Tutorial Eight: Posting You Tube videos and Flickr Badges to blogs

Rather than writing, here's a short video on how to embed You Tube videos into blogs:



Flickr badges can also be embedded into blogs, enabling photos to be seen by others:

Tutorial Seven: Assistive technology

This week we looked at assistive technology and the role it plays for people with disabilities.
What is assistive technology?
According to Cook & Hussey (1995), assistive technology is: "a broad range of devices, services, strategies and practices that are conceived and applied to ameliorate the problems faced by individuals who have disabilities." An assistive technology device is seen as any item, equipment or product system that is either acquired commercially, modified or customised that is used to increase or improve functional capacities of individuals with disabilities.
One example of an assistive devices are switches, which are able to be plugged into any electrical device, enabling the user to send messages to it via a simple series of taps or movements. One example is the wobble switch.
The wobble switch
This is a 100mm wand, connected to a switch, which can be used to control various devices such as computers and electrical equipment. It is activated by swiping it in any direction and is good for those with limited motor control. It costs $330 ext GST through Star Educational: (www.star-educational.co.nz/view_details.php?detail=true&cat=66&subcat=&id=160)
This device will enable users to operate electrical devices such as cooking equipment, computers, lights and heaters; which in turn increase their independence in their home and work environments.
Check out www.star-educational.co.nz for more information on assistive devices.

Tutorial Six: Online communities

Online communities are groups of people who communicate or interact through the internet. Usually they have a common interest or goal and can share a large amount of information quickly and cheaply. One example of this is the JET programme online forum at www.jetprogramme.org/forums. The JET programme is an international exchange programme where participants work in Japan, teaching English at schools and working with the community to provide international exchange and understanding. People are employed from around the world and placed throughout Japan, with approximately 4000 participants each year. The online forum is based on the official JET website as a way of providing information for current, future and past participants on the programme. It links those who are spread over a wide geographical area and provides an instant base for advice and support. It also provides a means for those who are thinking about applying or past participants, who may be anywhere in the world; to keep in touch with current news and information. It is monitored and has an administrator, who makes keeps an eye on the content. People can be ranked according to their contributions to the community. Some areas it has information on are living in Japan, teaching ideas, Japanese language, mental health and support areas, news from alumni associations as well as a general area for chat. One of the more common examples of a posting is on life in a small town in Japan. New participants who are based in a small town, which may not have any other foreigners living in it, use the forum to ask advice from those who have already been in the same situation.

Some of the possible ethical issues that may arise from using a website such as this is the amount of subjective information; based on others opinions rather than facts. This can mean that although a large amount of information is helpful, some of it may not be. The site is also under threat from spammers and commercial influences, trying to sell products, although this is minimised by having a moderator present. One down side to an online community is that it lacks the face to face socialisation of a general community, although the JET programme counteracts this by having a very strong network and community set up throughout Japan, with regular events, meetings and informal social gatherings for participants.

Tutorial Four and Five: Video production

As well as providing us with a means of sharing information, photos and personal opinions; the internet is used to share short videos. Sites such as YouTube allow us to upload short videos and share them with others.Check out www.youtube.com for more info.

So, in order to learn about video production, we made short videos which are posted on YouTube. In order to make an effective film within the given time frame of 30 seconds, planning was required by our group. Given the subject of ‘overcoming adversity’, we then looked to writing a short script. Scripts are ways the thoughts and ideas of the writers are transmitted to the intended audience and consist of both dialogue or words, and what is seen, such as expressions of characters, movement, lighting, special effects and camera angles amongst others. After discussion amongst the group, we came up with the idea of trying to get into a locked toilet. We planned who was going to be in it, where and how we were to film it, the sequence of filming and where the camera should be placed for different shots. From this, we drew up a story board of our film to show the exact sequence of filming. Storyboards are a series of pictures of each shot, used to help visualise the film and find any potential problems before they occur. As we were working as a group, the storyboard gave us the means to check that everyone had the same vision for the film and allowed for input on different ways to do things. Using this, we were able to shot and edit the film quickly; giving us the result we wanted. To see the result, check out the YouTube link!