An era is coming where elementary school students will learn programming as a matter of course.

The Open Innovation Lab (InnoLab) at Dentsu Inc. International Information Services, Inc. (ISID) is also tackling educational reform through ICT. In this ninth installment of our series, we continue our interview with Senior Consultant Akie Sekijima, who is also a mother of two. We asked her about the "people" who are key to ICT education and its future development.

Dads, Moms, and Teachers! Everyone Should Explore ICT Together

――Last time, we discussed the adaptive learning pilot project. This time, I'd like to focus on the "people" using the learning systems. First, mothers. We often hear comments like "moms have low IT literacy." What are your thoughts on this?

Sekijima: I don't think "moms" are the issue. When we were children, digital devices like smartphones and tablets simply didn't exist. Moms, dads, single men and women—anyone above a certain age is equally part of the analog generation. I find the trend of loudly proclaiming "moms have low IT literacy" a bit jarring. We should be more straightforward: "None of us have done this before, so let's just try it together." I think it's better for people of all ages and genders to learn together and figure out how to use it.

――Even so, I can't help but feel there's likely a gap between households... Some families dive headfirst into ICT education from when their kids are young, others don't even give them a cell phone, and then there are those who give them smartphones or PCs but don't interfere at all. The approaches are all over the place, right?

Sekijima: That's true. I've seen that gap firsthand. That's precisely why I think the "let's all try it together" attitude is so important.

Actually, last year, to help as many people as possible understand ICT's potential and how to use it, I assisted in developing two parent-child communication apps. One is like a message board: when a child taps an iPad app, their destination is emailed to their mother. So even if they come home from school, toss their backpack aside, and head out, you know where they're going.

The other was a reading practice app. It lets kids record their school-assigned reading homework on a smartphone, allowing them to listen back to it as many times as needed. They can listen themselves or have their parents listen. For parents, this means they can listen to the reading anytime, like after work, without being tied to a specific schedule. For the kids, the app's built-in sticker feature lets them see "Good job!" stickers from their parents, boosting their motivation.

By creating these convenient educational apps and helping people appreciate their benefits, I hope we can collectively raise awareness.

A fresh wave of innovation is emerging from teachers in the field and venture companies.

――What about teachers? Do you think they're keeping up with educational ICT?

Sekijima: It varies greatly from teacher to teacher. What I find interesting, though, is the growing bottom-up movement where teachers purchase several tablet devices with their own money and utilize them in class. When the government or local authorities try to standardize things, it takes time and often doesn't go smoothly. But when teachers on the ground take initiative and deliver effective ICT lessons, other teachers around them become interested, and it starts to spread.

Similarly, venture companies are creating a positive wave. Companies have emerged offering free SNS platforms for collaborative learning between teachers and students, and cloud services for sharing teachers' expertise have been released. Since around summer 2013, educational tools developed by venture companies have been appearing one after another. A flow is emerging where venture companies support teachers in the field, and large corporations then support those venture companies.

We aim to build an educational platform that's easy for teachers, students, and parents to use. To do this, we're conducting repeated pilot tests to ensure we don't disrupt this momentum. We're focusing on establishing school rules, developing implementation know-how, and building systems that connect homes and schools.

 

Learning programming is becoming commonplace. Even elementary school students are creating apps that rival those made by adults!

――Finally, could you share the latest trends in educational ICT?

Sekijima: Overseas, learning programming is becoming the norm. In Lithuania, programming is a mandatory subject starting in first grade. The ability to "collaborate with peers on projects and express oneself" seems to be valued as part of comprehensive learning.

In Japan too, programming workshops for children using the Raspberry Pi, a small PC, have become increasingly common. Also, just recently, a primary school version of the IT camp "Life is Tech" for middle and high school students was launched. While it's gradual, I feel programming is reaching younger ages. I enrolled my own child, and within half a day, they made two programs – a clock and a calculator – which surprised even me as their parent (laughs). Presenting their own creations, receiving feedback, and seeing others' work seemed to be a real stimulus. I feel it's crucial not just to have them program, but to provide opportunities for communication with others, like explaining their work and receiving feedback.

The only thing is, the tuition is still a bit steep... I wish workshops like this could become more affordable, perhaps offered as part of after-school programs like regular extracurricular activities. I'd love to see a future where programming and ICT aren't seen as something special, but are just a natural topic of conversation around the family dinner table.