◆◇ Digital Textbook and Educational Materials Council News ◇◆ Vol. 056

The weather has finally become more bearable.
Please take care to avoid feeling the aftereffects of the summer heat.

We have received a large number of registrations for the symposium on September 3, and we would like to express our sincere gratitude.
We look forward to seeing you there.
Please note that there has been a change in the venue; please be careful not to go to the wrong location on the day of the event.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

Once again, we will report on DiTT’s activities and provide the latest information regarding digital textbooks and educational materials.

Digital Textbook and Educational Materials Council Secretariat

Table of Contents ——————————————————
・Topics
・Activity Report (Study Sessions)
・Media
・Information on Digital Textbooks and Educational Materials
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　　　　 Topics
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**September 3: Notice of Venue Change for the DiTT Symposium**

The venue was originally scheduled to be the Fukutake Learning Theater at the University of Tokyo; however,
it is unavailable due to a malfunction in the air conditioning system.
We would like to inform you that the venue has been changed.
We sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.

[Venue]
The University of Tokyo Yamagami Hall (2nd Floor Large Conference Room)
http://www.sanjo.nc.u-tokyo.ac.jp/sanjo/contact/

<Symposium Overview>
DiTT Symposium 2014, Vol. 2
“Is the Flipped Classroom Feasible for Elementary School Students?”
■ Date and Time: Wednesday, September 3, 2014, 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM (Registration begins at 1:00 PM)
■ Venue: Yamagami Hall, University of Tokyo (2nd Floor Large Conference Room)
*We plan to livestream the event on Niconico Live on the day of the symposium.
http://live.nicovideo.jp/watch/lv188009139

The program (tentative) is as follows:
・Keynote Speech: “Smile Learning (Takeo-Style Flipped Classroom) Is Changing Education”
　Mr. Akihisa Shirota, Principal of Takeo Municipal Takeuchi Elementary School and Superintendent of Education for Takeo City
・Keynote Speech: “Insights Gained from the Flipped Classroom”
　Mr. Yasuyasu Sato, Teacher at Higashi-Koyo-dai Elementary School, Tomiya Town, Miyagi Prefecture
・Panel Discussion
　Mr. Yasuyasu Sato, Teacher, Higashi-Koyodai Elementary School, Tomiya Town, Miyagi Prefecture
　Mr. Akihisa Shirota, Principal, Takeo Municipal Takeuchi Elementary School and Superintendent of Education, Takeo City
　Ichiya Nakamura, Executive Director, DiTT; Professor, Graduate School of Media Design, Keio University
　Nanako Ishido—DiTT Board Member, Chairperson of the NPO CANVAS
End of List

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　　　　 Activity Report
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≪Study Session≫
The 49th study session was held on Wednesday, August 20.

Guest Presentations

■ Mr. Masayoshi Nabetani, Lead Teacher, Ota City Higashi-Chofu Daiichi Elementary School
　“The Current State of ICT Utilization from a Frontline Perspective”
　
■ Tokyo Shoseki Co., Ltd., ICT Business Division, Production Department
　Mr. Tsutomu Takano, Department Manager
　“An Initiative for Electronic Textbooks Tailored to Learners with Special Needs”
　
*You can view the study session report at the URL below.
http://ditt.jp/report/

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≪Workshop Overview≫

Mr. Masayoshi Nabetani, who serves as the 5th-grade department head at Ota City Higashi-Chofu First Elementary School and is also a DiTT pioneer teacher,
spoke about the current state of ICT utilization in schools.
When conducting lessons, he constantly considers “how to make the most of ICT,” and since we are currently in a transitional phase for ICT adoption,
he believes it is acceptable to use it almost to excess in education.
He introduced software he has utilized in his classes by making full use of self-created content, such as the 4th-grade art lesson “Let’s Make a Lunch Box,” the 3rd- and 4th-grade integrated studies lesson “Experiential Information Ethics,” the 4th-grade Japanese language“Karuta
Reading App,” and 2nd-grade Math “Telling Time”—he introduced the software he has used in his classes to date, making full use of his self-created content.
In particular, for the 4th-grade Math “Digital Math” lesson, he presented a video showcasing how it was featured as a research project,
and to encourage its adoption by many teachers, a manual was created, distributed, and put to use.
In the 6th-grade Integrated Studies class on “Disaster Prevention,” to help students feel a more personal connection to the March 11th earthquake, a video found on the internet was used; this allowed the children to gain a deeper sense of reality and served as a valuable opportunity to engage with the real world.

Regarding future challenges and requests, the speaker cited: 1) Streamlining the steps to implementation, 2) Improving the availability and reach of digital teaching materials,
3) Universal adoption through the commoditization of the UI, 4) Securing training opportunities, and 5) Achieving a balance between security and flexibility.
. They commented that they intend to continue using (and making full use of) the devices loaned by DiTT to develop even more innovative lessons and to continue learning alongside the children.

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　　Media
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http://ditt.jp/media/

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　Information on Digital Textbooks and Teaching Materials
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August 4, 2014
Collaborative Learning with Large-Screen Tablets: Two-Year Pilot Program — Utsunomiya City Board of Education
http://www.kknews.co.jp/maruti/news/2014/0804_1a.html

August 4, 2014
Programming in Elementary Schools: Developing the Ability to Bring Ideas to Life
http://www.kknews.co.jp/maruti/news/2014/0804_4a.html

August 11, 2014
Children Need ICT… But Parents Are Worried: Half of Parents Want Guidance for Themselves—Takeshi Saito
http://sankei.jp.msn.com/life/news/140811/edc14081115000001-n1.htm

August 11, 2014
Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) / Tablet Numbers Double, but Student-to-PC Ratio Remains Unchanged: The Reality of ICT Education
http://ict-enews.net/2014/08/11mext/

August 13, 2014
Elementary and Middle School Teachers More Positive About Using and Adopting ICT Devices Than High School Teachers
http://resemom.jp/article/2014/08/13/19931.html

August 15, 2014
Shinagawa Ward / One Windows Tablet Per Student at Schools Promoting ICT Education
http://ict-enews.net/2014/08/15shinagawa/

August 21, 2014
Information Education Research Group / Teachers Discuss the Journey to iPad Adoption
http://ict-enews.net/2014/08/21infoedu/

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　.:*:.:♪*:. DiTT—Now Accepting Members *:.:♪*:.*:.
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The Digital Textbook and Educational Materials Council is currently recruiting members.
Executive members and general members are eligible to participate in study sessions and
committees organized by DiTT.

In addition, we provide information on digital textbooks and educational materials, and
organize social gatherings and other opportunities for members to exchange information.

Please visit the page below for more details!
URL: http://ditt.jp/join

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◆◇ DiTT NEWS ◇◆ Vol. 0056
Publisher: Digital Textbook and Educational Materials Council
Date of Publication: September 1, 2014
Editor-in-Chief: Nanako Ishido
Editor: Asaka Uchiyama
URL: http://ditt.jp/
e-mail: ditt@ditt.jp
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