1.0 INTRODUCTION
Smart School is a Malaysian education system which learning institution that reconstruct systematically teaching-learning and school management in order to prepared children for Information Age. Smart School had become one of the seven flagships of the Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) that will carry out in 2000. Early in 1996, the Ministry of Education was created laws of Smart School concept. There was teaching and learning based on creative thinking. Technology as an important component in Smart School concept when Smart School projects exist as one of application that is part of Malaysian Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC).
Learning institution of Smart School was created systemically reinvented in term of teaching and learning practice and school management in order to prepare student for Information Age. In the Information Age, a Smart School will evolve over time continuously developing its professional staff, education resources and its administrative capabilities to adapt to changing condition, while continuing to prepare student life.
Teaching and learning process were included the process of curriculum, pedagogy, assessment and teaching-learning materials in a mutually reinforcing, coherent manner. The curriculum process will help student achieve overall balanced development and integrate knowledge, skills, values, and correct use of language. Then, Smart School pedagogy will seek to make learning more interesting, motivating, stimulating and meaningful. It is also involve the children mind, spirit and bodies in the learning process. The strategies in Smart School pedagogy were use an appropriate mix of learning strategies to ensure mastery of basic competencies and promote holistic development, accommodate individual different learning styles, so as to boost performance and foster a classroom atmosphere that is compatible with different teaching-learning strategies.
Therefore, the benefit of Smart School assessment is teachers, students and parents will be able to access on-line assessment items. It will causes increasing of living certification, which not only attest to students cumulative accomplishments but will also be open to continued improvement on a lifetime basis. The new teaching strategies will need teaching-learning materials designed that will accommodate student differing needs and abilities. It is will lead students to take greater responsibility for managing and directing their own learning.
Smart School management can be manage efficiently and effectively when the primary objective were correlation with the resources and processes that required to support the teaching-learning function. The Smart School management will need strong, profesional administrators and teachers who can articulate school goals clearly, lead teaching at the school, and elicit strong parental and community support to fulfil its objective.
Finally, Smart School is important in Malaysian education system in line with and in support of the nation drive to fulfil Vision 2020. At the same time, the individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically balanced and harmonious can be well produce.
2.0 DISCUSSION:
2.1 THE GOALS AND OBJECTIVES OF SMART SCHOOL
The Smart School is a learning institution that has been reinvented in terms of teaching and learning methods and school administration system in order to prepare the students for the Information-Based Society. Creativity and better management of information is facilitated through the use of technology where students, teachers, administrators and parents are better prepared for the challenges of the information Age.
The objectives of the Smart School, which are based on Malaysia's National Philosophy of Education. Education in Malaysia is an on-going efforts towards further developing the potential of individuals in a holistic and integrated manner, so as to produce individuals who are intellectually, spiritually, emotionally and physically balanced and harmonic, based on a firm belief in and devotion to God. Such an effort is designed to produce Malaysian citizens who are knowledgeable and competent, who possess high moral standards and who are responsible and capable of achieving high level of personal well-being as well as being able to contribute to the harmony and betterment of the family, the society and the nation at large.
Based on The Malaysia's National Philosophy of Education, the objectives of Smart School are to produce a thinking and technology-literate workforce. The Smart School also made to democratize education and to increase participation of stakeholders. Furthermore, it aims to provide all-round development of the individual. The objectives of Smart School also is to provide opportunities to enhance individual strengths and abilities.
Tun Dr. Mahathir Mohamad, Former Prime Minister of Malaysia, pointed out the three core visions of the Smart School Flagship Application during the Launching of Multimedia Super Corridor on 1st August 1996. Firstly, the vision are teachers will need to change their role in the electronic classroom from being information providers to counsellors to help students develop know how and judgment to select information sources. Secondly, Key to success in the Information Age will be making the right.
2.2 ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF SMART SCHOOL
There are several advantages and disadvantages in realizing the smart school program. These advantages must stay and can be improved. For disadvantages, it must be challenges to school to find the solution of it.
