SBC3013

INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION

TECHNOLOGY IN BIOLOGY

TITLE:
ISSUES AND CHALLENGES IN INTEGRATING ICT IN TEACHING AND
LEARNING IN MALAYSIAN SCHOOLS

GROUP MEMBERS: 1) NUR INSYIRAH BT TOKIJOH (D20141066923)

2) NUR SYAFINAS BT ASLAN
LECTURERS NAME

: EN. AZMI BIN IBRAHIM

GROUP

: GROUP A

(D20141066905)

Table of Contents
INTRODUCTION :..............................2
DEFINITION:......................................3
DISCUSSION ....................................5
CONCLUSION

:......................................8

REFERENCES

INTRODUCTION :

Information and communication technology (ICT) can enhance our knowledge

by sharing an information between different people in anywhere and anytime. By
having the application of ICT in our daily life, we can improving the access to an
information about knowledge with no limitation. For example, a group of students can
get in touch and ask questions to their lecturer who are abroad using a blog.
Through this way, the learning and teaching process between student and the
teacher will not affected.

In this era of modernization, the usage of ICT are becoming more important
especially in education and the development of countrys economy. The globalisation
of innovation has become a major issues in discourse of the education and
economic development. The Deputy Minister of Education 1, Yb Tuan P.
Kamalanathan A/L P. Panchanathan said, an education system in Malaysia has to
make an improvement so that our next generation or the students will become a
person with a great academic results and also having an excellent moral values.

On his statement, one of the alternative that we can use to achieve this desire
is through the usage of ICT in teaching and learning process in the classroom. The
Ministry of Education has invested a huge effort in terms of funding and training to
equip the teachers and student with ICT skills. As a result, the educators can create
a young generation of literacy ICT.

Over recent years, the government was planning to build the Smart Schools
which by having this approach, the usage of ICT can be implemented. Indeed after a
few years, the initiative forms part of a broader projects are created a Multimedia
Super Corridor (MSC) in developing and increasing deployment of leading-edge
technologies. This projects will play an important to enabling the function for wider
the educational changes proposed to the Smart School (Ong and Kenneth, 2010.
DEFINITION:

Information and communication technology (ICT) can be defined as any

communication device or application like radio, television, cellular phones, computer
and networking hardware and software, satellite systems and so on. It also including
the several

of services and applications associated with

ICT such as,

videoconferencing and distance learning.

ICT act in the supporting knowledge sharing and it also is a medium or tool for
facilitating the knowledge and these roles of ICT are goes beyond the facilities of an
intranet. ICT was influenced by computer science and its a part of educational
technology which has been integrated of computers into the educational institutions
at the levels of teachers and student (Dillon 2004; Reynolds et al., 2003; Selwyn,
1999an; Dillon 1998).
The Malaysian Smart School Initiative appropriated a term already being
employed elsewhere (Eng & Kenneth, 2010; Gan, 2000; Perkins, 1995). The Former
Malaysian Prime Minister, Tun Dr. Mahathir bin Muhamad during the launch of Vision
2020 in February 1991 explained the way to achieve this Vision, the education
system should be changed in accordance with the passage of time and the demands
of the times. During the launching of Multimedia Super Corridor (MSC) on 1 st August
1996, he pointed to the quite that:

Teacher will need change their role in the electronic classroom from being
information providers to counsellors to help student develop know how and
judgement to select information sources. Key to success in the Information Age
will be making the right judgement between an awesome array of choice. We are
examining our education system to create a curriculum where people learn how
to learn for continuing education throughout their life
(Mohd Azhar 2011; Mahathir Mohamad 1996)

The Malaysian Smart School Initiative appropriated a term already being

employed elsewhere (Eng & Kenneth, 2011; Gan, 2000; Perkins, 1995). Based on
the history, the spreadhead for the Smart Schools Initiative has been a cohort of pilot
3

school that established in 1999, and intended to serve as a the nucleus for eventual
system wide reform (Eng & Kenneth, 2011 ; Smart School Project Team [SSTP]
1997).
The Smart School is planned to select a group of 90 schools to act as a pilot
project starting in January 1999. The Malaysian Ministry of Education (MOE) hoped
that all 10 000 Malaysian schools will be participating on this project by the year
2010 (Chris Cloke and Sabariah Sharif, 2001). But some financial crisis was
occurred on 1999 so that 90 original schools that in the pilot project are operating the
scheme but with less equipment (Chris Cloke and Sabariah Sharif, 2001).

DISCUSSION ;

Smart School expanded with the establishment of a professional staff,

increased resources and efficient administration. This allows the school to adapt to
changing circumstances. The Smart School will be patterned into self-learning by the
individual, continuity and reflective. This will happen with the supply of a variety of
media and network technologies worldwide.

