting fruit trees and vege gardens
• Family Fun Days
The purpose of the community website is to promote awareness of Streetworks and their events.  Anyone can ask to be a friend of streetworks and most, if not all are accepted.  Once accepted they can view photos from events, see post from the streetworks team informing about events or commenting on events.  Others are then able to comment on this post or make their own post.  Many people support Streetworks and they contribute to be informed about what is happening, so that they can express their feelings from events, often thanks, and so they can see photos to see past events to see what happens at streetworks events or to remember them.


This is one of the comments made in response to the latest Streetworks event, and people’s responses to the comment: 

Streetworks member #1
Thanks for your marvellous demonstration of practical love to Hamilton. Bless all those who took part.
Top of Form
01 May at 21:31 · Like · · See friendship
·          
·         Streetworks Hamilton and 2 others like this.
·          
o    Streetworks member #2  Was such an awesome day!
01 May at 22:10 · Like
o    Streetworks member #3  what a great day thanks you guys
02 May at 10:21 · Like
Bottom of Form
Top of Form
·          
o     
Bottom of Form
This community is an online community and a physical community.  Having the online community is very important for the group.  It helps the members of the community stay connected to the group between the six-month gaps between big events.  It allows the main organisers another median to share their message and ask for help when needed.  It is a place for members who may have meet at the events to get in touch with each other. It also allows a place for people to talk and discuss events, a place where they can share their feels on the event, share their response. 






Thirdly is Watoto, Restore Tour
Watoto is a holistic care programme that was initiated as a response to the overwhelming number of abandoned and vulnerable children and women in Uganda, whose lives have been ravaged by war and disease.  The Watoto model involves physical care; medical intervention including HIV/AIDS treatment; education – formal and technical; trauma rehabilitation and spiritual discipleship. The Restore Tour is a tale of the tragedy and the triumph of the child soldier and the greater community of northern Uganda, who have endured some of the worst atrocities known to man. As we meet the people and hear the true stories of many, we hear one single story - a story of conflict, struggle, forgiveness and restoration. Every testimony is true, as told by the individual.

Their twitter account allows them to give up dates on what is happening with the tour.  They inform people of shows that are coming up, comment on shows that have been.  Anyone is able to access their account and see what is happening with the group. If you have a twitter account you can add the Restore Tours address into your tweet and the message will be linked with their page and whoever manages the tours account will be notified of this message.  I think people are a part of this because they are interesting in Watotos story and they want to find out where they can go to watch a performance, they may also want to wish the group luck, or make a comment a performance they viewed.  

Their latest tweet was about the opening of the Watoto Church:

"Watoto Church Cape Town open… Celebrating Christ, Caring For Community… 1 May 2011http://bit.ly/kTTFhO @watotochurchCT"

A comment about the tour that was retweeted by Watoto was:

"Watoto Restore tour tells the power of forgiveness! Don't chase the snake that bit you-deal w/ the venom it released! UnforgivenessKills"




The restore tour travels all over the world, so they do not stay in anyone place long enough, apart from Uganda, to be able to form physical communities.  By having the several online communities that they have, they are able to stay connected to those they form friendships with in different countries, and have a place for response for those who are greatly affected by their story.  



References 

(n.d.). Retrieved 04 01, 2011, from Twitter: http://twitter.com/
(n.d.). Retrieved 04 01, 2011, from the prescha initiative: http://www.prescha.org/
(n.d.). Retrieved 03 28, 2011, from Watoto: resuce, raise, rebuild: http://www.watoto.com/
Restore tour. (n.d.). Retrieved 03 28, 2011, from Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/restoretour
restore tour; child soldier no more. (n.d.). Retrieved 03 28, 2011, from restore tour: http://www.restoretour.com/
Streetworks Hamilton. (n.d.). Retrieved 04 01, 2011, from Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/streetworks.hamilton


Tuesday, March 29, 2011

What can YouTube Offer You?

チュートリアル番号 (tutorial number five)

Language of the week:
Japanese

Youtube week!
I've decided to have a look at different hand therapies

First up is Certified hand therapist Sara Uhrig's one-handed ponytail device to assist persons with limited mobility. 






U. S. Second Hand Transplant Recipient Jerry Fisher has a therapy session with Hand Therapist. Fisher is seen performing tasks for a standardized test.




