The Physically Disabled and Computers

Now... this is actually my homework for ICT, to find out how the physically disabled people can use computers, but I actually find this quite interesting as well.
I do wonder sometimes how I would manage without my senses, and on top of that without my computer. So the research I had found out about this is quite enlightening. I found out that...

- there are softwares made for the physically and mentally disabled, and that they will remove all barriers of disability, depending on the disability
- There is such a device called "The Tongue Drive System" where a small magnet is implanted in the users tongue, whom then has to movie his tongue to move the cursor around, as the tongue is directly connceted to the brain by a nerve, whereas all other parts of the body are connected to the brain through the spinal cord.
- The cursor can me moved by trackballs and foot pedals instead of the usual mouse
- There are joysticks that control the cursor on screen in the same way a mouse does
- There is the obvious touch screen that allows us to interact with the computer by touching the screen, although this method is used throughout the world by people with no disabilities
- Keyboards that have larger or smaller keys, or one that can be used with only one hand
- There are reading machines, that read the information on screen out loud, this is usually for the visually impaired
- There is the well known "Braille Technology" that writes the text into embossed Braille output. The embosser also lets you access your email, the internet and audio-streaming and many more

There is new technology coming out every day for the Physically disabled, and this allows them the use of computers just like everyone else.
The more advanced and usually more expensive, use infrared beams, ultrasound, eye movements, brain waves etc., to guide the cursor on screen without the use of hands.

This gives me a little bit of hope, that I would still be able to use my computer if something happened to me :-)

Homework- CHECK.

Lykke Li & El Perro Del Mar - Dance Dance Dance - A Take Away Show

Lykke Li... is pure amazing.
This is nothing, go check out some of her music :-)

I'm back...

hellooo...

just woke up, and felt like I needed to change this blog a little... so new pic, and new post ;-)
you know that feeling when you find some new music and you fall in love with it?
happened to me last night... and first thing I wanted to do this morning it listen to it over and over again... so let me share my joy with you... listen to "somethingalamode"- which is the album and band name :-) And by now you should have figured I'm a bit of an electronic fan... although some XX and Au Revoir Simone will do me no harm! Oh and also listen to some Royksopp- The Drug.

Now here's the ICT bit, which is what I'm supposed to blog about...;-) I share all my music and pics with my friends in Switzerland with a... server. Called "Fetch". Now, it's actually even better than it sounds, you know when you buy songs off iTunes? and you have that 5 computer rule, well Fetch doesn't care, upload your bought songs, or your illegaly downloaded one's, and it will stay on that server till the owner deletes it, which he won't! And anyone who has the username, password for that ftp. server can "get" it. :-)
ahhh... don't you love technology?!

Here's the Royksopp video that I'm talking about...


ooohhh, and I went to the cinema after a long time last night... and watched "going the distance", not bad, not bad... even though they cut all the good scenes once again... but I discovered some more good music - "The Boxer Rebellion". Now they got some serious advertising on that movie.

Bye for now... :-)

The Social Network Official Trailer -In theatres Oct 1 2010

Facebook in Education

... Last week I started my AS ICT course at Dubai British School, which I was mega excited for. I do believe ICT is the future.
So... my first task was "Facebook in Education" and how I can explain it to the class and the  teacher.And at the moment, Facebook is not blocked at our school, and I had to almost persuade the teacher to not block it. Our teacher, Mr Wood, who is very enthusisatic about new programs, showed us prezi.com  - a presentational tool. I checked it out, did some tests and loved it. Thought it was so much better than PowerPoint, which looks boring, and has no templates to create a presentation quickly.

I started researching the history of Facebook, and the owners if it. I then searched for videos, and found a really good basic description of Facebook, which is actually the trailer for a new movie that's coming out in October, about Mark Zuckerberg and the making of Facebook.
I found more info, and pics I could use; to give my classmates a visual example, not that they need one... everyone has Facebook :-P

So I put all the information I found, on a prezi canvas, and created frames, and transitions, that would make my final piece look nice and would also catch my classmates eyes... so that they don't zone out.
I hope I achieved that...
:-)
what else?
My presentation is now somewhere on YouTube, as my teacher filmed me... haha.

Well... this is it for today :-)

Lari

Facebook In Education on Prezi