- The following is content from the press release -
BenQ Japan K.K. (BenQ) has released the latest case study of BenQ's premium electronic blackboard, BenQ Board, in a certified kindergarten.
Kodaira Midori Kindergarten (opened in 1968), operated by Hoshino Gakuen Educational Corporation in Kodaira City, Tokyo, is an advanced preschool in terms of ICT for childcare, having introduced CoDMON (ICT system for child facilities) and tablets early on and actively promoting operational efficiency and staff work style innovation through the use of ICT. In conjunction with the complete renovation of the kindergarten building, it reopened as an accredited childcare center in April 2024.
With this renewal, BenQ is also participating in the Tokyo Metropolitan Government's "Children Smile Movement" project, an initiative to create a "Children First" society. BenQ and Litopla Corporation (Minato-ku, Tokyo; hereafter referred to as "Litopla"), which is participating in the project, have concluded a partnership agreement aiming for "future-style childcare using electronic blackboards" and are working to promote ICT for childcare using electronic blackboards and digital The three corporations have been working on the promotion of childcare ICT and digital content using the electronic blackboard.
The BenQ Board RM04 introduced this time is a Google EDLA certified electronic blackboard for education that also takes children's health and safety into consideration. By combining BenQ Board, which has the No.2 market share*1 in the Asia-Pacific region, with Litopla's interactive digital content, children will be able to experience digital content in the school, just like they would experience at a theme park.
1 According to Futuresource (in the first quarter of 2024)
Application example 1: Improving work efficiency and sharing information among staff at childcare facilities
The president, principal, and assistant principal of Kodaira Midori Kindergarten spoke about the prospects of using the BenQ Board to improve operations in the preschool and kindergarten settings and to utilize the electronic blackboard in educational settings.
Kazuhiro Hoshino, the president of the board, said he was pleasantly surprised by the BenQ Board's intuitive operability and the ability to write directly on the screen. Tatsuya Hoshino, the director of the school, was similarly impressed by the board's standability and flexibility in allowing multiple people to use it at the same time. Assistant Principal Taku Hakoyama has long been interested in electronic blackboards, and he expects that young teachers, who are digital natives, will be able to use them quickly.
Examples of actual use include the creation of class postings, staff training, and evacuation drills, which have greatly improved efficiency and sharing among staff. The visual explanation on the large screen is also effective for children, and Chairman Hoshino has high hopes for nurturing children's independence and cooperation through participatory classes using the BenQ Board.
For more information on this utilization, please see the following
One page of case studies: https://bit.ly/3zOg96p
Application example 2: Digital content workshop for current childcare workers
Kyohei Konishi, a former childcare worker who is now involved in the development of corporate content for Litopla, was invited as an instructor to lead a workshop for childcare teachers at Kodaira Midori Kindergarten. At the workshop, class teachers in charge of the younger, middle, and older children experienced Litopla's contents and explored specific ways to use them in the childcare setting. For example, the younger team tried the "Cookie Chain Puzzle" to practice color recognition, the older team tried "Everyone's Story" to create a story, and the older team tried the "Digital Math Puzzle" by connecting numbers together. They discussed how to utilize and lead the children in their own classes, and how to foster children's ability to work through and cooperate with each other through digital content.
For more information on this utilization, please see the following
Two pages of case studies: https://bit.ly/3Y7hYFo
BenQ will continue to support children's learning and growth by actively collaborating with various educational sites and content holders around the BenQ Board electronic blackboard.
About Kodaira Midori Kindergarten
Established in 1968, the preschool building was completely renovated in April 2024. The building has a barrier-free design, a nursery that emphasizes the warmth of wood, a spacious hall of over 200 square meters that can accommodate approximately 300 children, a hidden room with 400 picture books, and a multipurpose room with a rooftop terrace staffed by native English-speaking teachers. In addition, the school is actively working on ICT, and began using Codomon and tablets in 2018, ahead of other kindergartens. We are also promoting operational efficiency and reforms in the way staff members work.
About Litopla
Since 2018, LITOPLA has been operating Little Planet, a next-generation theme park based on the concept of "play turning into learning. The company employs personnel with diverse skills and careers, including architects, game programmers, kindergarten teachers, and major theme park operators, and handles everything from planning and development of digital attractions to facility design and park operations in-house (some parks are operated jointly with licensed partners).
As of July 2024, the company has 13 permanent parks in Japan and one overseas, and also plans, develops, and provides a variety of hands-on content to facilities and stores in Japan and overseas through its "Little Planet for Business" service for companies, organizations, and educational institutions.
About BenQ
With our corporate vision of bringing enrichment and enjoyment to people's lives, we have been creating technology products that contribute to children's play and learning. The BenQ Board, an electronic blackboard for education with a blue light-cut eye care function and antibacterial glass, which also takes children's health and safety into consideration, is being introduced in pre-schools as well as school institutions in many Asian countries, and has recorded cumulative sales of 100,000 units*2 through 2023. In Japan, BenQ launched the "BenQ Board RP04/RM04" series in January this year, the first BenQ products to receive Google EDLA certification.
2 In-house research (cumulative total for Asia-Pacific region)
BenQ Board" product page for schools and educational institutions: https://bit.ly/3WrXUfW
BenQ Board" special page for early childhood education: https://bit.ly/4dLewWq