This video doesn't show any occupational therapy techniques, but I thought that it was extremely facinating no the less and needed to be shared on post looking at hands. 




How to use a mirror box, which is a tool to aid progress of rehabilitation of a weak, or injured hand





An occupational therapist and her client talking about, and demonstrating a new hand therapy tool



References:
Ilan1966. (2008, 02 18). How to use a mirror box for hand therapy. Retrieved 03 29, 2011, from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNanQtMBwys&feature=player_embedded

JHMediaServices. (2009, 03 17). Hand transplant surgical procedure animation. Retrieved 03 29, 2011, from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pUdfi5MALwg&feature=player_embedded

JHMediaServices. (2009, 03 18). Jerry Fisher hand therapy session. Retrieved 03 29, 2011, from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-MXlpGurdkg&feature=player_embedded

onehandedponytail. (2009, 08 21). Hand Therapy. Retrieved 03 29, 2011, from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=teApsL-8WJ8&feature=player_embedded

Seaboinc. (2009, 05 18). SaeboFlex improves the lives of stroke survivors. Retrieved 03 29, 2011, from YouTube: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NXPQCEYOoRk&feature=player_embedded

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Lights - Camera - Rabit?

hướng dẫn số bốn  (tutorial number four)

Language of the week:
Vietnamese

This week in class our challenge, if we chose to accept it, was to make a 30 second video clip about a letter of the alphabet.  We chose to accept and here is our result.


To make this clip we started with a list of all the actions we could think of that started with 'c', one of our team members was also had a bunny rabbit she was nursing with her so we thought we should try and include it.   Once we had a decent list we used a story board, we used a fairly basic story board but if you want to make a proper story board here is a YouTube video teaching you how to story board (Howcast, 2009).  Once our story board was done it was time to begin filming.  We used a tri-pod and tape video camera to do our filming outside one of our classes.  Once the filming was done it was back to class to edit.  After uploading the footage to the computer we used a editing program to select the good shots and to cut out the bad ones.  We also cut some of the footage that was too long so that we were able to get it down into the 30sec time frame.  Once we had the shots right we added music and there you have it, one 30 second alphabet video.

References:
Howcast. (2009, September 21). YouTube. Retrieved March 22, 2001, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=65_3bq_0eSY

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

Using Flickr

Инструкция номер три   (tutorial number three)

Language of the week:
Bulgarian

This week we got flickr!
These are my first photos I put up. Enjoy

The first three are from class and the last three are from me just having some fun


At first we had some troubles with the self timer


We just weren't quite sure when it was taking photos


But we got it working in the end! 


A fund-raising bake sale 


A church on Ponsonby road, Auckland 


A friend and I out on a walk


Happy Snapping =D

Can I take your Picture?

Tutoriaal nommer twee   (tutorial number two)
Language of the week:
Africaans

Today we're looking at Digital Imaging



How do you store it? Transfer it? Get it from place to place?
There are many different ways to move your images and to store them around some examples are:
-different sized USB
-mass storage devices
-laptops or computers
 
-on the internet
......and many more


Digital Cameras "New vs Old"
"A new technology is rarely superior to an old one in every feature"

DickSmith
 have a wide range of Digital Technologies so I went to there website to have a look at what new digital cameras had to offer.  At the time I looked they had 52 different types of cameras on offer, I've chosen to have a look at the Canon Ixus 130 is closer detail as that’s the camera that I use.

This is the overview of the camera that DickSmith give:
Canon TruCapture technology 
TruCapture combines three innovative features so you can get the shot you want - DiG!C Colour Processor, Optical Image Stabilizer and Intelligent Auto.
Wide-Angle Lens
 
28mm wide-angle lens allows you to shoot beautiful landscapes or capture great group shots.
Optical Zoom
 
Genuine Canon 4x optical zoom lens (28mm-112mm) to get you closer to the subject.
High Definition Movies (1280 x 720)
 
Shoot High Definition Movies and view easily on TV with an optional HDMI cable.
Sharper Previews
 
2.7 inch LCD screen for viewing and sharing your photos.
Intelligent Auto
 
New Auto mode with Scene Detection, Face Detection, Motion Detection and Noise Reduction makes it even easier to get the perfect shot.
Intelligent Flash Exposure
 
Automatically detects flash requirements and adjusts the flash output, shutter speed, aperture and ISO speed to best suit the photo being taken.
DiG!C Image Processor
 
Delivers higher picture quality with faster processing speed.
Quality Images
 
14.1 Megapixels deliver outstanding quality images and stunning photo prints up to A2 size.
SDXC Memory Card Compatible
 
Additonally save all your precious memories to newer high capacity SDXC Memory cards.
As you can see this camera has many fetures and from personal experence takes a bit of playing around with to learn how to use them all, I've had it for nearly a year and and I still don't  fully understand it, however it takes a really good picture and serves the perpose I want it for.  






