DIGI CITIZEN

KELA, the Social Insurance Institution of Finland

Kela is a Finnish government agency in charge of settling benefits under national social security programs. Kela was founded in 1937 to handle retirement pay. In the 1980s and 1990s, its role was expanded to handle other fields like child benefits, unemployment benefits, sickness benefits, health insurance and student financial aid (Socialprotection release date unknown).

Kela has provided basic economic security for everyone living in Finland quite a long time. I noticed that Kela is about to turn 85 this year. Congratulations!

At the moment I do not use KELA’s services personally, services are not used in my family neither. However, Kela pays us child benefit. Previoisly we have received maternity and parental allowance.

European Health Insurance Card

You are entitled to a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) granted by Kela, if you are covered for health insurance in Finland or if Finland is responsible for your medical care costs. The card is available free of charge (Kela release date unknown).

If you have a European Health Insurance Card, you should receive medically necessary treatment when you travel or stay temporarily in another EU or EEA country, in Switzerland, Great Britain or in Northern Ireland (Kela release date unknown).

The EHIC is familiar to me, I have had the European Health Insurance Card for several years. Actually all my family members have it all ready. I have not needed to use it yet, but it is nice to have in purce.

OmaKanta (My Kanta Pages)

In My Kanta Pages, I can see my own health data and prescriptions. I can also view laboratory test results and renew prescriptions. I can log in to My Kanta Pages securely via the kanta.fi website. To use the service, I need a Finnish personal ID code and means of identification (online bank ID, mobile ID, ID card for online serveces). My Kanta Pages is nationwide system. (Kanta release date unknown)

Actually, I have not used My Kanta pages much. However, it has benefits to have better access to my own patient data and object and correct it, when needed. However, due to my work field the Kanta services for professionals are more familiar to me; e.g. patient data repository, which gathers in one place all data of the patient and allows data to be shared between service providers.

KEVA, public sector pensions

Keva is Finland’s largest pension provider. It administers the pensions of local government, State, Evangelical Lutheran Church, Kela, Bank of Finland and new wellbeing services counties employees. Keva aims to improve well-being at work, enhance work ability of the employees, increase productivity and decrease costs from incapacity to work by providing services to employers in the public sector (KEVA release date unknown).

I used Kevas’s My Pension service for the first time and I had to use my personal smart ID card to log in to the service. Through the online service I can take care of my pension, so I used the pension calculator to estimate my pension. My lowest retirement age is 66 years 5 months and target retirement age is 68 years 5 months. It was not a surprice that the amout of the pension is much lower than the salary. And so many years left to work.

Digital shops

According to education assignment I visited digital shops like eBay and Booking.com. These digital shops are quite confusing for Finnish consumer. The presentation of the graphical user interface is usually, I could say primitive. In addition, they do not appear to be trustworthy to me.

The Booking.com seems sometimes offer servises at inexpensive prices. However, the booking is rarely possile at desired period of time. Usually the service can be attained easier and more cost-effective when you book it directly from accommodation. The information adequacy to the coustorer could be better, its often poor and ambivalent. It is easier to get additional information, too. I have not purchesed anything from Booking.com, just got acquainted with its supplies. But the buying seems to be quite effortless.

The eBay offers all kinds of things, if you search someting special you can find it from eBay. They say that it is beneficial to by from eBay, but to me prices seems not to be so low as expect. In additon, It is difficult to understand what the actual price is, because you have to notice tax issues when ordering from abroad. The menus of the eBay digital shop web pages are rough, it bring me feeling that the shop can not be relied on.  

I am used to buy from domestic digital shops e.g. home appliances and carpets. It is simple to utilize home delivery with these larger items. I use only domestic digital shops because I think they are more reliable and the information adequacy is at better level. Allso, the online payment is more reliable and safer when using Finnish online shops.

WILMA app, application from my field

The Wilma app is a application for students, guardians and teachers. I can use the application to check schedule, assignments and lesson notes of my child. I can get real-time notifications and I am able read and write messages. As a guardian I can also clear absences and notify absences beforehand. I chose the application because I use it often as a parent of the schoolchild. In addition, it is used by community health nurse when parents are informed of health issues.

