CREATIVE KIDS TOP Programming Education CONNECT Foundation

Programming Education

2018.05.21
CONNECT Foundation

　I had a meeting with representatives from the CONNECT Foundation, a subsidiary of NAVER, regarding programming education.
In South Korea, based on the government’s 2013 policy to strengthen software education, programming became a required subject in middle schools starting in 2018 and in elementary schools starting in 2019.
　The CONNECT Foundation developed a programming education platform called “Entry” in collaboration with school teachers.
　While 34 hours are allocated for middle school and 17 hours for elementary school, they reportedly faced challenges with teacher training in South Korea as well. To address this, they built an environment ready for immediate classroom use, including lesson content, assessment tasks for evaluating learning outcomes, class management features to help teachers structure their lessons, and unplugged teaching materials.
　The ideal, they say, is for programming to be integrated into existing subjects, as in Japan, and it appears that interdisciplinary teaching materials have already been developed.
　I was shown some textbooks as well; they mentioned that while junior high school textbooks use Entry and Scratch in equal measure, elementary school textbooks will be 100% Entry. That’s impressive.
　I’ll write a detailed article about this on CS for ALL at a later date.
　I’m looking forward to collaborating with them on various projects in the future.



　

Profile


  • Digital Picture Book Author

    Professor, Keio University; Ph.D. (Policy and Media)
    Director, B Lab
    Chairperson, Learning of Tomorrow (General Incorporated Association)
    Chairperson, CANVAS

    After graduating from the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Tokyo, he served as a visiting researcher at the MIT Media Lab before founding the NPO CANVAS and the Learning of Tomorrow Association, a General Incorporated Association, and assuming the role of representative. He serves as an outside director for Matsuya Co., Ltd., Fuji Media Holdings, Inc., and Digital Garage, Inc.
    He has served on various government committees, including the Information and Communications Council of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, as well as the NHK Central Broadcasting Program Council. He also serves as a director of the Digital Signage Consortium, among other roles. He holds a Ph.D. in Policy and Media.
    His publications include *Turning On Children’s Creativity!*, *What Are Smart Kids Doing on Their Smartphones?*, *The Forefront of Online Education in Japan: Considering Learning in the Post-COVID Era*,“What Is Programming Education? 45 Questions Parents Want to Know,” and “Declaration on Digital Education.” He has also provided supervision for numerous works, including “Ah, I See! Programming Education for Parents and Children Through Manga.”