Information and Communication

Technology in Science
SSI3013

An Overview of Smart School:

Challenges of Smart School in Malaysia

Group members:
Name Matric No
Sharifah Izyan Nadzirah bt D20141067071
Syed Noor Afandy
Nur Auni Syafikah bt D20141067069
Mohammad Rushle
Nor Asmimie bt Mohd Norli D20141067062

Lecturers name: Encik Azmi bin Ibrahim

1.0 INTRODUCTION OF SMART SCHOOL
 Smart School program can be defined as the school that incorporates with the latest
technologies to organize, accommodate and optimize the student learning process. This
education program could involve using the latest ideas of blended learning, the flipped
classroom and other practices. The Smart School has been laughed by our government to
establish a network that imparts high quality education without discrimination. In Malaysia,
Smart School is an education system which learning institution reconstruct systematically
teaching-learning and the school management itself in order to prepared children for
information Age. Early in 1996, the Ministry of Education was created laws of Smart School
concept. There was teaching and learning based on creative thinking.

Smart School had become of the seven flagship of the Multimedia Super Corridor
(MSC) that had been carry out in 2000. The important component in Smart School concept is
the technology when this project exist as one of application that are part of Malaysian
Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC). A Smart School need not even be physically present to be a
school, on could be online classrooms using the help of various learning management system
and not need of owning a classroom at all.

There are five main goals of smart school 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. Firstly, the main goals of Smart School program is to produce a thinking and
technology-literate workforce. Next is to provide all-round development of individual which
are intellectual, physical, emotional and spiritual. This program also want to provide
opportunities to enhance individual strengths and abilities. It also aim to increase participation
of stakeholders and democratise education.

Smart School came out with four primary objectives. The first objective is to produce
knowledge society that is critical, creative and innovative. Next is to produce technology savvy
individuals for the information age. After that to bridge the digital divide and to cultivated life-
long learning based on ICT. Based on this objective, here are some ways to teaching and
learning through ICT such as use smart partnerships locally and globally, use creativity and
innovation in action, use online learning for the digital natives, use catering to the individual
student, use creative approaches in teaching and learning, use the combination of traditional
and learning, use computer labs to increase ICT utilization, and also use school access centres
that provide additional contact time with internet.

2.0 THE CHARACTERISTICS OF SMART SCHOOL

Smart school had differ from national school based on their characteristics.
1. Curriculum
Smart School curriculum was designed to help student to achieve balanced and overall
development. It also help students to have integration of skills, values, correct use of
language and attitudes suitable across the curriculum for the Information Age. Learning
outcomes was ensuring all students allowing for self-paced leaning across grades and
gain equal access to quality learning.
2. Pedagogy
Smart School pedagogy involves specific learning goals such as active learning process
where learner constructs meaning continuously. But, compare with normal nation
school pedagogy there are not involve specific learning goals. This process of pedagogy
learning goals is to ensure mastery of basic competencies and promotion of holistic
development by encouragement of learning activities to promote creativity and
experimentation with content.
3. Assessment
Assessment in Smart School covers achievement, readiness, progress and aptitude. The
achievement means that assessing the achievement of each intended learning outcome
in a learning area is necessary to indicate whether the learner is ready to move on to the
next area. Then, readiness is a learners have different experiences and their levels of
entry in certain learning areas need to be assessed and progress is the students progress
in achieving certain learning objectives need to be monitored. Student strengths and
weaknesses also need to be diagnosed.
4. Teaching-learning materials
The teaching-learning strategies for Smart School issupport by new quality materials.
The component of quality that meets curricular and instructional needs, is cost effective,
as well as cosmetically and technically adequate are cosmetic adequacy like graphic and
video quality, technical adequacy, instruction adequacy, cost effectiveness and
curriculum adequacy.
5. Smart School Management System
The primary objective of smart school management system is to efficiently and
effectively manage the resources and process required to support the teaching and
learning function. Smart School management system have nine primary function which
are technology, security, school governance, student affairs, educational resources,
external resources, facilities, human resources and financial management. All the
characteristics of Smart School is very different with normal national school.

