Kela
Kela is a government agency that offers many benefits for the citizens. The services include benefits like unemployment benefits, health insurance, sickness benefits, student financial aid and child benefits. In the recent years I haven’t had need for most of these benefits not including the health insurance card, which I use when I use the doctor’s services or buy prescription medicines. In the past I have needed the student financial aid and unemployment benefits. I have had the European health care card for years, but luckily haven’t had a need for it yet.
Omakanta
In Omakanta everyone can access their personal healthcare information, such as prescriptions, medical history, and results of various medical tests. You can also sign various statements in there such as organ donor will. I used my banking credentials to access the Omakanta because the strong authentication was needed. It is very beneficial to have all the healthcare information in one place and to have access to it no matter where you are. It is also very good that all the attending healthcare professionals have access to the vital information also.
My pension
I don’t work in public sector so I couldn’t find my estimated pension on KEVA’s website. Instead, I visited Varma’s site and found my estimated pension. Between the lowest and highest retirement ages there is three- and half-year difference with the estimated totals for pension for both ages.
Digital shops
Ebay, Amazon
I have used these online shops for years and been mostly happy with their services. One needs to be very careful when shopping online especially in foreign shops. There are millions of shops and site available and sometimes it is very difficult to know which sites are reliable. Also, the quality of the products can vary quite a bit. eBay and Amazon are mostly reliable in my opinion since they have some moderation. In eBay the sellers have ratings from other customers which helps to choose the best seller for the wanted product. In Amazon the products are usually of consistent quality since they usually come from specific warehouses. I use a lot of online shops to purchase the things I need and want because the variety is much more comprehensive when compared to the local markets. The prices in online shops are usually lower when compared to local prizes, but sometimes the product doesn’t compare in quality to the local products. So, you must be extra careful and to do the research to make sure the shop is legitimate when shopping online to be sure you get what you want.
Booking.com, Trivago
I have used similar websites many times in the past. When traveling abroad I have used Ebookers most often I believe because there you can book flights and hotels at same time. I have never had any problems with these bookings, that could not be handled. The prizes are usually pretty much the same no matter which site you use. While traveling in Finland I usually use the websites of the hotels to book the room. I think that in many cases the prices are the same or even lower there. Of course, it is useful to check the price from couple of sources just to be sure.
SFS online – Service/application from my field
The Finnish Standards Association is the national standardization organization in Finland. In SFS online platform there are both national and international standards and building codes available. In the online platform there is very large variety of instructions and standards available, that I use every day in my work. The publications are always up to date and available when needed, remote work included. You can search the standards using key words or headlines. The online service is also easy to use.
Digitalization and digital gap
In today’s world the virtual services are needed to perform everyday tasks multiple times a day. It is very important to know how to use them because other types of services are seldom available anymore. For example, in the online bank it is very easy to manage your everyday banking needs but if you don’t have access to the online bank there might be a two-hour time period once a week to go the bank physically to deal with them. For the older generation who doesn’t necessary use the virtual services as fluently as younger generation, this can be quite a challenge. To make the digital gap smaller it is very important to educate people of all ages who need support with the transition to the more digitalized and virtual world, so no one is left behind. There are obviously other risks with the transition too, which include for example malware, power outtakes and cybercriminals, which can cripple the society temporally when everything is digitalized.
Comments on the other student´s blogs
The digital competence test
I completed the digital competence test, and the results are what I anticipated. I use digital aspects every day in both my personal and professional life, so I think I have above average digital competence, but there is still a lot more knowledge for me to learn.
Self-reflection
Most of the information was familiar to me beforehand but there were also some new things I learned. It was good to contemplate the effects of the digitalization to the everyday life and remind myself of the importance of self-development in the digital knowhow to keep up with the changing society. The Digital competence test was surprisingly spot on in my competence level.
It’s even scary how you have to constantly develop yourself in order to keep up with the changing world.
Hi Sini!
You wrote so many important things concerning digitalization gap. Digital services create especially problems for senior. My blog is here: https://blogi.savonia.fi/aaronmaa/digi-citizen/ .
Hi! It was nice to read your text. I have never used Amazon before, but the experiences of others give a good impression of it.