Pbl Group 5

UNIVERSITI PENDIDIKAN SULTAN IDRIS

INFROMATION AND TECHNOLOGY IN BIOLOGY

PROBLEM BASED LEARING

NAME

MATRIX NUMBER

NOR FATIHAH BINTI MD NOR MUHAMMAD SHAKIR BIN CHE SOH

D20081032384

LEE TACK HOOI

D20081032349

SITUATION GIVEN: Malaysian Smart School In 1996, Malaysia identified information and communication technology (ICT) as one of the key foundations for its projects transition from a production – based economy to a knowledge – based economy by 2020. The Smart Schools initiative is one of the flagship applications that are part of Malaysia’s Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) project. The Government of Malaysia aims to capitalize on the presence of leading – edge technologies and the rapid development of MSC’s infrastructure to jump – start deployment of enabling technology to schools. This was done by creating a group of 90 pilot Smart Schools in 1999 that will serve as the nucleus for the eventual nation – wide rollout of Smart school teaching concepts and materials, skills and technologies. By 2010, all primary and secondary schools in Malaysia will be Smart Schools. As a senior officer from Ministry of Education, prepare a presentation to a group of science teachers from Brunei who is interested to know about the use of technology as enabler contained in the Smart School Concept. You also need to provide an overview of the progress made so far and challenges faced since the inception of Smart Schools in Malaysia. FILA CHART: Facts

Ideas

Issues

action

-Malaysia government

- Malaysia want to

- what is the smart

Literatur

aims to capitalize

be develop nation

school concept

e review

- the uses of ICT

- in what ways the ICT is

- ICT change from

during teaching

apply in Smart School

production-based

and learning

technologies

on internet, books

- what are the

and

- to produce the

advantages using ICT as

journals

- primary and

new generation

enabler.

secondary school will

which are ICT

be smart school

literate

- government create a

- all schools are

group of 90 pilot smart

equipped with

school in1999

computer lab.

- smart school

- life long learners.

economy

initiative is one of the flagship application

- what is the progress of the Smart School since their inception - what kind of support did Ministry of Education provided to the school - what are challenges and how were they

- a group of science teacher from Brunei interested to know about Smart school

overcome - why was smart school introduced

concepts on teaching

- how many components

learning component

are there in smart school

and the used of

concepts

technology

GROUP 5: What Kind Of Support Does The Ministry Of Education Provided To The Schools? First of all, a very good morning and welcome especially to all of the beloved teachers that had travelled from Brunei to Malaysia. Before I continue, I would like to introduce myself. I am Joseph Beaton, a senior officer from the Ministry of Education in Malaysia. Today I would like to represent the ministry to give a short speech about the information and technology in Malaysia specifically about the supports that the ministry provided to the schools in Malaysia. When we talk about support, allocation of money will be the first aspect that crosses our mind. This is very true because without money we can barely start on the technology that had been introduced to us. However, money alone is not enough to support the whole development of the technology in Malaysia especially in the education field. We still need the allocation of the people that are expert in this field to conduct and teach the student (new generation) to use the technology that had been introduce to the world. Not just that, we might as well need to get the supplier of all the material and apparatus that are needed in conducting the learning process of using the technology. Without the supplier, there is no point of just having a lump sum of allocated money from the government or the ministry. Ladies and Gentlemen, In Malaysia, actually the application of the Information and Technology was introduce to schools in the 19th century. However, a large step was taken to develop the information and technology in the schools in Malaysia in 1999 where the government through the Ministry of Education had launched 90 pilot Smart Schools throughout Malaysia. To carry out this pilot test, the government actually had allocated a large sum of money from the annual budget to develop this project. That is why it is not a surprising that the government has allocated RM136.80 billion in 2006 for information and technology budget. A large sum of money was allocated to develop

this technology in education field because the basic components or the hardware and software in the market are quite expensive. Most of the rural areas in Malaysia are not able to support this kind of technology. Thus, the ministry had try to allocate money to most of the rural area to aid them to obtain the basic needs in fulfilling the quest of education with information and technology.

Other than that, we as the education ministry actually also try to promote teach school with a computer laboratory. By promoting this computer laboratory, we hope that the student that does not have a computer at their home is able to experience on this new technology. As the next generation that will lead our country in the future, our student need to grab hold on the technologies that had been introduced in the world. We also encourage each of the school that has the computer laboratory will let their student to spent one hour in a week to enter the computer laboratory and learnt to use the computer and manage the free ware that can be obtain through internet.