The WILMA application is quite simple to use, there are only few menus. Once I have created a user account in the Wilma app I do not need to log in to separately each time. The app is safe way to transfer data which often might be personal. However, the application has poor quality, it is slow and crashes often. Therefore, it is a wonder that the application is used so commonly in our education system. However, the WILMA app is well suited for its purpose as a digital ”reissuvihko” used in schools.

Digitalization and digital gap

The digital gap occurs between people that have access to modern information and communications technology and those that do not. The risks and challenges for those people, who do not use virtual services are increasing continually. The fact is, that our world and society have changed digital and there is no return. If you are not able to use virtual services the major risk is that it is almost imbossible take care of your daily business. The consumer banking services and even your fundamental rights, e.g. health care, are threatened if you are on able to use e-Identification (online bank ID, mobile ID, ID card for online serveces) or book your doctor appointment digitally.

It is a risk, that especially older people drop outside the society if they are not familiarized with using technology and internet. However, the lack of virtual services has impacts for education possibilities and social life of younger people, too. Social websites (Facebook, Instagram) are facilitating communication and maintaining connection between people, lack of those might isolate you. The large amount of information and services are located in digital environments only. However, if you do not use virtual services how do you manage with buying electronic train tickets and their purchasing, shopping digital and so on.

It is important that everyone has equal opportunities to participate in the life of the community, even if it is digitalized.

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Comment on three interesting articles

I leaved a comment on three articles:

Vanesa: https://blogi.savonia.fi/vkora/digi-citizen/

Elina: https://elinareijonen1.wordpress.com/digi-citizen/

Tiina: https://blogi.savonia.fi/tiime/digi-citizen/

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Digital Competence Test (The Digital Competence Wheel)

The total score of my Digital Competence Test was 71%, Level 5 (advanced). As described in results: ”Users on level 5 are able to perform many different tasks and guide others in doing the same. They can aslo solve most problems their own.” I can recognize myself.

My thoughts and experiences

Like I have mentioned before, our world and society have changed digital and there is no return. It is quite shocking to relize how our society and individulas have become so dependend on digital network and services provided by means of them. In addition, do we realise that our world stops efficiently is electricity blockout occurs.

We are forced to be digi citizens. We have to have extensive knowledge and skills, there are continiously increasing demands for learning about applications, technology and the use of technology. The full electronic participation in society, digital access, might be challenging for many of us, if we are not cabable respond on these requirements.

However, the digital communication, electronic exchange of information and interactive communication has made our lives so much easier. It has brought us e.g. easier electronic buying of goods and versatile ways to communicate with each other. As a digi citizen we must think the positive effects of digitalisation, too. However, the human dignity must not be forgotten even if we are living in the middle of digital revolution.

Self-reflection

I am quite familiar with being digi citizen and demands of it both in working live and at home. Maybe the most significant point I learned was that term Digital citizenship is described through nine themes. The term is complex and has many poits of view both nationally and internationally, depending on what kind of society are we looking at.

Actually, I did not realize the meaning of recommendation to visit page Open Badges (https://openbadges.org/) to get certificates. Was that only becoming acquainted with the idea of Open Badges? Actuallaty, I have some badges already, but this remained as a mystery.

However, it was nice to read thoughts and experiences of other students about these assignments. They have different perspective to this subject, which was interesting.

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References

Socialprotection. Finland – Kansaneläkelaitos, Kela (The Social Insurance Institution). Web page. Release date unknown. https://socialprotection.org/connect/stakeholders/finland-kansanel%C3%A4kelaitos-kela-social-insurance-institution. Refered 1.12.2022.

Kela. European Health Insurance Card. Web page. Last modified 24.11.2022. https://www.kela.fi/european-health-insurance-card. Refered 1.12.2022.

Kanta. Kansalaiset, Omakannasta ja terveydenhuollosta saat tietoa Kanta-palveluista. Web page. Release date unknown. https://www.kanta.fi/kansalaiset Refered 1.12.2022.

Keva. Tietoa Kevasta. Web page. Release date unknown. Last modified 25.8.2022. https://www.keva.fi/tama-on-keva/keva/. Refered 1.12.2022.

Keva. Omat eläketietosi –palvelu. Web page. Release date unknown. Last modified 10.11.2022.  https://www.keva.fi/henkiloasiakkaalle/omat-elaketietosi/. Refered 1.12.2022.

The Digital Competence Wheel.An interactive online tool that maps Digital Competences. Web page. Release date unknown. https://digital-competence.eu/. Refered 1.12.2022.