FACULTY OF SCIENCE AND MATHEMATICS

UNIVERSITI PENDIDIKAN SULTAN IDRIS

SSI3013
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION
TECHNOLOGY IN SCIENCE
GROUP A

THE CHALLENGES OF SMART SCHOOL IMPLEMENTATION

ENCIK AZMI BIN IBRAHIM

NAME MATRIC NUMBER

NORAIN HANANI BINTI OMAR D20141067077

SITI MARIAM BINTI TAHAR D20141067081
NUR FARAHAIN BINTI ASHARI D20152072047

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 The Challenges of Smart School Implementation

Table of Contents

Topic Pages

1.0 Introduction
3
2.0 Issues
3.0 Challenges 4
4.0 Advantages
5-8
5.0 Disadvantages
6.0 Conclusion 8-9
7.0 Bibliography
9
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1.0 Introduction

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 Smart school is a learning institution that has been systemically reinverted in terms of
teaching and learning practices as well as the improvement of school management in order to
prepare students for the life in Information Age. In this era, the development of ICT experienced
to be found rapidly. Therefore, to adapt with this type of changing condition, smart school will
develop over time. In order to function effectively, the smart school require appropriately skilled
staff, and well-designed supporting processes.

Based on the main reason of smart school to provide children for Information Age, smart
school is prepared with all the technology needed from school level to national level. Technology
that can facilitate teaching and learning process such as multimedia a database application is
equipped by smart school.

The responsibility of parents, teachers, administrators and the community assisted in the
education of the Malaysian students as well as the national curriculum and pedagogy are given
the highest importance. Initiative among the students, individuality and creativity students are
prioritized. However, ICT is essential in making teaching and learning process become more
attractive, accessible and effective. In addition, the management and communication among
participant more efficient.

Furthermore, student able to learn within beneficial learning environment place through
The Malaysia Smart School. It provides numerous syllabus with continuing assessment which
handled by teachers and professional authority. Pedagogy of smart school goal for making learn
become more impressive, meaningful, stimulating and motivating. The smart school planning
pedagogy were use a relevant element of learning process to provide knowledge of basic style in
order to support a classroom atmosphere and as to boost performance that is consistent with
diverse learning methods.

As a conclusion, in order to accomplish Vision 2020, smart school is an influential in

Malaysia education system with the reinforcement of nation. On the other hand, the
intellectually, emotionally, physical, spiritually and harmonious can be produce.

2.0 Issues of smart school

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 1. All round development of the individual (intellectual, physical, emotional, spiritual)
2. Provision to develop individual strengths and abilities
3. Produce a thinking and technology-literate workforce
4. Democratize education
5. Increase participation of stakeholders

In technologies of ICT there is a few issues of smart school. As for issues, they may be involve in
people, teaching learning skills and information of technology. For people they may be involves
to parents, teachers and people in our surrounding.

Parents
Parents can play a major role in helping Smart Schools provide individualized education for
students. Research has shown that students do better when their parents are involved. This task
will go beyond monitoring the childs progress, and providing guidance, motivation, and
counsel; it will require familiarity with the new educational processes, a willingness to assist
with developing teaching-learning and assessment materials, as well as the ability to access the
schools public domain databases electronically.

Teachers
Teacher development will be critical to the success of the Smart School. Teachers will need
intensive training in the use of information technology and in its integration into classroom
activities in ways that enhance thinking and creativity. Smart School teachers will also need to
learn to facilitate and encourage students in taking charge of their own learning. In the long term,
these teachers will need to augment their skills regularly, if they are to stay abreast of
developments in their profession and remain confident in their application of the technology.

Teaching and learning process

The teaching processes relating to curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, and teaching-learning
materials. It help students learn effectively and efficiently. It also enable students to self-accessed
and self-directed learning. It also cognitively attractive, motivates students to learns and

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encourage active participation. Moreover, combinations of network-based, teacher based and
courseware materials will become more attractive.

Information of technology
Management of smart school has such strategies for improving schools in facilities and
maintaining them. One question is coming up like How does school management affect on
smart school success? Managers as interviewees believed that smart school goals are based on
specific policies that should be implementing by managers. Hence, those plans are as following
ways;

1. Having strategies for utilizing IT and technology for IT class.

2. Encouraging policies for students and teachers to attain goals.
3. Supporting and maintaining system for improving school.

