Information technology is
“the study, design, development, implementation, support or management of
infotech". Information technology is a general term that describes any
technology that helps to produce, manipulate, store, communicate, and/or
disseminate information” (Wikipedia, 2012).
Information technology is
very prevalent in todays society, it is everywhere you turn and very common
place. It is forever changing, adapting and getting more and more advanced.
This causes demands on society to continue updating or improving their
technology to keep up with the changes.
I use many IT devices in
my day to day life, most commonly my laptop and phone, but am also have an ipod
and digital camera, and commonly use social networking sites and emails.
A form of technology that
I have noticed is used a lot during my fieldwork placements has been a digital camera.
A placement I attended at a school placement used digital cameras for taking
photos of the students and their artworks. Teachers took photos of their
students and hung them up in the staff room with their names underneath so that
the teachers could easily identify the students and build rapport with them as
the teachers will know their name, even if they don’t teach the child. They
also used the digital camera to take photo’s of the students artwork so that it
could be posted in the school news letter, or if the child chose to take their
artwork home, the teachers would still have a copy. The other form of
technology that is commonly used in practice is a computer. They store and
write student notes, school reports, and be used during meetings.
Even if IT systems and
devices are helpful there can also be ethical implications that need to be
addressed when using them, the main being privacy. Common privacy issues that
can be overlooked is did a person agree to that information being taken, what
will it be used for and who else has access to it. This is common with
photographs, especially if they are used on social media websites.
Definitions
Computer Ethics - “is a
branch of practical philosophy which deals with how computing professionals
should make decisions regarding professional and social conduct” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Computer_ethics)
Intellectual Property - “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”
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intellectual_property).
Social Justice - “is the
application of the concept of justice on a social scale”
(http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Social_justice).
Informed Consent - “is a
phrase often used in the law to indicate that the consent a person gives meets
certain minimum standards” (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Informed_consent).
From these definitions it
is important to recognise the use of ITC in practice, as every therapist needs
to be aware of how information is being used, where it is going and who has
access to it. Without this it could lead to individuals privacy being broken.
Hi Nicole,
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed reading you post on IT and ethical considerations. I see that you use IT on a day-to-day basis, what IT device would you say that you use most often?
Hi Ashley,
ReplyDeleteI would use my phone the most often by far as it is portable, a good source of communication and also has the internet.
Thank you for your comment!
Nicole