Issues and challenges in integrating ICT in teaching and learning in our Malaysian Schools.
In line with the country’s information and communication technology (ICT) master plan and vision 2020, Malaysia recognized that the transformation of its education system is fundamental to achieve its objectives. The Ministry of Education, with the participation of non-governmental agencies, is focusing on the development of new media for use as educational. Due to its belief that ICT can make a changes in education and learning, the Ministry plans to integrate ICT into education on a fundamental level, incorporating systems to facilitate management, information gathering, access, and various forms of communication. However, there are some issues and challenges integrating ICT in teaching and learning in our Malaysian Schools.
In my opinion, the biggest challenger in integrating ICT in our Malaysian schools is, the appropriate rooms or buildings available to house the technology are needed and of course, the equipments. The government will spend a lot of cost to build the appropriate buildings in Malaysian schools. Another basic requirement is the availability of electricity and telephony. In Malaysia, some developing areas are still without a reliable supply of electricity and the nearest telephones are miles away such as at the Sabah and Sarawak. There might be no problem in the urban area, but how with the people who lived in the rural area? Some of the family still did not have a computer in their house. Thus, their child can not practice what that they have learned in the school at their house. This is such a waste when the students forgot what that they have learned. For instance, a basic requirement for computer-based or online learning is access to computers in schools, communities, and households, as well as affordable Internet service are needed.
Secondly, the teacher professional development should have skills in teaching the students using the ICT with particular application. Ideally, these should be addressed in pre-service teacher training and built on and enhanced in-service. ICTs are evolving technologies, and so even the most ICT fluent teachers need to continuously upgrade their skills and keep abreast of the latest developments and best practices. Some student might feel uncomfortable with the new technologies especially student in the rural area where most of the ICT application use the English language for the contents and it is the responsibility of the teacher to guide and teach them to use the computer.
Implementing academic computing is a long and expensive process. It may take many years for Malaysian schools to be successful. Although funding is an important factor, many other factors must be taken into account before and during the implementation of academic computing initiatives. Failure to address important issues may result in wasted resources and ineffective implementation. However, implementing ICT the education is a good way to increase the development in Malaysia. Thus, government should take more appropriate ways to ensure that the vision 2020 can be achieve.
In my opinion, the biggest challenger in integrating ICT in our Malaysian schools is, the appropriate rooms or buildings available to house the technology are needed and of course, the equipments. The government will spend a lot of cost to build the appropriate buildings in Malaysian schools. Another basic requirement is the availability of electricity and telephony. In Malaysia, some developing areas are still without a reliable supply of electricity and the nearest telephones are miles away such as at the Sabah and Sarawak. There might be no problem in the urban area, but how with the people who lived in the rural area? Some of the family still did not have a computer in their house. Thus, their child can not practice what that they have learned in the school at their house. This is such a waste when the students forgot what that they have learned. For instance, a basic requirement for computer-based or online learning is access to computers in schools, communities, and households, as well as affordable Internet service are needed.
Secondly, the teacher professional development should have skills in teaching the students using the ICT with particular application. Ideally, these should be addressed in pre-service teacher training and built on and enhanced in-service. ICTs are evolving technologies, and so even the most ICT fluent teachers need to continuously upgrade their skills and keep abreast of the latest developments and best practices. Some student might feel uncomfortable with the new technologies especially student in the rural area where most of the ICT application use the English language for the contents and it is the responsibility of the teacher to guide and teach them to use the computer.
Implementing academic computing is a long and expensive process. It may take many years for Malaysian schools to be successful. Although funding is an important factor, many other factors must be taken into account before and during the implementation of academic computing initiatives. Failure to address important issues may result in wasted resources and ineffective implementation. However, implementing ICT the education is a good way to increase the development in Malaysia. Thus, government should take more appropriate ways to ensure that the vision 2020 can be achieve.
Current Issues in Educational ICT Hardware
There are always a range of issues that influence the way technology and hardware is adopted by schools. From a school level, right up to Government Strategy, it’s vital that technology is used for the benefit of teaching and learning, and not just for the sake of it being technology. Classroom use of technology is generally split in two ways: infrastructure and whole-class teaching (WCT).
Infrastructure incorporates the PCs and PC devices that are used by students and teachers, whereas WCT is more focused on tools that allow participation across the whole class simultaneously: audio visual and interactive hardware that is designed to be fixed within the classroom environment, and specific to its purpose.
Both infrastructure and WCT are well established markets, but both are currently undergoing a big change in focus. For infrastructure there is the ongoing need to lower learner:computer ratios, and increase the portability of technology and access to resources for students. For WCT, the age of the whiteboard has moved into a new “mature” era, where there is more emphasis on how the technology is used, and how other “peripheral” devices can help adapt WCT to a more flexible approach. In both spheres, the need to increase emphasis on individual, personalised learning is very important.
Many Government initiatives such as Computers for Pupils in England and the No Limits scheme in Scotland, aim to provide ICT for all, with particular focus on increasing accessibility and home use.
Government led strategy is obviously also keyto our development plans, the document “Harnessing Technology: Review 2007” by Becta, is a strategy-level review of what current research and evidence tells us about using technology for the benefit of learners. This publication builds on the Becta Reviews of 2005 and 2006, focusing discussion closely on the ambitions of the government’s e-strategy, Harnessing Technology. As a starting point for a series of Hardware blogs, I have taken some of the key points from the report that are relevant to current movements in infrastructure and WCT hardware.
