What Is A Smart School

Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris

TKU 3023 ICT in Chemistry Assignment: What Is Smart School

By: Siti Khadijah Binti Ibrahim

D20081032329

Syamimi Binti Othman

D20081032370

Lecturer’s Name Slot

: Cik Asmayati Binti Yahaya

: Thursday, 1.00 p.m – 4.00 p.m

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1. What is a smart school?

The definition of "Smart School" is one that uses a technology platform as a medium on which distance learning and specific teaching expertise are made available to remote locations including the home, with out compromise to the quality of information transfer and certified teaching methods developed locally, regionally or internationally. The Smart School Project was one of the Malaysian Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) flagships. The Ministry set a target of total migration of its more than 10,000 primary and secondary schools into Smart School by the year 2010. The Smart School concept is a long term plan for the national educational system to produce highly skilled and knowledgeable human capital in terms of ICT and as a paradigm shift in the educational system. The Smart School will play a crucial role in providing a strong foundation for the pupils to develop and increase their abilities as individuals. The Smart School Project will be a stepping-stone to spearhead ICT integration and implementation not only in teaching and learning but also across the educational system in Malaysia. Skills and knowledge of ICT will be centre stage in Smart School and play a vital role in the school management systems. The Malaysian Smart School is a learning institution that has been systemically reinvented in terms of teaching-learning practices and school management in order to prepare children for the Information Age. The Malaysian Smart School has the following qualities such as a philosophy that says all students can learn if taught, coupled with high expectations for all students, a broad curriculum that considers the different capabilities and needs of all students, a school climate that is conducive to learning, an on-going assessment that supports good instruction, strong and professional principals and teachers and a high level of parent and community involvement and support.

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2. How is a smart school differed from normal national school? The Smart School won't be the same as any existing schools anywhere around the world. These are due to two main factors involving current education system in Malaysia and will continue in Smart School. Firstly: The National Philosophy of Malaysian Education will be the main component of Smart School curriculum and secondly: moral values that have been stressed in present curriculum will go on into Smart schooling. These two foundations of Malaysian Education will not be negotiable in the Smart Curriculum. This will make the Smart School different than the rest of normal schools. How the curriculum is being carried out in Smart School may resemble to the existing Smart Schools. The Malaysian Smart Schools Project was started as one of the MSC Flagship Applications, along with 6 others. A Smart School is a learning institution where the teaching-learning practices and school management has been systemically reinvented. This is to prepare students for the information era that is so important today. What distinguishes smart schools from other schools is the use of technology to support and enhance teaching-learning. The process not only involves the introduction of IT and multimedia, but is also a catalyst towards creating and implementing a more effective education delivery process. The Smart School’s assessment system will be distinctly different from current systems to help to realize the National Philosophy of Education It shall be elementbased and criterion-referenced to provide a more holistic and accurate picture of a student’s performance. Teachers, students and parents will be able to access on-line assessment items. Smart School assessment will be flexible and learner-friendly, while assuring the quality of the assessment information by using multiple approaches and instruments. It will lead to living certification, which will not only attest to a student’s cumulative accomplishments but will also be open to continued improvement on a lifetime basis. The scope of assessment in the Smart School is holistic in that it covers

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not only achievement but also readiness, progress and aptitude. The assessment also is learner- centered as all students will be assessed when they are ready. The assessment system shall also be element-based which focuses on the elements that students possess or must develop through the subjects in the school curriculum such as science and technology, social-emotional and cognitive development and also communication. Thus, the assessment will be conducted in various forms: Classroom Assessment, School-based Assessment and Centralized Assessment, to allow different demonstrations of strengths, abilities and knowledge. Lastly, the curriculum of Smart School is open-ended in two ways there are it is open to revision and continued refinement and it provides open access to all students for internet using, allowing students to go beyond explicitly stated learning outcomes in curriculum documents. Besides, the curriculum focuses on significant goals. In this case all students, including those with special needs can develop the critical skills and acquire the knowledge they need for effective lifelong learning and full functioning as citizens in a changing society and in this challenging life.

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3. What are 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 counselors 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

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judgment between an awesome array of choices and the next vision is we are examining our education system to create a curriculum where people learn how to learn for continuing education throughout their lives. Beside that, since the early 1970s, the Malaysian Government introduced various initiatives to facilitate a wider adoption of ICT to boost capabilities in every field including education. The history of the Smart School Project is rooted in the two-pronged objectives of the flagship, which are to jumpstart the Multimedia Super Corridor Malaysia (MSC) towards building a knowledge-based economy, contributing to the growth of the ICT industry and creating a pool of talent resulting in high-value job creation. It is also initiate to prepare the citizens for the information age through an innovative education delivery process. The Concept Requests for Proposals (CRFP) process was used for the first time ever in the country to establish partnerships between the government of Malaysia and the private sector to help conceptualize plan and implement the Flagship Applications of the Multimedia Super Corridor. In July 1997, the Prime Minister launched the Smart School Flagship Application documents to invite proposals for solutions from the private sector within and outside the country.

