1.1 INTRODUCTION
In 1966, Malaysia has
implemented the first computer system. So, the government introduced to
Malaysian the several of initiatives to facilitate the greater adoption and
diffusion of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to improve the
capacities in several field such as business, industry, education and for
general life. Besides, government also include the enhancement of education and
training programmes, provision of an environment conducive to the development
of ICT, provision of incentives for computerisation and automation and creation
of venture capital funds. Recently, Malaysia is in full gear to drive the
economy towards a knowledge-based one.
While, in 1996
Malaysia identified ICT as one of the key foundations for its projected
transition from a production-based economy to a knowledge-based economy by
2020. In declaring these visions, the government also acknowledged that such a
transition will require a workforce capable of exploiting ICT to create new
economic opportunities. In July 1997, the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) Smart
School Flagship Application Conceptual Blueprint was launched by Tun Dr Mahathir
Mohamad, the fourth Prime Minister of Malaysia. Besides, the MSC Smart School
Flagship Application is a collaborative effort between the Ministry of
Education (MoE) and the Multimedia Development Corporation (MDeC). The ICT
expertise for the initiative was provided by the Telekom Smart School (TSS)
industry consortium. The MDeC, which has been entrusted with the development of
the MSC, plays a key role in the implementation and ensuring that targets are
achieved as planned.
The Malaysian Smart
School is a learning institution that has been systematically reinvented in
terms of teaching-learning practices and school management in order to prepare
children for the Information Age. There are some qualities of Malaysian Smart
School that include a philosophy that say all students can learn if taught, a
broad curriculum that considers the different capabilities and needs of all
students, a school climate that is conducive to learning and a high level of
parent and community involvement and support. In addition, the aim of the Smart
School is to change the culture and practices of Malaysia’s primary and
secondary schools, moving away from rote-memory learning toward fostering
creative thinking skills.
Moreover,
it is also incorporate students to be more innovative and creative teaching
while emphasizing self-paced learning. By the same method, the processes
relating to curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, and teaching-learning materials
are reinvented to help students learn more effectively and efficiently, increase
their comfort level with technology while enabling them to practice
self-accessed and self-directed learning at their own pace.
1.2 SMART SCHOOL INITIATIVES
Based on the Smart
School Initiative, there have five main goals which focus on the need to
develop a skilled work force for the Information Age and to promote the goals
of the National Philosophy of education. The goals included increase
participation of stakeholders, democratise education, produce thinking and
technology-literate workforce, provide all-round development of the individual
and provide opportunities to enhance individual strengths and abilities. To
achieve those goals, an integrated set of strategies will be employed. For
example, the strategies of democratise education are to provide equal access to
learning opportunities and also provide for differing abilities, styles, and
paces of learning.
Furthermore, the
stakeholders of the Smart School, namely parents, the community, and private
sector, play important roles in improving the performance of the school. This
can be achieved through their constant involvement in the professional and
knowledge development relating to school management, teaching-learning, and
other aspects of the Smart School. Besides, by create the awareness of what
happens in schools also can attract the stakeholders be more concern to the
students. On the other hand, provide all-round development of the individual
including intellectual, physical, emotional and spiritual can be done by
emphasise thinking skills, teach values and language across the curriculum and
provide the broad curriculum for all.
Moreover, provision to
develop individual strengths and abilities can be applied by provide electives
in the curriculum and allow for vertical integration such as virtual express
class. While, to produce students with a
thinking and technology-literate workforce, teachers must teach them to think
across the curriculum and be more creative. Besides, applying technology in
teaching and learning can help students in produce thinking and
technology-literate workforce. Among the other ICT initiatives are TV
Pendidikan, Pelaksanaan Pengajaran Sains
dan Matematik dalam Bahasa Inggeris (PPSMI); teaching of science and
mathematics in English, SchoolNet and Computer Lab. TV Pendidikan is a special
television channel made available to schools as an alternative method of
learning. The objectives of the channel are to underline the importance of
technology in the development of education among teachers and students, and to
enrich the teaching and learning process through creative and innovative use of
various media and technologies. There are also programs for teachers to help
improve the teaching and learning process. PPSMI is an initiative to teach
science and mathematics subjects in English rather than Bahasa Malaysia.
1.3 TEACHING LEARNING
COMPONENTS
Teaching and learning components are
the main features that are important in Smart Schools. There are components
used in Smart Schools which are teaching-learning process, management and
administration, human resources, skills and responsibilities, processes,
technology, and policies. The progress and development of Smart School in
Malaysia are mainly depends on the six components.
