Question 1

What is a smart school?

Smart School is a Malaysian education system which learning institution that recostruct
systematically teaching-learning and school management in order to prepared children for
Information Age. Smart School had become one of the seven flagship 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 a important component in Smart School concept when Smart
Shcool project exist as one of aplication that are part of Malaysian Mutimedia 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

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abilities. It is will lead students to take greater responsiblility for managing adn 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, professional
administrators and teachers who can articulate school goals clearly, lead teaching at the
school, and elicit strong parental and community support to fulfill 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.

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Question 2

How is smart school differed from normal national school?

Smart school had differ from national school based on their characteristics. The characteristics
of Smart School does not have in normal national school characteristics. The characteristics of
Smart Sschool were included in process of curriculum, pedagogy, assessment, teaching-
learning material and school management in order to prepare student for Information Age.

Curriculum

Smart School curriculum will be designed to help student achieve overall and balanced
developement. Student also have integration of knowledge, skills, values, correct use of
laguage and attitudes suitable across the curriculum for the Information Age. Learning
outcomes was intended explicity stated for different abilities, ensuring all students gain equal
access to quality learning, and allowing for self-paced leaning across grades.

Pedagogy

The process in Smart School pedagogy involves specific learning goals like active learning
process where learner constructs meaning continously. But, compare with normal nation
school pedagogy there are not involve specific learning goals. This process of pedagogy of
learning goals to ensure mastery of basic comperencies and promotion of holistic
development by encourangement of learning activities to promote creativity and
experimentation with content.

The classroom atsmosphere of Smart School also different with normal national
school. The classroom atmospere is compatible with different teaching-learning strategies.
factor in choosing classroom environments is the need to deal with diversity of skills,
abilities, and enthusiasm levels in every group of students. Some students prefer to move
around while thinking about problems, but some students should be provided with additional
materials that they can pursue without disturbing the class while others finish exercises. So
that, diversity in students, teachers should make a point to include a variety of different types
of lessons and learning experience and students’ learning styles can be helpful in managing
diversity of motivation and ability in the classroom.

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Assessment
The enclosure of assessment in Smart School is holistic in that it 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
student’s progress in achieving certain learning objectives need to be monitored. Student
strengths and weaknesses also need to be diagnosed.

Furthermore, aplitude a learners’ different styles of learning and multiple intelligences have to
be recognised. The assessment also in the form of on-line means that the items for smart
assessment will be stored in a computerised item bank and be made available to users on
terminals through networking that are called on-line assessment. Assessment is part of the
teaching and learning process, and must be on-going in nature. So, certification is a “living”
process in harmony with the nature of assessment. It is very different with assessment normal
national school that does not have on-line assessment.

Teaching-learning materials
The new teaching-learning strategies for Smart School will fully support 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 adequency like
graphic and video quality, technical adequancy, instruction adequancy, cost effectiveness and
curriculum adequecy.

Through the uses of technology, Smart School teacher will enable to consider students
individual learning preference in designing and recommending instructional method and
material such as completely in cognitvey challenging, attractive, motivates students to learn
and encourages active participation. The teaching-learning material and sources are that uses
edunet, internet and classified printed directories. There is very more different with normal
national school teaching-learning material that the teachers only use chalk and talk that rather
than using technology as a teaching material.

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Smart School Management System
The pimary objective of smart school management system to efficiently and effectively
manage the resourses and process required to support the teaching and learning function.
Smart School managemment system have nine pimary function are technology, security,
school governance, student affairs, educational resources, external resourses, facilities, human
resourses and financial management. The characteristic of Smart School is very different
with normal national school.

The characteristic of school governance is empowering rapid relay of relevant

information to and from all stakeholders and manages curriculum so that it is appropriate to
the local teaching and learning environment. It is also involve communication, school policy,
making, curriculum, management, community and involvement. Student affair means that
student profiles, performance, evaluations, test administration, counseling, health, insurance
and others will give advantage like ease of registration for students, parents and
administrators and ability to effectively and efficiently manage attendance and respond to
problem situations. The characteristics of student affair is comprehensive Student Record
System for the storage, retrieval and reporting of all student data so that student data available
on-line to those who need it and when they need it just on restricted access.