2.2.1 Advantages:
a) Interactive learning was improved
Ministry of Education have provide this smart school with the infrastructure and facilities in order to attract students to learn more. In this borderless world, students can find a wealth of information at their fingertips by using the available technology. This way is much more better compared to our old system that is using the blackboard as a place or platform to spread knowledge. Learning will be more interesting and students can accept something easily that interests them such as elements of colour, movement and sound.
b) Curriculum is more flexible and open
Learning focused on student-centered learning. Students are free to learn at their own style as they have variety of different intelligences. So, they do not have to follow the teacher’s method. They can learn according to their intelligence. Besides that, student promotes self-learning to generate creativity and independence.
c) Produce IT literate society in the future
Malaysia is one of the developing countries of the world. Therefore, this smart school is one of the measures taken by the government, the Ministry of Education to achieve Vision 2020. Producing IT literacy is one of the goals to be achieved in the Vision 2020. Therefore, it is appropriate that the government implement the Smart School based on IT and we need to start from now for producing IT-literate society in the future. Therefore, the government should implement or educate the public to recognize and know how to use IT. Learning systems today are becoming more advanced with the establishment of the Smart School's educational system based on technology. For example, LCD and laptop use in the learning process can have a significant impact on our society. Not only that, but teachers will also be sent to go to courses on ICT to enable or success of this Smart School concept.
2.2.2 Disadvantages:
a) Cost for smart school program is high
Government spends a lot of money to prepare electronic facilities and new books to all smart school. To provide full infrastructure of Smart Schools, government needs to spend about RM1.8million, while for the supply of computer laboratory infrastructure, the government requires an allocation of RM642, 000 for a school.
b) Lack of technological infrastructure and teaching materials in school in rural area
Rural areas contain incomplete facilities of technology that will cause teachers difficult to handle Smart School program. Moreover, the Internet is very limited because it is far from the city. This made technology-based learning cannot be carried out. Computer lab provided not used in long time and ignored.
c) Lack of good teacher in IT
Although the majority of teachers (81 persons or 97.6%) computer literacy IT, but they are not proficient with the software and the software development method website. Their skills limited to Microsoft Office software applications, such as Microsoft Word, Microsoft Excel and Microsoft PowerPoint.
d) Disrupt teaching and learning process
If the computer damaged, it will interfere the teaching and learning process in the classroom and the teacher had to teach students normally by using whiteboard with the marker pen. In addition, computer-based learning resources are often prone to damage hard disk, CD-ROM, diskette or virus attack. So, the school has to take a long period to repair the computer in order to be used again. This will disrupt the learning process.
2.3 ISSUES OF SMART SCHOOL
Smart schools have successfully regained excellence and accountability in Malaysian education (Sua, 2012). Some of the issues are ‘People, Skill and Responsibilities’ and ‘Notebook 1 Malaysia Free Giveaways’.
One research has conducted in Malaysian smart school to capture recent issues of ‘People, Skill and Responsibilities’. This study revealed that teachers in smart schools have been given various types and levels of ICT training on software application, programming languages and smart integration of ICT in teaching methods. Even though the majority of the teachers do not use electronic information sources in their teaching and learning, they have a positive attitude towards the need for developing a digital school resource centre DSRC to facilitate teaching and learning using electronic media provided by the Ministry and the Internet. The development of DSRC would only be worthwhile if students benefit from its use as teachers guide them through their search for information using effective skills and efficient resources (Paz Prendeset al., 2010).
Another issue is ‘Notebook 1 Malaysia Free Giveaways’. The distribution of free 1 Malaysia is an important project in support of High Speed Broadband (HSBB) and National Broadband Initiative (NBI) to achieve broadband penetration of 75% by 2015. In order to supply the laptops, RM1 bilion was allocated under the Universal Service Provision (USP) fund. Four main objectives of USP are providing the access of communication to groups and individuals in areas with poor coverage. Next, to improve usage of ICT in the community towards a knowledgeable society and to contribute to the social economic development of local communities. The last one is to minimize the digital divide.