However, there are some issue and challenges in integrating ICT in teaching
and learning in Malaysian Schools especially Smart School. Firstly, teachers needed
more training to use the smart school courseware, and be comfortable with using
ICT generally. Not all teachers are able to use ICT well thus it will be hard for teacher
to develop new generation for Information Age. Teaching and learning process
cannot be done smoothly. The Government should find an expert in the field of ICT in
order to help teachers but more money need to be invest.

Next, lack of Internet connectivity in rural area. Without the basic

infrastructure and connectivity, the integrated system provided by the Smart Schools
project was inaccessible to rural schools. It will be a real challenge to the Ministry of
Education to handle this matter. Rural area is far away from town and unable to get
internet access. Government should take this matter to make sure rural school also
can develop as Smart School.

Rooy (2012) in Mcfarlane and Sakellariou (2002) explained that some writers
have critiqued the role of ICT and its potential in science educational for authentic
learning. They also examine how the ICT might support or replace the practical work
and how multimedia and Internet could be used to develop science reasoning
(McFarlane and Sakellariou, 2002). Based on this statement, the teachers use this
advantage to improve their teaching skills in science and also in mathematics
subjects.
However, only some students can apply the theory they have learned using
multimedia but they were unable to apply it into a practice. The work of Wellington
(2005) continues to suggest that caution is needed in claiming that ICT, while having
the power to improve pedagody and learning, does influence and sustain the
students attainment (Rooy, 2012). As a teacher, they have to constantly monitor the
progress of their students and guide them to become familiar with this changes and
innovation of ICT in educational system.
The use of ICT in the educational has led to an introduction of Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) subject, which was introduced at the secondary
5

level. This is an elective subject which is taught to form 4 and 5, but with conditions
that school meets the requirements outlined by the Ministry of Education. Among the
conditions outlined are as fully equipped of computer lab with direct access to the
Internet. This has led to the addition of the subject and students should learn other
subject that is different from the subjects that they studied previously.
Despite that, the communication between students and teachers only occurs
in virtual rather than through direct communication. In addition, students will also be
more convenient to find information on the Internet than in a library, and this causes
the students spend more time in front of the computer surfing the internet than in the
library. Consequently, teachers and parents should always control and limit the time
of computer usage as it can affect the health of students.
Hong, Ling and Hasbee (2009) are discussed the major issue and event that
is related to mathematics education. One of the issue is the feedback on the
teaching and learning of Science and Mathematics in English. After the Smart School
program is established, the teaching and learning of these subjects are changed into
English language because of the using of ICT. However, these teaching courseware
may not have activities that enhance students thinking abilities or mathematical
reasoning and problem solving which is the ultimate trust of Science and
Mathematics curriculum (Hong and Ling, 2009). Thus, are contributing that the
students had problems in solving the non-routine mathematical problems. The
research from Hong, Ling and Hasbee (2009) are showing the mathematics
achievements SPM using the ICT in teaching and learning.
International Journal of Mathematics Education in Science and Technology

Figure 1 Line graphs for achievement in SPM Mathematics.

Figure 2 Line graphs for achievement in SPM Additional Mathematics.

CONCLUSION :

In a nutshell, there are many issues and challenges in integrating ICT in

teaching and learning in Malaysian School. These challenges can be faced with the
cooperation of various parties such as the government, the school administration,
teachers, parents and also the students. The government need to increase and
focus in the number of graduates especially in science, mathematics and innovation
so that they can become a trainers or workers to sustain the nation. Furthermore, it
will decrease the cost for training the teachers in teaching and improving their soft
skills in ICT. In addition, the parents and students need to support this innovation in
order for the student to become more knowledgeable in using ICT so that they can
apply it very well for counter development and themselves.

REFERENCES :

Ong, E.T, Ruthven, K . (2010). The distinctiveness and effectiveness of science

teaching in the Malaysian Smart School. Research in Science &
Technological Education. Cambridge, United Kingdom ; Faculty of Education,
University of Cambridge, Perak, Malaysia ; Sultan Idris University of
Education.

Sam, H.K, Ngiki, T.L, Hj Usop, H. (2009). Status of mathematics teaching the
learning in Malaysia. International Journal of Mathematical Education in
Science and Technology. Sarawak, Malaysia; SMK Kota Samarahan,
Sarawak, Malaysia; Faculty of Cognitive Science and Human Development,
University Malaysia Sarawak.

Dillon, P. (2004). Trajectories and tensions in the theory of information and

communication technology in education. British Journal of Educational
Studies. School of Educational and Lifelong Learning; University of Exeter.

Kian, S.H & Chee, K.K (2002). Computer anxiety and attitudes towards computers
among rural secondary school teachers: A Malaysian perspective. Malaysia;
Serian Secondary School, New Zealand; University of Otago.

Cloke, C & Sharif, S. (2001). Why use information and communications in

technology? Some theoretical and practical issues. The Journal of Information
Technology for Teacher Education. United Kingdom; University of Bath.