Ladies and gentlemen, As we know, the education system in Malaysia nowadays is more towards exam – oriented. This situation actually is not favoring the boys because boys actually prefer the pattern of study which is more interactive. By just using the technique of chalk and talk will make them bored and they will not concentrate in the class during the teaching and learning process. In other words, the teaching and learning process is a failure. However, this situation can be prevented by introduction and application of the some new technologies when a teacher conducting the teaching process. For example is the usage of the power point presentation. On the ministry, we try to obtain some of the teaching courseware which is created by the professionals to make teaching and learning process easier and more effective. When the teaching software was firstly introduced, it was barely used by the school teachers because at that moment, most of the school is not fully equipped with the required technologies. The situation is quite different today as most of the school teachers are using the teaching courseware in class. By using this kind of courseware, teacher can conduct the class better because they are able to interact with the students. Thus, the ministry had provided science and mathematics teacher with a few compact discs (CDs) that has the teaching courseware in it

early of the year. We hope that teaching and learning process will be better and more interactive for the students. Although, we might able to equip the teachers and schools with the teaching courseware, it will be pointless if the schools do not have the equipments such as the projectors and screens. These two components actually is the basic needs if a teacher wants to use the teaching courseware or the power point presentation in the teaching and learning process. However, we are not able to provide each and every of the classroom in all of the schools in Malaysia with these two components. A large sum of money must be allocated to make it possible to equipped each of the classroom with the lcd projector and screen. As a solution, the ministry of education will try to equip most of the school with a few mobile projectors and screen. These two components are kept in a trolley and it is mobile. Thus, most of the teachers in the schools will be able to conduct the class using the teaching courseware.

Ladies and gentlemen, All of these new technologies actually had been firstly introduced in the pilot project of Smart School in Malaysia. The Smart School is conducted based in the concept of using the latest technologies in conducting the teaching and learning process in the classroom. We hope that by changing the method of teaching in school, our country will be able to mould out the nest generation which is more production and able to stand with the emerging wave of globalization. The introduction of the Smart Schools in Malaysia actually also is a way of support shown by the ministry in promoting the usage of information and technologies in the education system in Malaysia. Hopefully through this project, our country will be able to see our next generation becoming more towards technology friendly and not toward technophobic. However, each of the Smart Schools, there needs to be Technology coordinator who will be responsible for supporting teachers in the overall deployment of multimedia and other technologies in the deliveries of Smart School teaching. The technology coordinator is entrusted to guide and help train teachers in delivering effective technology supported instruction. Thus the technology coordinator should be a teacher with skills in integration of technology for enhancement of information gathering, instruction, management processes and communication. Other responsibilities of the technology coordinator include assisting the principal in the management software applications as well as keeping abreast with development in education technology . Apart from the pedagogical issues the technology coordinator will also supervise

maintenance of all technical equipment and liaise with the school technical support staff team for equipment repair, replacement and facility upgrading as and when necessary.

Teacher development will be the most critical component as teachers will be the primary deliverers of Smart School teaching. A comprehensive teacher education programmed incorporating best practices in technology supported learning will be critical to the success of the Smart School initiative. These teachers will need intensive training on Information Technology skills and technology integration into classroom instructions to enhance thinking and creativity. In addition, Smart Schools teachers need to be trained as “guides on the side”, facilitating and encouraging students to take charge of their own learning .The training should allow participants to explore a wide variety of areas and strategies as well as the opportunities to engage in practicum that represent the reality they would face. Continuous learning is a crucial ingredient as it is necessary for teachers to keep abreast of development in their professional practices and to be confident with technology. The pre-service and in-service professional development programmed will have new emphases in nurturing the qualities and practices of teachers in order for them to function in a technology enriched environment. Last but not least, the above statement is a few supports that the ministry of the education is able to provide to the schools in Malaysia. I believe that the ministry will try to do their best in equipping each and every school in our country with the latest informatics technology. Actually, the introduction of the new technologies to the society is a very hard jobs depending on the acceptance of the society on that particular technology. However, a senior officer in the ministry I see a bright future for the information and technology (ICT) to develop in Malaysia. Thus, I would like to promote this new technology to out neighboring country, Brunei. Hopefully, my speech today will give all of you some useful informations. Thank you.