3.0 ADVANTAGES OF IMPLEMENTING SMART SCHOOL

 There are a lots of advantages of implementing this smart school program. Firstly, we
can improve the interactive learning of the students. For example, the teachers can contact
other student through email to give notes, homework or any learning materials. It make the
education easier and faster. Teachers and students also can use the smart board. The teacher can
give students a hands-on approach t classroom concepts.
Next, with smart school program we have the equipped with the latest technology. It
will provide a range of education software for teacher, school and colleges. In this learning
technology, various methods of teaching and learning are use.
The curriculum will be more flexible and open or we can call it more on self-evaluation.
It based on student-centred learning lesson. This type of self-evaluation will promote self-
learning to creative and independent and it can be learn in variety way as they like.
In a smart classroom, the teacher can use the resources available on the internet for the
better and more understanding for the students. Todays, student are curious to know about
everything. They want to gain extra knowledge about the ongoing topic in the class. This smart
school help the student to study because limitation of books.
In smart classroom, there is digital approach for notes. The teacher, instead of writing
on the board, teaching using PowerPoint presentation, word documents, images, videos and
audios. These resource are given to the students in pen drives, CDs or they are emailed to them.
In this way the students do not have to write for making notes. Notes are provided to them and
they can donate their full concentration to the lecturer.
Smart School also makes learning enjoyable. If we go and look in a regular classroom,
the students are feeling very sleepy. The use of smart school technologies in the class makes the
classroom a fun room. The class becomes interesting and enjoyable for the students. No student
feels sleepy. It makes learning a fun process.
Lastly, it advantageous for the absentees. In smart classroom, the lecture are recorded.
Whenever the student is absent, teacher can anytime see the recorded lecture. The notes also in
digital form, so they can be easily provided to the student.

4.0 DISADVANTAGES OF IMPLEMENTING SMART SCHOOL

This application of information technology in teaching and learning also have its own
advantages. The most real thing that we can see in this smart school program is it need higher
cost to provide all the needed to achieve the goals. The government spend a lot of electronic
facilities and new book. We also face lack of technological infrastructure and teaching
materials in school in rural area. We dont have much chance to be expose to technology and
also some of schools had problem with limited internet connectivity.
5.0 CHALLENGES OF IMPLEMENTING SMART SCHOOL
1. Lack of Technological Infrastructure and Teaching Materials in School in Rural
Area.
As we all knows, there are some schools that do not have complete ICT equipment in
their schools. It mostly happen at rural school because they are far from the city so they
are having limited internet connection and limited of infrastructure such as computer
labs lead to ineffectiveness of technology supported teaching learning. Compare to
urban school that more advance and they complete all the ICT equipment with
computers.
2. Teacher Training
The most critical aspect of training would be teacher training. There needs to be a
careful addition of intensive training and counselling to assist teachers adapt to the
whole new environments. This will be crucial in order to dispel the natural insecurity
and fears of redundancy that will arise from this radical change in teaching
methodology and hence the teachers get the very important role in this cases. This
training will have to denote considerable attention to changing the mind-set of teachers
so that they will understand that Smart Schools must provide the best and good
environment for self-directed and self-accesses learning of students in classrooms The
training must have focus considerable attention to change mind-set of teachers. It
involves such as renovate training program significant additional infrastructure and
mobilization of expertise, local and foreign. Apart from the principal, the teachers also
receive a challenge to produce smart school. As a very dedicated teacher, the teacher
must accept all challenges with an open mind to ensure smart school can be executed.
The first challenge for teachers in order to produce smart school are the management.
There are some problems that cannot be avoided such as damage to computers and
equipment. This has resulted in the teaching process is interrupted. To avoid this
problem persists, the problem should be solved as soon as possible. Other than
maintenance issues, it involves maintenance costs are high and this problem had to be
postponed because of a long time to overcome.
3. Learning Attitude
In aspect of learners is that learners attitudes. Nowadays, the students are not too active
or passive in teaching and learning process. They must listen to teachers and doing
nothing unless hoping fully to the teachers. The teacher hold the responsibility of
teaching process and in relation to technology applications, the student should also play
an active role in determining the direction of their respective learning. They must
 participate of the activities. The software that are created and designed to facilitate the
students active, creative and critical engagement with the content which can help
enhance the active construction and reconstruction of ideas and experiences of their
understanding of the content presented. Smart Schools will prepare the students to make
a successful transition to the modern and more global environment. The schools will
nurture skills of creative problem. In the form of smart schools, students have to play
the role that smart school can be produced perfectly. As a very dedicated student, the
student should be prepared to deal with changes in the learning process for good.
Students will be exposed to new IT skills and this is something new to students. This
will lead to feelings of doubt the ability of the students. Therefore, teachers should
provide good exposure to help and improve the high interest in learning to students.

