Fujitsu Limited, Fujitsu (Thailand) Co., Ltd., and Marubeni Software & Technology (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (MSTT), have been selected by the Thai Japanese Association School Board to build an ICT-based educational platform for the two schools it operates in Thailand – the Thai Japanese Association School and the Thai Japanese Association School Sriracha. As a first stage, the platform will today begin operations at the middle school division of the Thai Japanese Association School Sriracha with 72 Fujitsu Tablet ARROWS Tab Q507 tablets and the Wi-Fi-based Fujitsu Education Solution K-12 Learning Information Utilization System V2 Chietama. The Chietama solution tracks and utilizes students’ learning trajectory as teachers and students in the classroom can share teaching materials and ideas on their tablets in real time. These technologies will enable bidirectional communication, which is expected to bring about active learning, and lead to enhanced lesson quality by allowing teachers to share materials with one another and gain visibility into students’ learning progress. Furthermore, MSTT will support with the IT infrastructure by setting up the tablets and implementing and assisting with the operation of Wi-Fi networks and servers.
In addition to the Thai Japanese Association School Sriracha middle school division, the organizations plan to implement this system for the middle school division of the Thai Japanese Association School in Bangkok during fiscal 2018, and also plan to extend the system to the elementary school divisions of both schools thereafter. The Fujitsu Group and MSTT are promoting in Thailand classes utilizing ICT, which are becoming common in Japan, improving the quality of lessons and contributing to the development of educational environments for Thailand-based schools for Japanese nationals.
Background
Currently, there are 89 schools for Japanese nationals who live outside Japan, and the Thai Japanese Association School in Bangkok run by the Thai Japanese Association School Board is the largest, and one of the oldest, having been established in 1956. In addition, while the Thai Japanese Association School Sriracha is a new school that opened in 2009 (the 88th Japanese school outside Japan), it is also the 10th largest. The two schools have a combined number of students that exceeds 3,000, the majority of them being the children of Japanese national employees who are stationed in Thailand, and provide an environment in which parents and guardians have a high interest in education.
The Thai Japanese Association School Board has set forth a goal of raising global citizens through education, and endeavored to improve international communication capabilities, especially focusing on conversational English and ICT-based education. Accordingly, the organization has decided to deploy devices and systems from MSTT and Fujitsu, which has a proven track record in the ICT education field in Japan, setting up a cutting-edge ICT education environment.
Usage Scenarios
1. Encourages active learning through bidirectional communication
Using the ARROWS Tab Q507 tablets connected to the Chietama solution server via a Wi-Fi network, teachers can send materials to the students’ tablets. At the same time, students can use their tablets to display their insights and ideas on a projector or an electronic blackboard, leading to interactive lessons with student participation.
2. Sharing lesson materials, learning status to enhance class quality and streamline handover among educators
Past teaching materials and insights submitted by students are all stored in the Chietama server, allowing teachers to search and share them with one another. Even in Japanese schools outside Japan, where teachers and students frequently transfer in and out, this system can support to improve the quality of lessons, as teachers can get a handle on previous situations and prepare lessons and assignments that reflect the inclinations and responses of each student.
3. Can also be used in distance learning and similar scenarios
Going forward, by incorporating the distance learning system, which the Fujitsu Group conducted a field trial for in Myanmar in March 2018(1), this system can connect with educational institutions in Japan and provide real-time, bidirectional lessons to enhance teaching support.
Products and Services
The Arrows Tab Q507, a reliable tablet that can be used in educational environments
The Chietama teaching support tools, which allow students to share ideas, as well as for teachers and students to ask and answer questions
Future Plans
Following the deployment at the Thai Japanese Association School Sriracha, the Thai Japanese Association School Board will prepare to build a system at the Thai Japanese Association School middle school division during fiscal 2018, and plans to deploy around 200 additional tablets and Chietama modules. As a result, at the beginning of the 2019 school year (April 2019), approximately 580 junior high school students, including those from the Thai Japanese Association School, are expected to use tablets in their school work. Eventually, the system is planned to be implemented in the elementary schools of both the Thai Japanese Association School Sriracha and the Thai Japanese Association School.
(1) Distance learning system, which the Fujitsu Group conducted a field trial for in Myanmar “Fujitsu to Deliver Distance Learning for Children of Japanese Expats Working in Myanmar,” (press release dated March 8, 2018).
