In 2021, in order to further expand these efforts to improve classes, we selected new schools (kindergartens) through an open competition, and launched six new practical research projects, called "Matching Projects", to provide "individually optimized learning" by matching the issues and needs of the schools (kindergartens) in order to realize their vision of children with the expertise and know-how of the private sector. We have launched six new projects, called "Matching Projects", which aim to provide "individually optimised learning" by matching the issues and needs of schools (kindergartens) with the expertise and know-how of the private sector.
The collaboration between the municipal schools and the private sector throughout the year, from kindergarten to high school, is a unique initiative in Japan.
About the corporate consortium "Early Childhood Education Innovation Consortium
It is a joint venture of four companies with a proven track record in their respective fields, who have joined forces to undertake this practical research, which requires expertise in a number of areas including teaching materials, teaching and communication infrastructure.
The four companies are Smart Education, Inc., which provides the ICT teaching material "KitS", which encourages children to create a variety of games based on their own ideas; Kodomon, Inc. Ltd. and Benesse Corporation, and West Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation, which is responsible for the construction of ICT environments in nursery rooms, staff rooms and entrances.
About the consortium members
- Benesse Corporation (Head office: Okayama, Okayama Prefecture; President: Hitoshi Kobayashi)* Consortium representative
：https://www.benesse.co.jp/
Benesse Corporation, a subsidiary of Benesse Holdings Corporation, has launched a business for nursery schools and has been jointly developing CoDMON's teaching support service for nursery schools, "Childcare Documentation", together with CoDMON Corporation, utilising its own strengths in various knowledge and infrastructure in childcare support and early childhood education. Documentation" has been jointly developed. In this project, we will act as the representative company for consortium activities and will be responsible for training and operational support for the use of 'Childcare Documentation'. - Smart Education Corporation (Headquarters: Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo, CEO: Daigo Ikeya)
:.http://www.smarteducation.jp/Smart Education will support the creation of an environment in which children can freely create a variety of games and reflect on their own learning by using the ICT teaching material "KitS" (used in more than 500 kindergartens nationwide, the first time it has been used in a public kindergarten), which nurtures 21st century skills and non-cognitive skills such as creativity, teamwork and ICT application. This is the first time it has been used in a public kindergarten. The children's creative activities can be shared with their parents' smartphones and tablets, encouraging dialogue between the children and their parents.KitS in use
- Codomon Corporation (Head office: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director: Yoshinori Koike)
:.https://www.codmon.co.jp/
The ICT system "CoDMON", which has been introduced in more than 8,000 schools and about 120 local governments nationwide, provides a wide range of functions, from labor-saving administrative work for staff, such as management of attendance and drop-off, to teaching support functions, such as preparation of teaching plans and "childcare documentation", to support both labor-saving work and improvement of the quality of childcare. The system supports both labour saving and the improvement of the quality of childcare. We also provide a smartphone application that enables two-way communication between kindergartens, the Board of Education, and parents, supporting a change in working methods that will create more time for staff to focus on dealing with children and parents. - Nippon Telegraph and Telephone West Corporation (Head office: Osaka, Osaka; Nagoya branch: Naka-ku, Nagoya; Director and Nagoya branch manager: Masahiro Abe).
: https: //www.ntt-west.co.jp/
The project involves the development of the overall ICT environment, including iPad terminals for preschool children and staff, large presentation devices and their communication environment, as well as support window operations to achieve a rapid response in the event of a failure, in collaboration with NTT West's helpdesk and company representatives. NTT West has been working to improve the work efficiency of preschools and the quality of childcare for pre-school children by introducing ICT to the pre-school area. As people's working styles diversify, including shorter working hours and teleworking, demand for ICT environment development is expected to increase to enable preschools to respond flexibly and improve work efficiency, and NTT West will continue to make further efforts to support this trend.