1.3.1
Teaching-Learning Process
The teaching-learning processes are
the main components of the Smart School. The processes are relating to
curriculum, pedagogy, assessments, and teaching-learning materials. They are
reinvented to make the students learning more effective and interesting.
Curriculum is an important element of
education. The Smart School Curriculum will be designed according to other
successful Smart School by referring to its curriculum elements. The curriculum
has to be well designed to enable the education system to achieve the goals of
National Philosophy of Education. Curriculum has to be design based on the
integration of student knowledge and skills. It is important to help students
achieve overall and balanced development in their learning.
In
addition, curriculum must have intended learning outcomes explicitly stated for
different levels of abilities. Every student has different levels of abilities
and different thinking level. So the intended learning outcomes can ensure all
the students with different levels of abilities to gain equal knowledge among
them. The Malaysia Smart School has its own vision of curriculum. The
curriculum should be meaningful, socially responsible, multicultural,
reflective, holistic, global, open-ended, goal-based, and technological.
The Smart School pedagogy is used to make
learning more interesting, motivating and involving the student’s minds in the
learning process. The pedagogy used an appropriate mix of learning strategies
to ensure the meaningful learning process. The classroom atmosphere is
compatible with the different teaching-learning strategies to allow the
students with different in learning styles to boost their performance in class.
In Smart School, there are many types of
learning strategies such as teacher-centered, teacher as mentor and model,
teacher as coach or facilitator and student-centered. In teacher-centered, the
learning objectives, instructional tasks and resources for tasks are determined
and selected by teachers while those tasks are determined and selected by
students in student-centered strategies. In teacher as mentor and model,
learning objectives are established by teachers but for instructional tasks and
resources for tasks, teachers will suggest the suitable tasks from appropriate resources
and students have right to give their own opinions. In pedagogy, there are also
discussed about how teachers have to create suitable atmosphere for students by
managing student’s behavior and organizing physical space.
Teachers
also have to make assessments on their student’s performance to get the clear
vision on the student’s achievement, readiness, progress, learning styles and
abilities. Besides that, teaching-learning materials also important in Smart
School. The materials can be acquired from many sources such as education
network (Edunet), internet and
classified printed directories.
1.3.2 Management and Administration
The
management and administration of the Smart School helps the principals and
headmasters to manage resources and processes required for teaching-learning in
school more efficiently. There are nine primary functions of Smart School
management that are school governance, student affairs, educational resources,
external resources, finance, facilities, human resources, security and
technology. School governance and student affairs involves communications,
school policy, making curriculum, management, student profiles, student’s
performance and evaluation that empower information to and from all the
stakeholders. It also manages curriculum so that it is suitable and appropriate
to be use in teaching and learning process in Malaysia Smart Schools. Resource
database management and input to curriculum development are under educational
resources which makes schools easier to have resources. It also enable the
school to access the national and international research database. The external
resources deal with management of resources outside the school that helps teachers
and principals to utilize external resources effectively. The financial and
maintaining and managing the utilization of school facilities are under
financial and facilities management while the human resources department
responsible in handles teachers, schools staff and school administrators. Smart
School security also responsible in management because it monitor the physical
and student safety in school while technology is important to implements and
managing the technology components in schools to prevent problems in
teaching-learning process.
1.3.3
Human Resources, Skills and Responsibilities
The Smart School has a commitment to
provide equal opportunities for all students with different needs and
capabilities which it involves the development of the main stakeholders. The
main stakeholders will include teachers, principals, staff, parents and the
community. All stakeholders must have specific skills and right attitude to
develop the school. Teacher is the most important person to be developed with
many specific skills because they are the one that will teach and giving
learning in school. The teachers have to undergo intensive training on
Information Technology (IT) skills because technology is the main component
used in Smart Schools. The intensive training will enhance their thinking and
creativity. Principal also have to attend intensive management training course
to help them manage new facilities and technologies develop in Smart Schools.
1.3.4 Processes
The Smart School processes are
viewed as a system. These processes will continuously be monitor to ensure that
the system provides accurate and functional input to produce the desired
output. For the Smart School system, the
major inputs are the resources which are students, teachers, technology and
tools, and the Ministry of Education in the form of curriculum specification,
financing, management and control functions. As the system proceeds, it has to
undergo through a series of sub processes. The sub processes are play roles for
identifying and localizing teaching plans, selecting and organizing
teaching-learning materials, determining a student’s entry level, holding
classroom sessions and providing feedback for the student assessment. The sub
processes normally is done by teachers who are in charge for the teaching
deliveries to the students.
1.3.5 Technology
Technology is an element that cannot
be separated in Smart School because the concept of Smart Schools is depending
on the development of technology as their teaching and learning are delivered
to students via technology. Technology
is used as an enabler for Smart School practices in teaching-learning,
management, and communications with external constituencies.