3.0 Challenges of smart school

Malaysia has target to achieve the status of a developed nation by 2020. There are many efforts
made by government to achieve the goals. One of them are provide smart school. The concept of
smart school was discussed by ministry of education by 1996. Smart schools are school that can
provide opportunities for development of teaching and learning method. There are many
challenges to provide the smart schools. The challenges are discuss as below.

Firstly, the challenge is the investment on facilities is heavy. The government needs to
spend a lot for electronic facilities and new books. As we know, the cost and maintenance fees
for the facilities are high. The effective implementation of smart schools will require the 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.

Secondly, the democratization in education is lack. Students have to learn the scope in the
syllabus. At the same time they need to focus for examination. They dont have enough time to
study and doing revision since they have different skills of study to understand the topics.

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 Besides, the manpower in handling the technical problem is lack due to insufficient
technicians. When the government provided the necessary ICT facilities in the computer lab,
some of facilities might be damage due to non-expert students and teachers use the facilities.
Thats why each computer laboratory needs at least one technician to solve any problem related
to the facilities. However, most of the schools dont have the technician and only the teachers
repair the facilities if the facilities are damage even the teachers dont have skills to solve this
problem. As a solution, every school should have enough technicians to repair the computer
equipment. It is important to students and teachers to use the facilities in a good condition
without any problems. Government should employ a youth to be a skilled technician in every
schools. Teachers also need more training because they cant always depends on technician only.
Teachers also need to monitor and observe the students while students use the facilities in
computer lab so thoroughly awake tools.

Furthermore, the technological infrastructure and teaching materials in school in rural

area is lack. The internet connection is limited. Government should provide School Net Project
to provide internet broadband facilities to schools. Besides, the infrastructure such as computer
labs lead to ineffectiveness of technology supported teaching and learning is limited. The
internets at schools are too slow due to many students and teachers are access the internet at the
same time. So it will take longer time to loading the browser. This problem can be overcome by
increase the network bandwidth so the teachers and students are able to access the internet at the
same time. this will help them to get the information more faster way. However, schools should
play an important role in avoiding the students from view the inappropriate page.

In addition, the computers are shortage. Since the technology nowadays are develop very
well, students are boring with old time learning method. Since that smart schools should have an
effective e-learning in classroom. An effective e-learning classroom should have smart board,
educational TV and hardware and courseware. As we know, some schools in rural area dont
have complete ICT equipment because they are far away from the city. They are different with
urban area which is in city and have complete facilities include ICT equipment and computer
laboratory. This is a big problem for students and teachers in rural area since they are unable to
achieve the goal of smart schools due to inadequate facilities to them to explore ICT. As a
solution, government should provide complete convenience to every school include rural area.

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This may help our country to achieve the goals for smart schools. Each rural and urban schools
must receive the same facilities then the teachers and students can use ICT in their teaching and
learning process smoothly. Besides, students will experience the world of cutting-edge
cyberspace and get the latest information. These facilities can help teachers to replace the
traditional way of teaching and learning method.

In addition, the hardware, software and courseware were found to be under-utilized.

Some teachers are not keen on using the courseware due to lack of ICT knowledge,
uncomfortable for the development of technology and more prefer traditional way of teaching
which is chalk and talk besides they thinking these technology is waste their time. these factors
affect the teachers to use new technology for teaching and learning process. Besides, the students
are more advance than teachers in using technology because they are more ready to face the ICT
world. As a solution, teachers must enhance their knowledge in using the technology to ensure
the students are not more advance and more knowledgeable than teachers. Teachers might attend
sub courses which offered them to learn how to use technology. The design of courseware does
not accommodate for students with differing needs and learning abilities. Besides, the teachers
lack of proper guidelines to use the courseware. Besides the software used in school and MOE is
causing problem such as to key data, cannot be used by schools computer, the processor takes a
longer time and slow, the hardware is out of date and lack of knowledge from teachers and
students can cause damage to computer.

Moreover, the challenge of smart school implementation is lack of trainings. Some

teachers cannot teach effectively. Besides the new teachers are lack of intensive training and the
experienced teachers lack of ICT knowledge. Government should effort to prepare teachers as
catalysts. They are the core pillar of the nations education system thereby acting as agents of
change for the nation. This challenge can be overcome by rigorous training course for teachers
and administrators. The teachers must undergoing retraining in five skills which are learning
skills, creative and critical thinking, facilitating, assessment and evaluation and technology
competent.

