• Topic 8 - Exercise 1

    The 30-minute walk

    Take a break and go a walk for 15-30 minutes.
    Come back to the computer and begin writing a short narrative on the experience.

    I walk often through the bushland area close to our home. My walks change with the mood of the bush itself and these are often linked to the weather.  On quiet days the bushland can be a place of solitude and reflection with any movement being quite startling. When the weather is wilder the bush seems to come alive with the sights and sounds of movement from all directions - a stark contrast.

    From the moment my walk began, it was a busy one with many encounters along the way.  Like the distinctive smell that was lingering in the first few steps of my walk into the bush. There has been a lot of rain over the last few weeks with the latest shower about an hour before my walk. It gave the bushland a familiar, distinctive smell, something like a fresh mix of eucalyptus and rich earth. A favourite smell that is similar throughout the bushland I have walked in. Read the rest of this entry »


  • Topic 7 - Exercise 2

    New devices, aged care and people with disabilities

    Do a WebQuest research exercise on how features such as voice commands, large letters etc
    provide access to others or how smart devices connected via bluetooth or WiFi to the Internet
    improve the nature of caring or improve the lifestyle for those with disabilities or in need of aged care.

    Many innovations and inventions in technology have been originally devised or developed as assistive technology - that is, technology designed to aid accessibility for users who are disabled, and then gone on to be integrated into day-to-day technology  to be available and beneficial to all users. For able bodied users, the technology improvements make life somewhat easier - for disabled users they may well make seemingly impossible tasks become a reality.
    By changing and broadening the methods available for people to interact with it, assistive technology promotes personal independence by enabling people to perform tasks that they perhaps could not previously have accomplished. Read the rest of this entry »