1.3.6 Policies
Smart Schools are same with the
other institutions and schools which they have policies that have to be followed
by all the stakeholders. The policies are important to ensure the successful
implementation of the Smart School, changes in existing policies and
regulations, as well as the formulation of new policies and regulations, have
to be conducted. Technology that are be used in Smart Schools are have their
own policies.
1.4
TECHNOLOGY AS AN ENABLER
Technology is
required as an enabler for running the Smart Schools. Technology is used in
three ways at Smart Schools which are Smart School practices, technical
requirements and Smart School technology solutions.
Smart Schools practices are
including teaching and learning, management system and external constituencies.
As we know, there are many teaching and learning practices that are being used
by teachers to help their students in Smart Schools. Some of the practices are
self-exploratory learning which means every computer shall have access to the
latest educational materials available locally, as well as to external
resources. In this learning, students are let go by teachers to discover the
technology by their own.
The
other example of practices is collaborative learning that facilitates group
work within the class and across classes. This type of practices is suitable to
be used by teachers when they are planning to make assessment of each student
by grouping. This learning can help students to share their opinions and
thought with their peer. Distance learning and experiential learning is the
creative way of learning that maybe interest students to learn more. Distance
learning focusing on the communication with outside constituencies using technology
such video conferencing, email and broadcast while experiential learning are
using simulation software to stimulate learning. By using experiential
learning, students will be more creative and understand to use the technology
very well.
Besides that, technology also used
in Smart School management system. School governance use technology as computer
for communication such as video conferencing to connect the school to the
Ministry of Education for administration and policy implementation purposes.
Technology also used in student’s affair department to maintain student’s
profiles and backgrounds. For educational resources and external resources, the
computer communication is used to link the schools databases to central
resource databases to regulate and organize educational resources and also to
link the schools to external constituencies. External resources such as
internet help students to access information for their studies.
Smart School technology solutions
are implemented to support, fulfill and integrate the Smart School. In school
level, the requirements are varied and easy access to teaching-learning
resources. The physical facilities such as classroom must be completed with
equipment including hardware and software. If students need to find resources
from network-based materials, the library should have provided them for the
materials. The database center of multimedia courseware must be functional to
help them finish their research and findings.
1.5 OVERVIEW OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF THE SMART
SCHOOL
The smart school
exists in Malaysia at 1999 as the initiative to implant the ICT skill among the
Malaysian student. There are four wave of smart school from 1999 until now.
The first wave is
Pilot wave. At this wave, there are only 87 schools taken to be smart school as
the trial of the project. This program gets many feedbacks from the Ministry of
Education and local academics. The feedbacks from Ministry of Education are
under-utilization of software application and courseware, not effective
technology/infrastructure/helps desk, complicated smart school management
system, and some recommendation from them such as they provide the technical
support. In March to April 2003, the local academics give their overviews about
the smart school. The overviews are limited teaching-learning materials,
insufficient well-trained teacher, inadequate of the technology infrastructure,
know how to utilize some of the smart school management system component and
complain from the parent that they not aware that the pilot wave have been
implanted in their school.
The second wave of the
smart school is the Post-Pilot wave from 2002 until 2005. This wave is the
subsequent of the first wave, Pilot wave.
In this phase, the ICT must become a key enabler for learning. The
monitoring and corrective measures are so critical that negligence in
addressing constraints highlighted in the various studies will jeopardize the
successful implementation of the Smart School. There is an urgent need for
supervision and support. Hence, the Roadmap will need to incorporate this as an
integral part of the expansion plan for Smart Schools.
Wave
three of the smart school is to make all schools become smart school
(2005-2010) and the final wave is consolidated and stabilizes (2010-2020). The
Roadmap begins with the setting of targets to realize an advanced Smart School
scenario by 2020. These targets will clarify the deliverables expected of the
main players and stakeholders consisting of representatives from the Ministry
of Education and its industry partners, parents, teachers and students. The
deliverables are in the form of services to be delivered such as materials,
training, etc. It also means delivering on quality, such as quality of
materials and quality of training. The Smart School expansion process adopts a
performance-based approach where progress is evaluated and reported and
feedback gathered for immediate corrective action. The Roadmap will eventually
lead to the realization of an advanced Smart School scenario by 2020.
1.6
CHALLENGES
There are many
challenges in applying the smart school in Malaysia. First challenge is
information skill. Information skills are those needed to define the
information task, locate sources and select data, process and present
information and evaluate the task. Most of the students and teachers can be
seen never have enough skill to get information. The information skills are
print, interpretive, visual and aural, expressive and technological skills.