There is more benefit in characteristics of education resources are comprehensive

resource database including audio and video for quick and easy access by teachers and
students that will reduces cost of managing resource information. While, external resource
characteristics is comprehensive database designed to help index all external resources useful
for teaching-learning and management activities. So that, all characteristics of Smart School
management is very different with normal national school.

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Question 3
What are the goals and objectives of smart school?

The goals and objectives of Smart School contain five important agenda that need to be fulfil
which is provide all-round development of the individual (intellectual, physical,
emotional,spiritual), provide opportunities to enhance individual strengths and abilities,
produce a thinking and technology literate workforce, democratise education and increase
participation of stakeholders.

One of the goals is to provide all-round development of the individual like

intellectual, physical, emotional and spiritual. Intellectual or cognitive is focus on acquiring
knowledge. It is also focus on searching, generating, and using knowledge with an emphasis
on problem-solving and creativity. Then, about the physical its instil social responsibility and
consciousness of health and environmental issues. In that cases, it will causes emphasise a
global orientation and inculcate work place skills and attitudes.

Emotional and spiritual are one of the subpoint for the goals of smart school that instil
moral and religious values and causes emphasise adaptability, team-player characteristics,
emotional balance and emotional intelligence. Moreover, communication skill is also
important for student that more effective oral and written communication in Malay and
English as a second laguages. Its also emphasise multiple, interpersonal skill and networking.

Through the another goals are to provide opportunities to enhance individual strengths
and abilities. The strategies of this goal, are to provide elective in the curriculum and allow
for vertical integration. The vertical integration means that grade levels students for all subject
in the school curriculum. Curriculum design for smart schools will incorporate element of
vertical integration that to allow high fliers to surf through their schooling years, without
being kept apart from their peers in virtual express classes.

Therefore, the another goals are to produce a thinking and technology-literate

workforce and the strategies are teach thinking accross the curriculum and apply technology
in teaching and learning. In the smart school, the use of technology like internet as a teaching-
learning material is the best way to produce children who are have different learning style
than another school.

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 The forth goals of the Smart School Project is democratise education. The first
strategies is the Smart School programme provide equal access to learning opportunities
which we can see that in the Smart School Curriculum that can enable students to have
holistic learning that the curriculum gives appropriate emphasis to all significant aspect of
growth and all the types of human intelligence, helping students see the connection between
the separate subjects. Plus the uses of technology as one delivery system, examines the
influence on students live, and gives students the skills they need to use technology such as
internet to get more information. Students can use all their local environment in school for
enhance their learning process such as through edunet and internet. Besides the Smart School
project have combines the best of network-based, teacher-based and courseware material such
as modules for computer that includes interactive story books and simulation games that
students can access to gain knowledge. Its also provide video, interactive TV and online
library for student so that the can refer to collect more information.

The second strategies is to provide for differing abilities, style and paces of learning.
The teachers have to ensure the students gain equal access to quality learning and allowing for
self-paced learning across grades. For example, teachers have to intend learning outcomes
step by step so that the students can catch up. There are students that are highly motivated and
prefer to work by themselves than in group so the guideline that already provide in Smart
School programme is the student often classified to learn in a small group then a big group to
enhance their learning process. To accommodate the variety in students, teachers should make
a move to include different types of lesson and learning experience beside making use
students learning style in managing their motivation and ability in the classroom.

The last goals of the Smart School Project is increase the participation of stakeholders.
This goals involve a few strategies that can be done to fulfil the goal which is to create
awareness of what happens in schools. All the stakeholders must know their responsibilities
and give feed back so that the Smart School project can be know whether it is working or not.
The participation of the five group of stakeholders such as school stakeholders, community
stakeholders, MoE stakeholders, state stakeholders, and industry stakeholders will allowing
the exchange of experiences and ideas for smart school project.

The second strategies is to enable easy and speedy communication with the school
using technology. For example, the teachers can respond to electronic mail from students and

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parents so that communication occur very easy if one of them is busy to meet face to face.
Besides the participation in a video conference to discuss discipline issue can help principals
and Ministry of Education to monitor and take a serious action if discipline in that school
were not reach the level. Plus the students progress record from the school database also make
it easier in preparation for meeting with their parents regarding his achievement in class.

