InSITE 2002: International Symposium on IT and Education

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Background: Education in Kochi Prefecture and in Japan The image of Japan, as seen from abroad, is that of a very modern country populated by highly educated and technology oriented people. But of course Japan is much more complex than that. Like every industrialized country, Japan faces various severe challenges in terms of society and economy. Parallel to these challenges is a huge current challenge in education. Education in Japan is now affected by declining student numbers and declining academic standards. In particular, university students' basic understanding of science related topics is in decline. How to remedy this situation, and how to stimulate genuine student interest in foundation educational content, constitutes one of the basic educational problems in Japan. At the same time, Japan's university entrance examination system is being called into question. In the light of trends in employment in Japan, it can no longer be said that simply entering a good university guarantees a student good employment and security. Interestingly, Japan has been hesitant to adopt IT into its education system. This may well have been wise: false starts and rapid developments in IT application have been costly elsewhere. As we grow accustomed to the presence of IT in our lives, adopting IT into the schools can be accomplished more efficiently than previously. Kochi Prefecture leads Japan in the provision of information technology infrastructure. As an example of the utilization of network technology, our Blue Bird Cooperative Project has been working towards education reform in the prefecture, carrying out experimental distance education instruction using Kochi Prefecture's Information Superhighway Network. Furthermore, Kochi Prefecture has been designated by the Ministry of International Trade and Industry to develop and promote multimedia based inter-school cooperation over a 3-year period beginning in the year 2000. Until now our pioneering educational experiments have been conducted by the leading corporate members of Dream Net of Kochi Prefecture 2001 PLAN, but from now on school sites must collaborate and provide the leadership for educational activities. This is not to say, however that IT has fully permeated education in Kochi. We educators of Kochi are still investigating how and how much we can incorporate IT into our education system. We can point to good examples of IT application in Kochi schools, but we realize the need for an overall system of IT application. That is our ongoing task.