title: The importance of social skills for the future of work

authors: Piercy, Gemma Louise

subjects: employability

abstract: Technological change and precarity has made social skills increasingly important in the workplace for both permanent and non-permanent staff throughout the labour market. This is especially true for those in precarious work located in the growing service sector. We argue that, in order to avoid staff becoming redundant due to technological change, which invalidates their ‘hard’ technical skills, it is crucial that Human Resource (HR) practitioners to recruit on the basis of soft skills. However, we also argue that simply recruiting soft skills is not enough to ensure the workplace has access to the kinds of social skills that are required. Providing all staff with opportunities to develop and practice their skills is essential as these are the hardest tasks to automate since customers favour personal engagement. Furthermore, for employees, cultivating and maintaining easily transferable social skills is a key part of remaining relevant in an employment relations environment where precarity is a by-product of labour market flexibility.

text: The importance of social skills for the future of work Technological change and precarity has made social skills increasingly important in the workplace for both permanent and non-permanent staff throughout the labour market. This is especially true for those in precarious work located in the growing service sector. We argue that, in order to avoid staff becoming redundant due to technological change, which invalidates their ‘hard’ technical skills, it is crucial that Human Resource (HR) practitioners to recruit on the basis of soft skills. However, we also argue that simply recruiting soft skills is not enough to ensure the workplace has access to the kinds of social skills that are required. Providing all staff with opportunities to develop and practice their skills is essential as these are the hardest tasks to automate since customers favour personal engagement. Furthermore, for employees, cultivating and maintaining easily transferable social skills is a key part of remaining relevant in an employment relations environment where precarity is a by-product of labour market flexibility.

year: 2016

title: MLearning in a New Zealand secondary school: A case study

authors: Wright, Noeline

subjects: MLearning

abstract: Four classroom teachers (geography, food technology, ESOL, Japanese) experimented with a range of mobile devices (digital cameras, proprietary hardware/software, phones and mp3 players) during 2010. In conjunction both with a telecommunications provider and the Ministry of Education, this research sought to understand the following: how teachers use various mobile technologies for learning, what issues arise that impede this, what benefits emerge if any, and what students’ experiences are of using these devices as part of their subject learning. Interviews and classroom observations were the key data collection methods over a month. Twenty-nine students were interviewed across three classes and three of the four classroom teachers were interviewed, plus the IT Director in the school. These data were analysed thematically for patterns of experience. 
Findings included: the importance of the pedagogical background knowledge of the IT Director in supporting the learning; the improved engagement and participation of students in their learning when mobile devices were used; the desire of students to use these tools regularly in their classrooms to support their learning; the crucial value of the experience of the trial teachers in experimenting with new tools. This last finding suggests that teachers of more than 10 years’ practice are likely to be most comfortable with coping with the potential destabilising effects of introducing unfamiliar/untried tools to a classroom setting.

text: MLearning in a New Zealand secondary school: A case study Four classroom teachers (geography, food technology, ESOL, Japanese) experimented with a range of mobile devices (digital cameras, proprietary hardware/software, phones and mp3 players) during 2010. In conjunction both with a telecommunications provider and the Ministry of Education, this research sought to understand the following: how teachers use various mobile technologies for learning, what issues arise that impede this, what benefits emerge if any, and what students’ experiences are of using these devices as part of their subject learning. Interviews and classroom observations were the key data collection methods over a month. Twenty-nine students were interviewed across three classes and three of the four classroom teachers were interviewed, plus the IT Director in the school. These data were analysed thematically for patterns of experience. 
Findings included: the importance of the pedagogical background knowledge of the IT Director in supporting the learning; the improved engagement and participation of students in their learning when mobile devices were used; the desire of students to use these tools regularly in their classrooms to support their learning; the crucial value of the experience of the trial teachers in experimenting with new tools. This last finding suggests that teachers of more than 10 years’ practice are likely to be most comfortable with coping with the potential destabilising effects of introducing unfamiliar/untried tools to a classroom setting.

year: 2011

title: 'Waitangi and indigenous rights: Revolution, law and legitimacy' by F.M. Brookfield

authors: Melbourne, Hirini

subjects: indigenous rights

abstract: 'Waitangi and Indigenous Rights: Revolution, Law and Legitimacy' book review by Hirini Melbourne.

text: 'Waitangi and indigenous rights: Revolution, law and legitimacy' by F.M. Brookfield 'Waitangi and Indigenous Rights: Revolution, Law and Legitimacy' book review by Hirini Melbourne.

year: 2000-10