How we respond to the digitalization of education will determine our future international competitiveness. Japanese schools rank remarkably low among OECD member countries in the use of digital devices. In 2016, the United States introduced content that utilizes digital technology in teacher training and university teacher training courses. In 2018, France also set up a page for teachers on a website that students can self-diagnose their digital skills. Even earlier, in 1999, South Korea established a specialized institute to promote information education. Internet speed, which is important as infrastructure for the information society, was 91.3% in Lithuania, 83.4% in South Korea, and 82.4% in the United States. In Japan, it was 36.5%, lower than the OECD average of 67.2%. Unfortunately, it is clear that Japan is at the bottom of the OECD countries in terms of the IT technology, leadership, and infrastructure required to incorporate digital devices into classes.
Lamenting the superiority of other countries will not solve the problem. It is necessary for teachers to improve their skills so that they can use digital devices reliably. In Japan, the training of specialized personnel and the placement of such personnel with adequate treatment are not keeping up. In countries that ICT use is advanced, such as South Korea and the United States, personnel stationed at schools support the use of ICT. Japan has begun to move toward the goal of placing one supporter in every four schools. The government is promoting the placement of “ICT supporters” who support ICT education. However, the placement goal of “one ICT supporter per four schools” has not yet been achieved. Japan is also lacking in ICT personnel in other fields.
In some areas, there are also movements to overcome the shortage of ICT personnel. At Tokyo Metropolitan Minamihira High School, several teachers with digital usage skills were considering measures to close the school during the COVID-19 pandemic. The school began full-scale simultaneous two-way online classes. It was decided to hold a seminar for all teachers to learn how to teach online classes. At this high school, an atmosphere of teachers teaching each other was created. The teachers’ hard work seemed to be a good inspiration for the students. Even after staggered school attendance began, we were able to hold classes that combined online and face-to-face instruction. Digitalization has many benefits, not only for online classes but also for the use of videos. This shows that digital technology can be used to teach abstract concepts in an easy-to-understand way through video. Japanese teachers should also try various creative ways to improve their digital skills in education.