As good as some may feel all the new gadgets are not all are ready to let go of the older cameras.  The Blog
 Hello Holga is proof of this.  This blog is a collaboration of  several different bloggers bringing theirs and others Holga camera experiences and knowledge together. Though a link on their blog I was linked to the Lomography website.  They have an amongst their websites features was an online community for people to share their photos and they also have a shop where amongst other lomography cameras and accessories you can purchase a Holga 

I chose a basic black Holga 135BC to have a closer look at.  This is what Lomography  website had to say about it.
Product Description
Its unique vignette effect adds up to the overall mystery your photos will come out as, now in the standard 35mm film format. Produce those moody, gritty night-time shots with the Black Corner’s hot shoe flash mount. Heighten the suspense and tension of your shots with the long and multi-exposure feature. Create your own mystery story.
Additional Information
Features
• 35mm film format
• Black corner mask that creates a shadowy vignette in the four corners of your photo.
• Plastic 47mm f/8 lens
• Zone focus feature – portrait, small group, big group and infinity.
• Standard hot shoe for external flash
• Uncoupled advance & shutter for multiple exposures
Lens
Plastic 47mm f/8 lens
Camera Type
Zone Focus
Microsite
Film Type
35mm

So as you can see although the Holga has less features many prefer the vintage look of a Holga photo




 first spring flowers!

http://www.lomography.com/photos/cameras/3314869-holga-135/13009184


Digital Images in OT
On my last placement Digital Imaging was used by the staff to take photos of other staff performing assessments so that other new staff to the team can learn how to carry out theses assessments.
 
Digital Imaging is often used with clients to capture where their abilities are at the start of the placement, so as to be able to compare it with the end of the placement.

When using images in practice the practitioner needs to be diligent with what happens to the photographs, photos these days photos are easy to copy, so the practitioner needs to ensure that the photos are stored somewhere that others can not make copies with out consent.  They also need to make sure that photos are delete from the camera once they are stored somewhere safe so that others using the camera don’t see them as others may not have consent to see the photos .



References:

Hello holga. (2011, 03 24). Retrieved 03 28, 2011, from Hello holga: http://www.bloglovin.com/m/2306130/195393555/fb

Holga. (n.d.). Retrieved 03 28, 2011, from Holga: http://microsites.lomography.com/holga/

Holga Cameras. (n.d.). Retrieved 03 28, 2011, from Lomography: http://australia.shop.lomography.com/cameras/holga-cameras

liveitoutphoto. (n.d.). First spring flowers. Retrieved 03 28, 2011, from lomography: http://erinhancockparticipationinoccupation1.blogspot.com/

Point & shoot. (n.d.). Retrieved 03 28, 2011, from dick smith; talk to the techxperts: http://dicksmith.co.nz/photography/cameras-camcorders/point-shoot?params=omitxmldecl%3Dyes%26fh_refview%3Dlister%26fh_reffacet%3Dbrand%26fh_refpath%3Dfacet_9%26fh_location%3D%252f%252fcatalog01%252fen_AU%252fcategories%253c%257bcatalog01_2534374302028403_

Looks like we've got some Issues

Tutorial número u  (or in english, Tutorial number one)


Launguage of the week:
Catalan



This first posting will look at Information Technology (I.T.) and ethical Issues and points surrounding these.  I will look at the prevalence of technology in our society and how common place it has become.  I will take a look at if I am a ‘technophobe’ or a ‘techno-geek’.  I will look at technologies place in Occupational Therapy.  Ethical implication will also be taken into account regarding capturing, sharing and transferring information.   A definition of Intellectual Property, Social Justice and Informed Consent will also be provided.