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4. Discuss the roles played by the teacher, student and parents in order to achieve the goals and objectives of smart school? Malaysia intends to transform its educational system, in line with and in support of the nation’s drive to fulfill Vision 2020. Transforming the educational system will entail changing the culture and practices of Malaysia’s primary and secondary schools, moving away from memory-based learning designed for the average student to an education that stimulates thinking, creativity, and caring in all students, cater to individual abilities and learning styles, and are based on more equitable access. It will require students to exercise greater responsibility for their own education, while seeking more active participation by parents and the wider community. The Smart Schools Initiative received considerable support from the relevant governmental agencies, parents and private companies and such continuous support was important to maintain the effective and efficient management practice of the Malaysian Smart Schools. In realizing The Smart School idea, it is become to need more attention from Malaysia’s government. Thus, it is mean that all Malaysian cooperation needed in achieving Smart School objective. The higher degree of individualized attention for students at a Smart School will necessitate new roles and responsibilities for teachers, principals, Ministry of Education officers, support staff and parents. In fact, fulfilling these roles and responsibilities will require specialized training for each group. 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.

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In a Smart School, students are autonomous learners; they learn how to learn. Smart Schools enable children to acquire abilities of constructing knowledge from available information. These abilities are crucial to a learning society. In Smart School, all students have the ability to learn and progress, which can be enhanced by using appropriate learning technologies. Student’s role is very important in determine whether the Smart School is succeed or not. In, Smart School, learning is a consequence of thinking, and good thinking is learnable by all students. Smart School also apply the learning should include deep understanding, which involves the flexible, active use of knowledge. Thus, the student’s have to adapt to the way of the Smart School operate. Without the student’s cooperation and achievement in Smart School, The Smart School may not continue. Smart Schools for enhancing the learning of students have effectively used computers, the Internet and other high band communication technology such as videoconferencing and now satellite data streaming and satellite radio. In sharp contrast to traditional schools, Smart Schools offer an open environment for learning. Students function as autonomous learners. In a Smart School, the emphasis of learning shifts from acquiring discrete pieces of information to acquiring abilities by students such as constructing their own knowledge from information. In constructing the student’s knowledge, the student’s own desire to learn are very important and play a big role to realize the Smart School objective as the student’s desire will help them in obtain the knowledge without feel forced and make them feel comfortable in learning. The student’s role is very important because the objective of Smart School is based on them in determining whether the Smart School achieves the objective or otherwise. 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 child’s 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 school’s public domain databases electronically.

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To survive professionally in this fast changing world, one has to be a lifelong learner. Learning how to learn, therefore, is basic to all other skills that should be acquired at the school. Schools which support students' learning and thinking skills with programs, infrastructure, tools, teachers and management by using information and communication technologies will be the Smart Schools. As to say that cooperation from all Malaysian whether students, teachers and parents needed to achieve the objective of Smart School to produce a knowledge society that is critical, creative and innovative, to produce technology savvy individuals for the Information Age and to cultivate life-long learning based on Information and Communication in Technology.

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5. What are the knowledge and skills of a teacher in the new millennium, so as to play an effective role in smart school education? Teachers must have knowledge and skills to play an effective role in smart school education. Teachers at Smart Schools, must been trained in the use of information technology. The teachers also must address fear of technology and change, strive for continuous education even if students decide to pursue non-academic careers (e.g., singers, athletes), go beyond portal stage to using applications such as planning and scheduling of lessons online and nurture balanced thinking among students. Teachers nowadays must have knowledge in ICT. That is very important. Teachers could give many different and specific examples of how technology had changed their work. A number of things were being done with Web sites, from giving students notes which one teacher described as a "low end thing," to getting students to create their own Web pages. One teacher was using a Web site to enhance an actual field trip. The Web site introduces students to the animals and tells them what they are going to be doing while on the field trip. It shows them techniques they can use to analyze the ecosystem and record the data. The prior preparation through the Web site helps students benefit from the actual field trip. Several teachers mentioned that they used Power Point and other computer programs to improve their presentation of material to class. Teachers explained that technology enabled teachers to deliver more material to students and it also eliminated several basic problems such as; poor hand writing, poor artistic skill, contrast, lighting, and visibility. Another teacher makes extensive use of software programs to help teach physics. The students go into the laboratory and collect their data using the computer. Then they use word processing programs along with Excel to do graphs and presentations. The software allows the students to collect different kinds of data using various attachments that are plugged into the computer. Using computer technology, students have more time to explore beyond the mechanics of counting dots and setting up the experiment. It actually lets them look at it and understand the concepts better. Another teacher made the point that resource-based teaching or resource-based

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learning is almost becoming "seamless, almost natural" in everything that teachers do because information is becoming easier to access. The use of ICT is changing teaching in several ways. With ICT, teachers are able to create their own material and thus have more control over the material used in the classroom than they have had in the past. Rather than deskilling teachers as some scholars claim, it seems that technology is requiring teachers to be more creative in customizing their own material. Also, using Web pages to enhance an activity demonstrates that technology can be used to complement other aspects of good teaching rather than replace them. It is evident that involving students in the creation of useful material as a part of a learning exercise is a way to make school more meaningful for students. While the uses of Power Point presentations have been criticized by some, teachers at this school provide examples of how it helps them with their teaching. The use of peripheral devices on computers to help with physics experiments again shows how ICT can be used to aid the learning process and help students focus on higher level concepts rather than less meaningful tasks. The changes caused by the introduction of information technology into learning environments, are not without some potential problems which must be considered by administrators. The information from this school indicates that some fundamental rethinking of the education process may be necessary because of the use of ICT. This will also put pressure on the school system to restructure the way education is organized.

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