Next, the challenge is the time constraint. Students felt that learning using computer is
very time consuming. The teachers have to prepare earlier if they want to use the computer lab
for teaching and it will disturb the process of teaching and learning.

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 Then, students also one of the challenges in smart school as the students nowadays is
passive. They hope every material is provided by their teacher. Besides the parents are not
involved in this project due to busy with their work so that they can upgrade their life and
provide a better environment to their children. Besides, the negative attitude of teachers is also
one of the challenges. A teacher has been blended with traditional methods ad difficult to adapt
new instructional technology.

Furthermore, did not every staff involve the development program. In addition, the
challenge is awareness of society should be improve. Some people feel smart school are same
with normal school. They dont know much about smart school. Many people had the notion that
the smart school was a school for smart students only. Government should have a smart school
promotional program to put it in the right perspective, increase awareness of society, familiarity
of smart school toward public and gain confidence from public.

4.0 Advantages of smart school

There are many advantages of a smart school. In a smart school, the teacher able to use
the resources available on the internet for the better understanding of the students. There are
numerous resource available on the internet that can be accessed by students as well as teachers
at any time. In this era, internet plays a vital role in teaching and learning process. Todays
students are curious to gain extra knowledge about the chapter that has been taught in the class.
For those who want to learn extra knowledge beyond the chapter, internet is very effective tool.

In addition, curriculum can be more flexible and open. It is necessary things for the
educational aspect to balance with the latest changes as well as curriculum. Smart school's new
approach consists of a mixture of ICT with curriculum that bring about changes in teaching and
learning process. There is diverse attitude in such schools along with utilizing computer for
teaching and learning. At the same time it activates the student's flexibility to be cooperative with
the other learners to use ICT to be productive regarding the contents of teaching as well. This
type of curriculum build up a background for the learner to activate individual capabilities to

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increase their exposure and expand their independence rather than training them with a specific
fragment of knowledge.

5.1 Disadvantages of smart school

There are a lot of advantages as mentioned above. However there are a few of
disadvantages also which makes the use of smart technology quite limited. Firstly, like all
electronic device, the gadget that used in smart school require proper maintenance. These
gadgets that has been installed should be free from dust particle and not face direct sunlight.
Otherwise the gadgets will damage. In addition, these equipment release a lot of heat in the
surrounding so the classrooms should be air conditioned. Technical staff has to be assigned for
the maintenance of devices. This will cause additional cost and the devices also need to be
updated regularly which is precise time consuming.

The biggest matter when it comes to the use of technology in schools is how accessible
pornographic, violent, and other inappropriate materials can be assessed and viewed. This could
cause enormous issue if the material is shared with other students while in the classroom.

6.0 Conclusion

As a conclusion, the initiation of Smart School in Malaysia is an escalation in our

community education to obtain our nation Vision 2020. The endless achievement towards
making its an enormous success obligate fully involvement of all stakeholders. There are still
have challenges d obstacles need to face and overcome by all stakeholders. However,
cooperation and ownership of Smart School from the stakeholders can overcome the challenges
and achieve aim in the future.

8.0 Bibliography

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Rhoades, K. (2002). New England Complex Systems Institute. Retrieved from Changes in the
Teaching and Learning Process in a Complex Education System:
http://www.necsi.edu/research/management/education/teachandlearn.html

Salimi, L. (2011). Science direct. Retrieved from The study and comparison of curriculum in
smart and traditional schools: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/18770428

Siavash Omidinia, Smart School System Issues and Challenges. Retrieved from

https://www.academia.edu/3158453/SMART_SCHOOL_SYSTEM_ISSUES_AND_CHALLEN
GES?au to=download

Stella Ooi (2013), Smart School Challenges. Retrieved from

https://www.slideshare.net/stellaooi543/smart-school-challenges-progress-29169702

Ukessays. (2015, March 23). Retrieved from Effect Of Globalisation On Educational Policy In
Malaysia Education Essay: https://www.ukessays.com/essays/education/effect-of-
globalisation-on-educational-policy-in-malaysia-education-essay.php

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