Tutorial One

This tutorial was about Information Technology (IT)and Ethical Issues.

Williams and Sawyer (2007) Information technology is a general term that describes any technology that helps to produce, manipulate, store, communicate and/or disseminate information. Information technology now has an important role in our society, it is very uncommon for somebody to not own or at least be familiar with at least one item of technology. Even children around the age of 13 are getting their first cell phone, and use other technology devices such as computers and i-pods on a daily basis. So IT now plays an important role in our lives, as it is, for most, the key tool for communication. I personally feel comfortable using my cell phone, laptop, television, desktop computers, DVD players, i-pods, digital cameras and blackberry. Most of which I use on a daily basis. In my OT fieldwork experiences IT is being used as a way to document goals with clients, as they continue to keep a written copy of the clients file the only information kept on the computer is the discharge summary and the list of goals the allied health staff have made for the client. This means they are easily updated and accessible.

There are some ethical issues with IT. Privacy and confidentiality are the main ethical issues that will rise from capturing, sharing and transferring of information through IT devices. People can now easily take pictures, text or call with their mobile phones in the matter of a few minutes. This means it is now a simple task to exchange information using a mobile phone. The internet also provides a way for people’s privacy to be taken, websites can be created by anybody and therefore any information can be uploaded and shared through this.

There are a number of technical terms involved in IT. I will define a few of these for you.
Computer ethics is set of moral principles that regulate the use of computers. Some common issues of computer ethics include intellectual property rights (such as copyrighted electronic content), privacy concerns, and how computers affect society. Retrieved from http://www.techterms.com/definition/computerethics on 22 June 2010.

intellectual property (IP) is a term referring to a number of distinct types of creations of the mind for which property rights are recognised--and the corresponding fields of law. 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 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property on 22 June 2010.


social justice is concerned with equal justice, not just in the courts, but in all aspects of society. This concept demands that people have equal rights and opportunities; everyone, from the poorest person on the margins of society to the wealthiest deserves an even playing field.
Retrieved from http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-social-justice.htm on 22 June 2010.

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. Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Informed_consent on 22 June 2010

I think that ITC will play a great role in our practice and currently does in our daily lives. If we were to go a week, maybe even a day, without any form of technology, we would struggle and perhaps not even be able to do it. We have become extremely reliant on it and it has become our main form of communication. In my opinion this along with the ethical issues it encompasses are of great importance as they will make us a more aware and ethically correct practitioner.