I retrieved this definition of I.T. (also known as Information Communications Technology) from the website search data centre (Search data center, 2000):
IT (information technology) is a term that encompasses all forms of technology used to create, store, exchange, and use information in its various forms (business data, voice conversations, still images, motion pictures, multimedia presentations, and other forms, including those not yet conceived). It's a convenient term for including both telephony and computer technology in the same word. It is the technology that is driving what has often been called "the information revolution." 
I think this definition shows how broad a term I.T. is.  It covers all types of technology that can be used for recording, storing and sharing information. 
Current ways of life are surrounded by I.T., and it has become extremely common place.  Within my society IT is extremely prevalent.  As I am a student, Google and other such Information finding sites are a constant companion.  YouTube is another website often used to get information; it is a form of technology allowing people from all around the world to share information with the rest of the world. Two Japanese Students shared YouTube clip (ratgragon01, 2007) showing how common place cell phones, another form of I.T., are in Japanese society.
Personally I feel that I am somewhere in-between ‘techno-geek’ and ‘technophobe’, but possibly leaning more to the ‘techno-geek’ side of things.  I have an android cell phone, an iPod and a laptop, all of which I am reasonably competent with, however I feel that I could be using them more effectively than I currently am.  I particularly feel this with my cell phone as its new I am not very good with reading instruction manuals which can often limit my use of IT.
TV, internet, cell phones and many other technology items are becoming everyday meaningful occupations for occupational therapy clients.  Occupational Therapist need to keep up with our clients technology demands so that we are able to fearful their Occupational Desires "it is very important that the people who are in to this field must quickly adapt themselves to the changing needs and requirements."  http://www.informationtechnologydefinition.com/ .Occupational Therapist are already using technology for therapy intervention. Verdonck(2008) talks about the internet being used for things such as self-cares, leisure, occupational pastimes and productivity. 


Technology is everywhere and Yanko designs have recognised this and acknowledged a very "Smart Fridge" (Seth, 2010).  This fridge can tell you what meals you are able to cook from what you have in the fridge, tell you what you need to make that meal, then once you begin cooking it will give you instructions on how to make the meal. The "Smart Fridge" (Seth, 2010) is not perfect and had revived criticism from independent viewers.  It is however an example of technology advancements and ideas in the making.    
A number of ethical implications arise from the use of I.T.  When talking about information technology and Occupational Therapy there are a number of potential ethical issues.  Clients maybe filmed or photo graphed to show evidence of progress (or lack of) later on in the clients treatment.  Although this purpose is a legitimate one the client must be informed of this before the recording happens, they must also sign a consent form.  Once the recoding is taken it must be stored in the manner that the client and the therapist agreed to and only used for the purpose agreed upon as well.  
Intellectual Property – Intellectual property refers to the ownership of intangible and non-physical goods. This includes ideas, names, designs, symbols, artwork, writings, and other creations. It also refers to digital media, such as audio and video clips that can be downloaded online (Intellectual Property).
In relation to Occupational Therapy we could consider the different Theories we base some of our teaching principles on.  Knowls adult learning Theory is often applied when teaching adults and is taught to Occupational Therapy Students.  When used and written up in a report the Therapist must reference and/or quote Knowls when his Theory has been applied.  
Social Justice – "Fair and proper administration of laws conforming to the natural law that all persons, irrespective of ethnic origin, gender, possessions, race, religion, etc., are to be treated equally and without prejudice. See also civil rights" (Business dictionary).  This is important to all Occupational Therapist, it is curcial that we treat all our clients equally not matter what our personal beliefs are.

References:
(n.d.). Retrieved Febuary 22, 2011, from World Federation of Occupational Therapists: http://www.wfot.org/information.asp
Search data center. (2000, July 28). Retrieved March 1, 2011, from http://searchdatacenter.techtarget.com/definition/IT
Medicine net. (2003, 2 20). Retrieved March 1, 2011, from http://www.medterms.com/script/main/art.asp?articlekey=22414
Business dictionary. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2011, from http://www.businessdictionary.com/definition/social-justice.html
ratgragon01. (2007, November 28). YouTube. Retrieved March 1, 2011, from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxMct9RJ1WU
Seth, R. (2010, May 28). Yanko design; form beyond function. Retrieved March 1, 2011, from http://www.yankodesign.com/2010/05/28/smart-fridge-is-your-new-recipe-card/
Tech terms. (n.d.). Retrieved March 1, 2011, from http://www.techterms.com/definition/intellectualproperty