Smart schools are now facing with many challenges. Firstly, smart school should have an effective e-learning in classroom. It is necessary to attract students attention and interest in study. With the old learning method, it might make students bored. To attract students attention, we can use more effective materials and technology for example smart board, educational television (ETV), or hardware and courseware with web-enabled.
Next, smart school is facing a challenge with the awareness of society. Many people feel smart school are just the same with normal school. They does not only do not know much about smart school but, they had the notion that the smart school is a school for smart students only. This is totally not true. To increase the awareness of society on smart school, we can have smart school promotional programme. Obviously, the programme are to put smart school in the right perspective, to increase familiarity of smart school toward public, and to gain confidence from public.
Besides that, the challenge is from the teachers. They must prepare themselves to be the catalyst. Most experienced teachers are not interested in using technology although they are the core pillar of the nation’s education system. Thus, teachers should act as agents of change for the nation. If teachers themselves does not change their field of view, how can they teach others to be interested in technology?. In corresponding with that, rigorous training course for teachers and administrators should be conducted. In the course, the teachers will undergo retraining in five skills which are learning skills, creative and critical thinking, facilitating, assessment and evaluation, and technologically competent.
Other than that, the challenge is limited internet coverage. In rural school especially, internet coverage is very limited and sometimes does not get internet coverage at all. They have to travel far just to connect to internet. Thus, the objective of establishment of smart school will not be achieved. To overcome this problem, school net project can be conducted which the aim is to provide broadband facilities. With the broadband, students can online everywhere and will smoothen the learning process.
Not only that, smart school is facing a problem on information skills of the teachers. In my opinion, information skills training must be delivered to meet the varied needs of students. There is no “one size fits all” in information skills training. However, it is clearly of the utmost importance that the training be seen to be and be relevant and timely. This can be done by integrating information skills training into the curriculum. Through that strategic approach, students will value the training and benefit from its immediate application. The effectiveness of teaching and learning is depending on the skill and knowledge of the teachers. This aspect is the major factor that can determine the successful of a smart school before taking other factor. The skill is the ability of someone to do something and the knowledge in this view is the information that the teachers have. The continuous professional development of teacher in their knowledge and skills will benefit their students.
The next challenge of smart school is to increase participation of stakeholders. The last goals of The Malaysia Smart School is to create awareness of what happens in schools, enable easy and speedy communication with the school using technology and provide opportunities for stakeholders to participate. We should take an action before anything bad is happen in the future. Prevention is better than cure. It is the best word can be said to show that we should awareness of what happens in schools. To success this goals, we should easy and speedy communication with the school using technology. Parents and community can easily get the information about their children and schools. This is the best way for parents to know about the curriculum and academic achievement of their children.
The school management should provide opportunities for stakeholders such as parents and community to participate. This can increase participation of stakeholders if the opportunities provided to the stakeholders are successfully full by the school management.
Next, smart school lack of teaching and learning facilities especially teaching aid like desktop, laptop, projector, internet connection, hardware and education software. The government should provide these items to ensure students learn effectively. Smart School also must provides opportunities to enhance individual strength and abilities. Every assessment or work should be given and soe of them might be given through online. So, teachers, students and parents should be able to access on-line assessment items. This smart school assessment will be flexible and learner friendly, while assuring the quality of the assessment information by using multiple approaches and instruments. This is important to make sure the students also can undergo their learning at anywhere, anytime and anyone can help them.
Other than that, the challenge of smart school is the involvement of parents. Parents should be welcome in school and involve in teaching-learning, participating in developing of educational materials and planning the assessment for their children. Parental involvement can be seen to fall into three types, behavioral, intellectual and personal. Actively participating parents help their children in their academic development by going to schools and participating or supporting school programs especially programs that are related to technology or smart school. The caring parents can also motivate teachers to become more careful in dealing with particular student. It is also give opportunity for parents and teachers to take care more on the students.
Last but not least, the challenge of smart school come from the students themselves. The ways of the student works play the major role to determine the successful of Smart School. The students should participate actively in all teaching and learning process. If the students become passive in class, the expansion of knowledge and transferring knowledge is not occurring perfectly. The students mind set to achieve glory in their education must set in the early age. They must work harder and not depend on someone to explore something new in their life. The students also must courage to work in distributed, collaborative groups, playing a more proactive role in the teaching-learning process. It is for their future life especially in their work time. Learning will eventually become student-centric, with the students becoming experts in managing the learning environment.
