◆◇ Digital Textbook and Educational Materials Council News ◇◆ Vol. 050

Just when it starts to feel like spring, we’re back to the cold of midwinter—the weather has been quite unstable lately.
As the seasons change, please take care to stay healthy.

In this issue, along with a report on DiTT’s activities, we’ll bring you the latest information on digital textbooks and educational materials.

Digital Textbook and Educational Materials Council Secretariat

Table of Contents ——————————————————
・Topics
・Activity Report (Study Sessions / Study Session Overview)
・Introduction to Pioneer Teachers
・Announcements from Member Companies
・Media Information
・Information Related to Digital Textbooks and Educational Materials
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　　　　 Topics
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The “D-project Spring Public Symposium” will be held on March 21.
Under the theme “How Can Tablets Contribute to Collaborative Learning?”
this event provides a forum for teachers from across the country to present their research findings.
We invite anyone interested to attend.
http://www.d-project2.jp/kantou/2014/

* A leading teacher supported by DiTT is scheduled to speak.
http://ditt.jp/teacher/

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　　　　 Activity Report
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≪Study Session≫
We held our 43rd study session on Tuesday, February 18.

Guest Presentation

■Professor, Department of Educational Development, Faculty of Psychology, Meiji Gakuin University
　Former Professor, Faculty of Education, Gunma University: Mr. Atsuo Nakamura
　“Digital Technology Has Arrived in the Classroom
　　　—Teachers’ Expectations and Disappointments Revealed by Empirical Research—”

■ Mr. Shigeru Kakizawa, Head of the Educational Video Group, Sales Department, Photron Co., Ltd.
　 “Imagica Robot Holdings’ Initiatives in Flipped Classrooms”

*You can view the study session report at the URL below. (To be posted soon)
http://ditt.jp/report/

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≪Study Session Overview≫

At the 43rd study session held on February 18, Prof. Atsuo Nakamura of the Department of Educational Development, Faculty of Psychology, Meiji Gakuin University,
delivered a lecture titled “Digital Technology Has Arrived in the Classroom—Teachers’ Expectations and Disappointments Revealed by Empirical Research.”

What possibilities would be opened up by introducing digital devices into Japanese language education—a subject with a history of paper-based materials spanning over 300 years? Starting from this question, we collaborated with DiTT to conduct an empirical study at the Elementary and Junior High Schools Affiliated with Gunma University, a National University Corporation, using one digital device per student.

The results showed: (1) improvements in abilities and assessment awareness regarding spoken language activities, reading aloud, and recitation;
(2) the implementation of language activities incorporating visual information such as videos; and (3) support for information sharing during research activities and collaborative learning opportunities.
Challenges included the need for teachers to act as an “intermediary” when using hardware and software to ensure they were easy for children to use; additionally, knowledge among those involved in schools and educational administration regarding digital technology is still limited. If digital technology is introduced under these conditions, teachers may not be able to use it effectively and could fall back on the view that paper-based materials are still preferable. It is necessary to recognize that there is a gap between users and providers
.
As for areas for improvement, to ensure the long-term adoption of digital tools, digital textbooks should be positioned as software that provides instructional materials,
with their content enriched; teachers might find it easier to accept the concept of “dedicated devices” rather than “general-purpose devices” like tablets
rather than general-purpose devices like tablets—as this approach would likely be more readily accepted by teachers. He also stated that we must continue to highlight the unique benefits of digital technology—such as the increasing number of things that can only be done digitally—to raise awareness of these advantages.
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　　Introducing a Leading Teacher
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This is a report from Mr. Shuya Yamada of Sapporo Municipal Inaho Elementary School.
We lent him the devices used in the DiTT pilot study, and he shared a report on his classroom experience, so we would like to share it here.

Tablet Day 1
http://ameblo.jp/yamada-hideya/entry-11770808018.html

Tablet Day 2
http://ameblo.jp/yamada-hideya/entry-11775479347.html

Tablet Day 3
http://ameblo.jp/yamada-hideya/entry-11775530449.html

Tablet Day 4
http://ameblo.jp/yamada-hideya/entry-11781658173.html

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　Announcements from Member Companies
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■Yasuhisa Tamura, Center for Information Science Education and Research, Sophia University
~Discussions on the EDUPUB Electronic Textbook Standard Continue~

The IDPF (International Digital Publishing Forum), which established the ePub standard for e-books, is
to define the file formats and functions of electronic textbooks as standards. The first meeting was held in October of last year in Boston, USA, and the second meeting was held on February 12–13 in Salt Lake City, USA.
If you are interested, please visit the URL below to view the materials.

Reference URL: http://goo.gl/Z69HEQ

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　　Media Information
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■Journal of the General Incorporated Association Information and Communications Network Industry Association (CIAJ)
“CIAJ JOURNAL” January 2014 Issue　
Initiatives to Promote the Use of ICT in the Education Sector
http://ditt.jp/office/ciaj201401.pdf

■Tokyo IT News　
“Tablets Gain Ground in Educational Settings; Efforts to Accelerate the ‘One Device per Student’ Goal for 2020 Are Underway”
http://itnp.net/story/582

■Bunka Tsushin
Trends in Digital Textbooks and Educational Materials in Elementary and Junior High Schools
http://ditt.jp/office/140127bunkatsushin.pdf

http://ditt.jp/media/

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　Information on Digital Textbooks and Teaching Materials
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February 4, 2014
Shinkenzemi Introduces Tablets to Elementary, Junior High, and High School Courses; Expects 800,000 Users
http://resemom.jp/article/2014/02/04/16998.html

February 5, 2014
Takeo City Board of Education to Provide One Tablet Per Student in All Elementary Schools… 3,000 Devices to Be Introduced
http://resemom.jp/article/2014/02/05/17005.html

February 7, 2014
Use of Digital Learning Materials: Tablets in All Elementary and Junior High Schools—Arakawa, Tokyo
http://mainichi.jp/select/news/20140207k0000m040063000c.html

February 12, 2014
Tablets Gain Traction in Schools; Efforts to Bring Forward the 2020 “One Device Per Student” Goal Are Gaining Momentum
http://itnp.net/story/582

February 16, 2014
The ICT Market in Education Is Expected to Continue Growing
http://www.zaikei.co.jp/article/20140216/178339.html

February 22, 2014
Tablets for Self-Study for All Elementary and Junior High School Students: Bizen City to Begin Lending Them Starting in FY2014
http://www.sanyo.oni.co.jp/news_s/news/d/2014022200033532/

February 25, 2014
Introducing Tablets into “Education” to Deepen Learning and Broaden Interpersonal Connections
http://benesse.jp/blog/20140225/p1.html

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　.:*:.:♪*:. DiTT—Now Recruiting Members *:.:♪*:.*:.
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The Digital Textbook and Educational Materials Council is currently recruiting members.
Executive members and general members can participate in study sessions organized by DiTT as well as
committee meetings.

In addition, we provide information on digital textbooks and educational materials, and
organize networking events and other opportunities for members to exchange information.
For more details, please visit the page below!
URL: http://ditt.jp/join

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◆◇ DiTT NEWS ◇◆　vol.0050
Publisher: Digital Textbook and Teaching Materials Council
Publication Date: March 3, 2014
Editor-in-Chief: Nanako Ishido
Editor: Asaka Uchiyama
URL: http://ditt.jp/
e-mail: ditt@ditt.jp
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