2.4 CHALLENGES OF A SMART SCHOOL
In realizing a matter of course, there are many problems that need to be faced and should be made as challenges in the implementation of a smart school and to ensure that the smart approach in schools successfully implemented.
2.4.1. Challenge to principal
a) Build infrastructure
One of the problem faced by smart school is lack of computer and student need to wait their turn for learn using computer. The uses of computer of the lesson are limited for each student. So, preparation of technology infrastructure requires focus and commitment by the principal. Principals need to be smart to play the role of the responsible person to find a classroom that can accommodate IT equipment such as computers and materials to other media. In other words, principals need to find a place to be renovated computer lab. It will require time and involvement to ensure that the processes are according to its procedures.
b) Growing parents confidence
Consistent with the goal of producing students of Smart Schools IT literate, preferably principals should equip themselves with IT skills. Smart Schools must provide information technology plan, management plan and staff plan to solve the problem of information principals IT illiterate. Thus, parents will be more confident to send their children to the Smart School when principals seeing seriousness with IT skills
2.4.2. Challenge to teachers in smart school
a) IT skills among teachers
Unskilled teacher in IT especially old teacher prefer chalk and talk approach and their student still got good result without using technology approach. Furthermore, they did not know deeply the way to handle the computer if there is problem. For them, it's very burden because they need to wait and waste the time to repair the computer problem.
The way to overcome this problem is teachers must take their own initiative to learn deeply about IT. It will give positive impact to teacher itself and be easier for them to do anything because almost all things we can do at the fingertip.
2.4.3. Challenge to student
a) Prepared to accept change
Any method and the way of teaching and learning, student must ready and able to accept with an open mind. So that, everything will become easier, going smoothly and thus will achieve the Smart School program. If the student always complains and negative thinking, it will make difficult for them to study well. So, the role of the student to achieve successful program of this is very important and student must give full of cooperation.
b) Use IT preferably
One of the problems faced in this smart school program is the student not make the learning instructed by teachers. Instead they use computers for social network and chat with each other. If the teacher is not looking, there are students who do their own work like chatting via Facebook and Twitter. Teachers cannot fully control every student because they need to monitor other students. Self-awareness should be nurtured to the student, so that they are serious and follow the teachers instruction during the learning process. Otherwise, they will be left behind.
2.4.4. Challenges to government
a) Had to spend a lot of money for this program
Technology equipment cost of millions to the success of this program because we need to provide LCD, computers, teaching aids and materials technology to every school. So, to ease the burden of the government, the responsible person must know how to find cheap and quality suppliers of technological equipment. It is because mostly computer in school are less quality. This thing looks trivial but it is very important to avoid damage and had to pay for the repair. Besides that, the contribution from teachers, parents and the community are very welcome either in the form of money or equipment technology.
b) Overcome the lack of technician and damage of computer
In order to provide IT technicians for each schools will spend a lot of money. To overcome this problem, each school have to appoint teachers who are experts in IT to lead and take care of the computer lab at school. Government should send them to deepen their computer lab management style and it will uses correctly. Besides that, teachers and students also have to take awareness and responsibility in order to make sure that computers in school are always in a controlled environment.
3.0 CONCLUSION
Overall, the smart school program established to increase the quality of education in our country. The integration of ICT in teaching and learning at school present the opportunities for the teacher-student especially the students to learn more effectively and efficiently. Efforts that have been done should be responded by the public. So that, the program will run successfully. All deficiencies identified during the course of this program should be taken as a challenge in order to overcome all the weaknesses.
Government’s efforts to make all schools are smart school should be responded through concerted efforts. All deficiencies such as lack of skilled teachers and internet was limited will be reduced if everyone can play their roles successfully.
Parents should take cognizance of matters relating to the school. If not, they just always blame the schools just for what happened. They can attend PIBG or donate some money in the purchase of materials technology as a sign of support this program.
Communities need to open our eyes and move a step forward together with the developed countries. At the age of this globalization, we need to use the best technology to ensure that our country will become well known and be in the same level with other developed countries.
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