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RESEARCH
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CYBER
EDUCATION
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FUTURE
STUDIES
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In
the 20th century, an awareness of the increasing pace and magnitude
of change has spurred the creation of a new academic discipline
known as Futures Studies. While only a prophet or fortuneteller
would claim the ability to foretell the future, Futures Studies
aims to understand and cope with the long term forces of change
as they affect both the planet and people -- both the whole of
humanity and the individual.
Futures researchers track technical innovations, value shifts,
geopolitical tides, environmental perturbations, economic developments,
demographic patterns, and other trends of change. From these data
they create scenarios of possible alternative futures, which are
then used as contingencies within strategic planning initiatives.
Working as facilitators or consultants, futures researchers can
help communities, corporations and organizations envision their
preferred futures and compare those visions with current trends
and scenarios of possible futures. This process leads to the kind
of practical planning and policy-making that truly brings about
change.
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SEKOLAH
BESTARI
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The
Sekolah Bestari won't be the same as any existing Smart Schools
anywhere around the world. These are due to two main factors involving
current education system in Malaysia and will continue in Sekolah
Bestari. Firstly: The National Phylosophy of Malaysian Education
will be the main component of Sekolah Bestari curriculum and secondly:
moral values that have been stressed in present curriculum will
go on into Bestari schooling. These two foundations of Malaysian
Education will not be nagiotable in the Bestari Curriculum. This
will make the Sekolah Bestari different than the rest of Smart
Schools. How the curriculum is being carried out in Sekolah Bestari
may resemble to the existing Smart Schools
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When ideas
about Sekolah Bestari being projected to the Malaysian public,
people started imagining classrooms packed with computers, internet,
video conferencing equipments and all the latest communication
technology can offer. These misconceptions were due to the association
of Sekolah Bestari and MSC. Sekolah Bestari is NOT ABOUT TECHNOLOGY.
If the technology is there then it is wise to use it. The most
important idea about Sekolah Bestari involves the teaching and
learning process. The Bestari curriculum will cater for all levels
of learners. This is where virtual express class concept comes
in. Fast learners will be able to proceed to the higher and more
complex contents of the syllabus while the slow learners will
continue with activities until they are ready to move on. The
previuos sentence was easy to state but how well can a teacher
carry out in the Bestari classroom. The first step towards the
preparation of Sekolah Bestari is for the Bestari Teachers undergoing
retraining in FIVE skills in context with Sekolah Bestari. The
skills are: 1) Learning Skills, 2) Creative and Critical Thinking,
3) Facilitating, 4) Assessment and Evaluation, and 5) Technologically
competent. All these skills must be acquired wholly for teachers
to be able to FACILITATE Bestari classrooms. The teaching continuum
will move from teaching to facilitating, as students in one Bestari
classroom will be doing different activities according to their
abilities. The present Sage by the Stage approach will move to
Guide by the Side. The technology will no doubt facilitate these
processes but again is only considered as tools in the teaching
and learning process. The Bestari concept can be carried out even
for a school without a phone line or even electricity supply.
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All
the five elements stated in the above paragraph have been practiced
in Malaysian schools for years and nothing is new about it. The
only thing lacking with the present system is that there is not
much democratization in education. Students have no choice on
what to learn and when to sit for the examination. The present
assessment system does not allow learners to sit for the exam
when they are ready. Exams are scheduled to the most only twice
a year. With the new concept more School based or portfolio-based
assessment will be carried out allowing students more freedom
to learn. This flexibility will allow more room for teachers to
plan their lessons which will not be too exam orientated. The
Malaysian Examination Syndicate will come up with Smart Assessment
whereby students will be able to take exams whenever they are
ready. Registration will be on-line and students can checks their
cumulative performance and even got the chance to improvise on
it.
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Rationale
for Change to A Technology Supported Education System
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developments necessitated the change to a technology supported education
system. The first was the need to meet the challenges of the Information
Age, especially the needs for an IT literate population. In addition,
the Multimedia Super Corridor is being built and will begin operations
in 1999.
The MSC is
meant to develop Malaysia into a regional and international technology
and telecommunications hub in 2020. The MSC will propel the transfer
of technology and become the test bed for R&D in high-tech
industries. Because the need for knowledge workers for the high-tech
industries of the MSC, Smart Schools was adopted as one of the
7 flagship applications.
The flagship
will support the government's plans to obtain the status of a
developed nation by the year 2020 and to gain a competitive edge
with other developed countries in the global economy.
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| IT
SUPPORTED ACTIVITIES
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Computer-
based Activities
Utilising
Software Applications
· Data analysis using spreadsheets such as MS Excel and
Lotus
· Report writing using MS Word
· Class presentations using MS Power Point
Communication
· E-mail
· Forum with other schools
· Chat groups
Courseware and Educational Games
· Interactive software to learn a new topic
· Educational games
Research (information access)
· Web-sites
· CD-ROM - eg Encarta
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