The third strategies is to provide opportunities for stakeholders to participate in order

to increase the participations of stakeholders. For parents to get involve in the smart school
project they can join National campaign on parents in Smart School such as they can take a
look at the flyers of Smart School Project and join the exhibition and forum to get better
understanding on smart school. They also can participate in parent support group meeting
every month to see the school and their children progress. Last but not least, they can launch
the parents web site for each smart school so that the school and the parents side can change
idea concerning about the smart school project.

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Question 4

Discuss the roles played by the teacher, student and parents in order to achieve the
goals and objectives of smart school?

There are several groups of stakeholders that play important role in order to ensure
that the Smart School plan always in a good conditions. There are five stakeholders that are
involve as the key to the success of Smart School which is school stakeholders, community
stakeholders, MoE stakeholders, state stakeholders, and industry stakeholders. Now we will
discuss the most important groups that will helps to achieve the goals and objectives of Smart
School which is teachers, students and parents.

Teachers and students were in the school stakeholders while parents are in group of the
community stakeholders.

Teachers, students and parents participations with full commitment are the source and
major factor to fulfil the goals and objectives that already been listed in the Malaysian smart
school programmed. As we all know there are five goals that have to be fulfil which is
provide all around development of the individual, provide opportunities to enhance individual
strength and abilities, increase participation of stakeholders, democratise education and
produce a thinking and technology literate workforce.

We will first look at the group of school stakeholders which is teacher. Teachers are
the main source and primary deliver for students to refer in order to get information. The roles
that can be played by teachers to accomplish the goals of smart school are they have to well
planned and preparation of learning activities so that the student we enjoy in learning time
either inside the classroom or outside the classroom. For example, teachers can do an internet
searching on the topic that will discus in the next session of teaching. Next teacher should
provide additional material that related to the topic so that students have lots of material to
refer not just using textbooks and workbooks. Furthermore, teachers have to be ready in
using visual, auditory and kinaesthetic learning in order to make the learning more efficiently.

Teachers also have to manage a technology enrich to the school environment which
mean teachers have to allow student to explore the technology that can make the students to
respect the knowledge not just for passing the examination but it can be use in a wide range

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that is an awareness of the students to a personal and a society gain. Teachers have to
optimise the usage of the ICT facilities that can contribute to the students growth and
development. Teachers can use e-mail to post new notes, online assessment, conduct a
learning session using multimedia presentation and teacher and students and log on to internet
so the student can browse information regarding to the topic that have been thought. If this
can be done the students will have more self paced, self-accessed and self-directed learning
without not only to the exam oriented but they can have flexible schedule.

Next the role can be played by teachers is by delivering effective instruction so that
the students can understand the topic easily. The good communication between teachers and
students will allow effective acceptance from the students to the topics. Another role played
that teachers can make is by handling professional tasks so that the teachers is highly ready to
organize programme in order to enhance students knowledge.

The second group in the school stakeholders is students. This pivotal group can make
the Smart School goals can be achieve by explore the advantages of self-paced learning,
learning away from school and making learning a creative and enjoyable experience. Students
have to make extensive use of facilities that can help them learn in the school as well as away
from it. In addition students must have lots of initiatives to works in group in order to solve
the tasks that have been given by the teacher. Besides, students have to be more proactive in
teaching learning process so the learning become student centred and the learning will be
more effective. Plus, students have to process and manipulate information so that their critical
thinking to reflect on what they have learned as well as apply the knowledge are good.

Next we move to the community stakeholders which is the parents are playing
important role in helping to achieve the smart school goals. The parents should monitoring
their children progress. In order to do this parents can e-mail their children class teacher to
arrange for a conference to discuss their progress in school. In addition they have to guide,
motivate and counsel their children to ensure that their children in school always bear in mind
school is not only for making friends but school is the best place to develop theirselves in
order to be a better person in future.

Parents also can participate in school activities by knowing what the school activities
plan for their children and they also can contribute by giving donation so that the school can

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have lot of programme to build up the children. Parents also can get involve in parents role in
smart school conference so the school can get the feed back about the smart school. Last but
not least parents should participate in counselling session on the concept and implementation
of the Smart School project and to develop an awareness of parents to support and contribute
to the development of their children multiple intelligence. Parents who kept informed and
made to feel they are part of the school community will readily contribute cash, materials or
services to help initiate project that will enhance their children learning experience. Research
also said that the children’s educational experience will be enriched by the participation or
their parents.

