We have published a report on the second session of the recent symposium.

http://lot.or.jp/wp/project/1363/

　Part 2 featured the members of the bipartisan parliamentary league who spoke in Part 1,representatives from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT), the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI), and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC), as well as Taku City Mayor Toshihiko Yokoo, Yasuhisa Koide, Representative of Google for Education Japan, Motoki Kamino, CEO of COMPASS, Koji Morishita, Department Manager at Mitsumura Tosho Publishing, and Takahiko Otofube, Division Head at Amazon Web Services Japan.

　At the outset, I reported on the activities of the Learning of Tomorrow Association, which is organizing this symposium. Launched in May 2018, the Learning of Tomorrow Association comprises 31 member organizations and has 8,000 member companies under its umbrella.To promote the use of cutting-edge technologies in education, enthusiastic discussions and pilot projects are underway in working groups focused on AI, cloud computing, copyright, blockchain, VR, and programming. Last year, we also launched “Meta University,” and we plan to launch a “Meta School” working group soon to explore new models for schools that transcend the traditional boundaries of high schools and universities; I will provide a separate report on this later this month.

　Mayor Yokoo of Taku—who joined the meeting on short notice and serves as chair of the National Association of Mayors for ICT Education—pointed out, “Although we have proposed solutions to issues such as insufficient funding for infrastructure, a shortage of local talent, and a lack of ICT support staff, the adoption of ICT in education is not progressing.”He continued, “Prior to the enactment of this law, the causes lay in local governments’ inability to secure budgets, a lack of shared understanding regarding the necessity and usefulness of ICT in education, and insufficient coordination among relevant organizations. However, the challenge moving forward is the need for national support measures—such as the provision of low-cost devices—to promote nationwide, simultaneous adoption. In other words, reforms are needed in procurement, regulations, and the adoption of cloud technology.”

　Yasuhisa Koide, Representative of Google for Education Japan, said, “Last summer, Google established an organization in Japan dedicated to investing in ICT for education and is working on affordable devices.”“Chromebooks are used in 70 percent of U.S. schools and 50 percent of schools worldwide,” he said, expressing his enthusiasm. “We aim to provide a more affordable, globally standardized platform that ensures security.”

　Next, Motoki Kamino of COMPASS explained the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry’s “Classroom of the Future” pilot project at Kojimachi Junior High School, which utilizes the AI-powered tablet-based educational tool Qubena.“In terms of learning outcomes for first-year junior high school students using Qubena, the curriculum has been condensed from 62 hours to 38 hours, allowing the remaining 28 hours to be used for STEM education and second-year curriculum,” he stated. He further explained, “We have confirmed excellent results, such as students enjoying the learning process and being able to study by teaching one another.”

Koji Morishita of Mitsumura Shoten stated that “the integrated use of digital textbooks and digital teaching materials (such as videos, audio readings, worksheets, and QR codes) is effective,” and pointed out that “the two primary objectives of digital textbooks are ‘realizing new forms of learning’ and ‘making textbooks accessible to everyone.’”He presented a scenario in which learners engage in reading comprehension activities individually, visualize their own thoughts, and then, as a group, compare their interpretations and exchange opinions while viewing the screens showing each person’s reading results. He emphasized that promoting understanding in the future is crucial.

　Finally, Takahiko Otofube of AWS gave a presentation on the use of the cloud in education. “The AWS cloud is utilized by educational institutions worldwide, and 19 of the top 20 financially successful education-focused startups in the U.S. use it,” he said.He also explained, “Security can be enhanced by isolating internet connections using virtualization technology.” He added, “With a projected shortage of approximately 600,000 IT professionals by 2020, we are offering programs to help people acquire cloud skills.”

　We will now move on to the discussion. I served as the moderator, following the previous segment. Regarding the current state of educational informatization in Japan, all panelists shared the view that “while we are behind, there is room for growth.”Mr. Morishita from Mitsumura Publishing reported that while the adoption rate of digital textbooks has exceeded 50 percent, the number of computers available for educational use stands at 2.17 million for a student population of 11.67 million. As a solution to this issue, we discussed the need to introduce BYOD and the use of cloud technology, which serves as a prerequisite for this initiative.

　When asked how the education industry views the global market, Mr. Kamino of COMPASS pointed out, “While EdTech companies are emerging rapidly in China and India due to population growth and low-quality education, Japan and the United States have high-quality education systems, so the needs of EdTech companies differ there, making the situation more challenging compared to China and India.”

　When asked next whether this law would enable Japan to become a frontrunner in the adoption of ICT in education, Mr. Kanno of COMPASS replied, “If we act now, we can become a frontrunner, but if we wait five years, it will be too late.” Mr. Otofube of AWS pointed out, “It’s important to create an environment where students can use the tools they want, when they want, and where the private sector can participate.”Mr. Koide from Google stated, “The next three years will be decisive. If we invest 1.3 trillion yen, we can ensure that every one of the 13 million students has a personal computer.”

When asked what technologies they are focusing on in the context of educational use, Mr. Asano, Section Chief at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry, stated, “With current technology, it is important to raise children who can ask ‘why’ and ‘how.’” Mr. Morishita of Mitsumura Publishing added, “We will see increased collaboration between schools, homes, cram schools, and other institutions, and services that share learning history data from textbooks, teaching materials, and educational services.”

　Councilmember Ishibashi expressed the view that “it is crucial for politicians to be prepared to take bold action in response to the law and for everyone to join forces in a concerted effort,” while Councilmember Moriyama pointed out “the importance of balancing the importance of firsthand experiences—such as feeling heat or pain—with education that utilizes ICT.”

　Finally, Representative Nakagawa stated, “It is crucial that we move forward with a firm commitment to developing local talent and creating an environment where ITC equipment can be fully utilized,” and with that, today’s symposium came to a close.