The Return of "Education"

This time, we introduce an initiative called "Edu-cation" that explores the use of ICT in educational settings. "Edu-cation" is a portmanteau combining "education" and "discussion." In November 2011, Shijukukai Co., Ltd., which publishes a monthly magazine for cram schools, and Dentsu Inc. International Information Services Open Innovation Laboratory (ISID InnoLab) collaborated to hold the first Edu-cation event. Key participants included cram school instructors, textbook publishers' editors, and representatives from education-related companies. On the day, heated discussions took place on topics like the current state of ICT adoption and handling digital copyrights.

At that time, ICT utilization in schools was not yet widespread, making it impossible to invite school teachers. However, about three years later, ICT adoption has expanded beyond cram schools to schools themselves. Some schools have begun significantly boosting learning efficiency through the introduction of tablets and SNS.
"This is the perfect opportunity to invite school teachers and hold an Educassion again after all this time!"
That's what prompted us to hold the "Return of Educassion" in October 2014. It was the fifth Educassion event overall, held for the first time in about three years.

The purpose of Educassion is to "create horizontal connections."

We started Educassion because we felt the education field needed this kind of "horizontal connection." Back then, there was an unspoken rule in the education world: "Don't share your know-how" and "Don't interact with competitors." For example, you rarely saw scenes where cram school owners or textbook publishers' editors would gather to discuss education.
However, when we spoke with individual education professionals, we discovered that the vast majority wanted to share information with their peers and learn about successful and unsuccessful case studies, as well as progress in various initiatives.

Innolab was originally created as an organization aiming to spark innovation through collaboration by combining technologies held by companies and individuals. We've developed various new services, such as "potaVee," which combines IT and television to deliver region-specific video programs, and "Emitame," a "smile-saving mirror signage" using Sony's facial image recognition technology.
Driven by the conviction that "We, who excel at collaboration, must take the lead and create a space that fosters horizontal connections!", we planned the first Educasion in 2011. From November to December of that year, we held four Educasion sessions covering four themes, including "Copyright Management for Digital Learning Materials" and "Learning Management and Enhancing Motivation."

School teachers began seriously considering ICT education

The years 2012-2013 were a sort of "groundwork phase" where some educators quietly prepared to advance ICT education. No major movements emerged, nor did significant changes occur... Following this trend, Educassion was temporarily suspended.
Change arrived around mid-2013. Koji Koike of Shun'ei-kan, a former Educassion participant, launched "iTeachers," an organization leading Japan's ICT education. Additionally, schools that had early adopted tablet devices and digital teaching materials gradually began sharing their initiatives and results externally.

This momentum accelerated dramatically in 2014. Schools that successfully implemented and operated ICT education began actively holding study sessions and open classes. Teachers who became key figures gained attention as star teachers. Their lectures were always packed, and soon, a kind of fan base emerged – people willing to follow these teachers anywhere in Japan for their talks. The number of teachers thinking, "I want to utilize ICT in my classroom!" exploded.

At the same time, voices of confusion began to emerge, primarily from younger teachers: "When I actually try to do it myself, it doesn't go well," and "I don't know how to convince the administration." It was precisely at this time that Principal Takashi Matsuda of Tama City Aiwa Elementary School, a pioneer in ICT education, proposed advancing an "AR Content Development Project" where teachers themselves create digital teaching materials. This led to the idea: "Then, why not organize an education session gathering young teachers, initiated by Principal Matsuda's call?"
We wanted them to do more than just admire star teachers from afar; we wanted them to take action toward introducing ICT education. To achieve this, we aimed to create a space where young teachers facing similar challenges and working hard on the front lines could freely discuss ideas. We wanted to build a community where everyone could pool their wisdom and take a step forward together. With this vision, we relaunched Educassion in October 2014.

ICT education surrounding schools is now poised for significant change. Consortia like ours, education-related companies, and even general companies not directly involved in education... I believe it will become necessary for various organizations to pool their expertise and support schools moving forward.