Digital Ehon Award Interview Series, Vol. 15

“Digital Ehon Created by Middle School Students”

At the 2nd Digital Ehon Award, middle school students proudly took home an award. We live in an era where anyone can create a digital ehon. A child submitted an entry, and it went on to win an award.It’s truly moving. We spoke with Yusuke Uno, a second-year student in the Computer Club at Okazaki Municipal Ryukai Junior High School, and his club advisor, Mr. Koichi Kamiya, who rushed to the awards ceremony from Okazaki via the Shinkansen.

　“I’m about as surprised as I was when I got into a bicycle accident in fourth grade.” When asked for a comment at the awards ceremony, he delivered a brilliant speech that had the entire audience laughing right from the start.
　Currently, Mr. Uno works on animation production and programming every day as a member of the Computer Club. He created the award-winning work, “Glasses Long for a Butterfly,” entirely on his own—from the story concept to the artwork and programming. “I’ve always loved video games,” he says.When he entered middle school, he decided to join the computer club, thinking it might help him understand how games and animations work.

It’s impressive enough that he developed it all by himself, but the story itself is truly unique and entertaining. “Longing to be like a colorful butterfly, a pair of glasses sets out on a journey in search of color.By utilizing various properties of lenses—such as reflection and refraction—the glasses eventually acquire a pattern that rivals even the butterflies’.”
　The message she wanted to convey is that anyone can achieve their goals if they put in the effort. She says the inspiration for the story came from a single remark by her mother: “It would be funny if the glasses flew away.” She expanded on that idea from there. The production period took about two months.

　One innovative aspect was the inclusion of story branches. The work features various interactive buttons, making it highly engaging. “Whenever I didn’t understand a part of the programming, I looked it up online, asked seniors or friends, and everyone worked together to help me.” With support from family, teachers, and friends, he completed this project.Upon hearing the news of the award, his mother was so moved she shed tears, and relatives and classmates were also overjoyed.

Now, let’s talk about the Computer Club that Uno belongs to. When Mr. Kamiya first became the club advisor, it was by no means an active club. In fact, there were times when not a single member was in the computer lab.Members had been barred from entering the computer lab because they were constantly viewing inappropriate websites. Mr. Kamiya explained that this was because the club lacked a clear purpose. So, he went around asking the students, “What do you really want to do?” The response he received was, “I don’t think we can do it, but it would be great if we could create animations or do some programming.”“Well then, let’s do it!” Mr. Kamiya immediately installed the necessary software on the computers. When a student joined the club saying, “My dream is to make a movie where I’m the hero,” he installed special effects software. When the students said they wanted to try 3D, he explained the difficulty levels and requirements of a large number of free software options—since there was no budget—and let the students choose for themselves.The students are reportedly working on their projects using the most technically challenging English-language software. When I asked Ms. Uno about this, she said, “I’m not good at English.” However, she added, “The English used in programming is no problem at all.” She explained that while she doesn’t enjoy English in school, she finds the English used in programming fun.

　What Mr. Kamiya values most is “not helping.” When left to their own devices, the children think for themselves and take initiative. “Schools shouldn’t be overprotective. Basically, we let them do it themselves,” he says—that’s his fundamental policy.
He also remarks, “Isn’t it wrong to teach how to use Excel or Word in school?”We must use computers as tools to unleash children’s creativity. “When a child comes to me and says, ‘I want to make something like this!’, I want to provide an environment where they can make it a reality.” The value of computers lies in the fact that both children and adults can create what they want and share it with everyone. “It seems there are several groups in Tokyo engaged in such activities, but they’re hard to find in rural areas.I hope that children across the country who share this vision can actively participate, connect with one another, and exchange ideas.”

　Professor Kamiya has one more goal: to create a new form of notebook. Both notebooks and textbooks are designed to be opened sequentially from the beginning. However, the knowledge in our minds is actually a three-dimensional structure, much like a network of interconnections. We often want to add to or revise parts of it later, but this isn’t possible with paper. The same applies to blackboards.There’s a term called “blackboard lesson planning,” but with that approach, the content to be written is decided from the start. However, ideally, when students’ ideas emerge, I want to connect those ideas and make the lesson dynamic. “We need to weave the students’ ideas together and focus on them. Combining or deconstructing knowledge—isn’t that something only digital technology can do?” he says.
A new kind of learning notebook where students’ thoughts intertwine and deepen. I really hope this can be realized digitally.

　He says they’re currently working together on a 3D game in preparation for the school festival. The school festival is a place where everyone collaborates to create something together. Creating something together is different from creating something individually. Often, at the very last minute, they can’t quite get the pieces to fit together.He explains that he wants students to gain the experience of creating something as a team, rather than just making whatever they like on their own. That’s because it’s an essential skill for when they enter the workforce.
“I want to become a programmer who makes games someday.” Looking straight ahead and answering with poise, I felt I could see a bright future in Ms. Uno’s demeanor.