4. Heavy investment on Facilities

The government need to spend a lot for electronic facilities and new books. There are
also the cost and maintenance fees for the facilities are high. This is because effective
implementation of Smart Schools will require funding for the building of new schools
with its entire multimedia infrastructure, upgrading facilities in existing schools, teacher
training institutions and maintenance of new technology.
5. Parents
The parents also the big challenging in Smart School program. The parents usually do
not involve in this project. They busy with their work so that they can upgrade their life
and provide the better environment to their children.
6. The School Principal
This category is challenge to the smart school principals. Effective leadership will affect
the brilliance and success of the school. For implementing smart schools, there are
several challenges that must be faced by principals. Firstly, the principals should build
infrastructure in order to produce smart school. Smart school principals need to provide
computing strategy. Principals require focus and commitment to the provision of IT
infrastructure. The principal role as the party responsible for providing classrooms that
can accommodate tools IT equipment such as computers and other media materials.
Second challenge for principals in order to produce smart school are principals must
provide teaching materials for class wizard. For example, the principal must provide
high quality software for use as teaching aids. Some schools have difficulties to obtain
high-quality details for IT teaching- learning process. Therefore, the school had tried to
get the details of high quality to be used as teaching material in class. Third challenge as
a principals to produce smart school are improving IT skills among teachers and
 students. Smart school goal is to produce students who are IT literate. Therefore, the
principal must also equip themselves with IT skills. On June 23 to August 6, the
Curriculum Development Centre (CDC) has revealed that only three per cent were
skilled in using IT, while 97 percent indicated. This shows that staff not fully trained in
the use of the smart school software.

5.0 METHODS TO OVERCOME THE CHALLENGES

We can solving the challenges in the face of real situations and the students will learn to
make a right decisions and holding the responsibility for them. Besides that, students also learn
how to process and manipulate information. They will trained to think creatively and critically
and to reflect on what they have learned as well as to transfer and apply knowledge from one
disciplines to another and also to daily life. The current system stretches the weak students and
restricts the smartest. The technology in the Smart Schools will help provide the flexibility to
remove this stress in that system. This will allow fast learners to complete the coursework and
assessments sooner than the normal duration.

6.0 CONCLUSIONS

A smart classroom increase the interest of the students in studies. Student will get to
learn more with so many advantages of Smart School program. Also there are many challenges
of Smart School, but we can thinks the method to overcome the challenges because there are
many advantages compare to disadvantages. Due to some advantages, we cannot ignore the
advantage of the cost involves. But, in the coming few decades, the rise in technology would
definitely decrease the cost of these cost of these devices to some extent. The new inventions in
the fields of computer science and technology would definitely make teaching and learning
even much better. The government schools should also employ smart technology in every
schools. Smart school is planning to provide platform solid to form the next generation of
Malaysian nation and shaping the country future development.