Print skill is the ability to locate and read, critically and analytically, any
form of print in any format, from book to computer screen. The interpretive
skills are the ability to analyze, collate, assess and interpret information in
print, person, AV or electronic purpose in relation to information purpose.
Visual and aural
skills are the ability to analyze information in visual and aural forms. The
expressive skills are the ability to communicate through oral or writing
research results, finding, opinions, and to use technology as a communication
device with confidence. The technological skills are the ability to use
hardware and software, when appropriate, to retrieve, process and present
information. The information skills training must be delivered in a variety
ways or employing flexible delivery to meet the varied needs of the client that
are the student. However, it is clearly the outmost importance that the
training be seen to be and be relevant and timely. This can be done by
integrating information skills training into curriculum. Through that strategic
approach, students will value the training and benefit from its immediate
application.
The second challenge
is pedagogical change. Pedagogy is the method and practice of teaching,
especially as an academic subject or theoretical concept. Pedagogical
developments demands continuing dialogue between teachers and librarians with
emphases on client autonomy, information skills and the attributes of students
through continual innovation. Through such conversations, librarians are
engaging with the core of education and the necessary emphasis on quality.
The other challenge
that can be in integrating smart school in Malaysia is the way to have
affective e-learning in classroom. Some teacher may use the same method of
e-learning to teach the student. For example, the teacher always show video
about the topic that he what to teach to the student. At the first learning,
the class was fun but the student will get bored to the method and the learning
will be ineffective. To overcome this problem, the teacher must vary the
techniques in applying the materials and technology that can be used in the
classroom. For example, the teacher can use smart board, Educational TV (ETV),
and use hardware or courseware to increase the understanding level of the
student. Most of the new courseware developed will be web-enable, so it will
always be updated to the current level of study.
Other than that, the
awareness of the society about smart school also can be a challenge to the
smart school. The society can be parents, employer, NGO’s or religious group
that always observes the development of the smart school. For them, the smart
school is same as the other normal school. In other hand, some will think that
the smart school is for smart student only. So, their interest about smart
school will decrease and have no interest to support the development of the
smart school. The program of smart school is not under the ministry of
education, but under the principle of the school. This situation will give less
info about smart school to the society. To overcome this problem, a program to
introduce and give info about the smart school should be held. By held this
program, the society can see the right perspective of the existence of smart
school. So, their awareness will increase and support the smart school program.
In Malaysia, the
schools are everywhere nowadays. To integrate the smart school, the connection
to internet coverage is very important. The issue here is the internet coverage
is limited and some of the rural school does not get the connection to the
internet. In other hand, the problem faced in integrating the smart school is
heavy investment of facilities. In the
Pilot wave, the Smart School Integrated Solution (SSIS) was rolled out to 87
schools in the country at the cost of about USD78 million (RM300 million).
The next issue is the
lack of the well-trained teacher in ICT at the smart school. They lack ICT
knowledge and not comfortable with the use of hardware and courseware. Most of
them prefer traditional way of teaching which is teaching by using text book or
whiteboard. Some of them think that using courseware is a waste of time so they
rather pay more attention on parts that are related to exams. A teacher that
knows the skill of ICT is the main element to produce e-learning classroom. At
the academy, most of the teacher not taught to handle the ICT application. So,
the issue nowadays is the effort to prepare teachers as catalyst for student to
master the ICT skills. The intern must go through rigorous training course and
undergoing retraining in five skill that are learning skill, creative and
critical thinking, facilitating, assessment and evaluation and technologically
competent. Some teachers are not keen on using the courseware.
The next problem is
the lack of back up technician. Some school does not have enough technicians
because to hire the technician, a lot of cost must be spending. In applying the
ICT in the classroom of the smart school, some technical problem may occur. If
the technical problems occur during class, teacher and the student have to wait
until for the technician to continuing the lesson. So, this situation will
affect the teaching and learning process.
1.7 CONCLUSION
The Smart School
initiative, as envisaged in the Conceptual Blueprint, can revolutionize
learning in ways that are beyond our grasp today. The Pilot and the Post-Pilot
phases have helped in identifying weaknesses and corrective steps have been
identified to rectify these and enhance the strengths. Ensuring the successful
implementation of the nationwide expansion of the Smart School will require
certain moves as summarized below. From the essay, we know the smart school has
many pro and contra. Other than that, we know about the overview of the wave of smart school that are consist of
four wave, Pilot, Post-Pilot, Make All School Smart by 2010 and Consolidate and
Stabilize.
1.8
REFERENCES
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