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Question 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?

A teacher in the millennium should have the knowledge of designed instruction in

order to give more efficient in the learning process. They should make the classroom the best
place to seek knowledge. Hence, it will create environment of respect and support between
teacher and students. Moreover, teacher must have knowledge in assessing student learning.
The scope of the assessment must be holistic that covers all aspect such as readiness, progress,
achievement, and aptitude. Teachers must know how to asses in the classroom, school based
assessment and centralized assessment.

In addition, a teacher should have knowledge to facilitate students in cognitively

stimulating activities. A teacher must facilitate and encourage students to participate in their
own learning. Hence, this participating will increase the student’s soft skills. So that it will
increase students confident and not become passive in class. A teacher must have knowledge
to utilizing technology for effective teaching process. For example, in selecting materials for
students. They should select the best materials for students from the technology such as
internet. Lastly, a teacher must have inquiry knowledge. Teachers must concern towards their
student. If a student weak in a certain subject, a teacher must have inquiry to help the student.
They also must concern the feedback of their teaching. They must have inquiry to know how
well they perform in teaching. It can see through how well their student progress. Plus teacher
also should create an environment of respect and support. So that student can socialized in
their group. Other knowledge or skill that teachers must have is in managing classroom
procedure.

In the long term, teachers will need to increase their skills regularly, if they wish to
stay in their profession and remain confident as a dedicate teacher. The skills a teacher should
have are ability to use technology for teaching. With help of technology it will help teachers
to find and manage sources of teaching. For example, it easy for a teacher to access a

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student’s progress from time to time and also send email to their parents to inform student
achievement and discipline in school. Furthermore, a teacher should have a good language
skill. A teacher should master at least two languages which are English and Malay. With this
it will help teaching and learning process.

Moreover, a teacher should have good thinking skills. Their thinking should be more
critical in order to improve their teaching process. They must be more innovative and creative
in creating teaching process, so that, their student will be more excellent not just in paper but
toward the family, society and country. They also must have good motivational skills.
Nowadays, most teachers are lack motivational skills. This will create more discipline
problems in school because least teacher can motivate and give advice to a certain students.
Last but not least, teachers also have to play role as a facilitator to the students so that students
can get proper guide. School is the second places which are students spend most of their time.
Hence, teachers become the second person for them to ask advise and ask for help if they in
trouble. For example, if a student give up in their study, teacher play important tasks in giving
advice and encourage the student to be more eager to study and do not let the problem become
the boundaries to success.

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Question 6
What are the impacts of technology change in Malaysian Smart Schools

Due to the change of the era of information and technology, Malaysian Educational
institutions also had changed. It can be proven by the existence of the Multimedia Super
Corridor and the smart school project by the Ministry of Education. Multimedia
Development Corporation (MDeC) is the organization that were chosen by the government to
develop the ICT in Smart School project.

Coping with the use of the computer in Smart Schools appeared to be the main feature
of the change phenomenon in Smart Schools. In Smart Schools Project , the computers are
widely used in teaching and learning also for school functions and activities. For example,
teachers use the computer in teaching and learning by showing to the student how they can
experience the dangerous experiment through the computer simulation experiment. Besides
that, student also use the computer in extra curriculum activities such as for designing the
school magazine. As a result, it will develop the student with good computer skill.

With the establishment of the computer labs in smart school, somesubjects like
Science, Mathematics English, and Malay are taught in the computer labs. Student can
access the internet during this period in order to get information. Compared to chalk and talk
learning, using the computer lab can make the learning process enjoyable because it contains
lot of picture and also very informative.

The Teaching and Learning Material (TLM) software and Smart Schools Management
System (SSMS) also been used in smart school project. The software that were provided act
as the tools for teachers giving knowledge to student and no need only to refer on textbook.
The SSMS means the used of an internal networking system inside the school which enable
the communication between teachers and student. Teachers and student got the access to
connect to the internet to find information. The widely use of LCD projectors and overhead
projectors (OHP) in Smart Schools also the prove of the impact of technology in smart school
project. Teachers and students now have the access through ICT technology in school.
Obviously the uses of the ICT technology in the smart school will enhance not the student
skill and knowledge but also the teachers.

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