Finally Japan is getting on the online education wagon
By Denise
@petatonicsca (7070)
Japan
May 21, 2020 7:02pm CST
When most countries went into lockdown, a lot of places had an online system available or potentially thought out. My international school in Japan has had one in place since we started working on it after the earthquake in 2011. But Japanese public schools are very traditional and until we were realizing that some areas would not be going back for a while, online was not a possibility.
Tokyo has a very creative and progressive governor. She has encouraged her people in Tokyo to stop doing things the old way (having to go into the office every day) and explore new options (telework, online school). Last night in her nightly broadcast on YouTube, she showed how some public schools have (finally) started online classes. She was very excited about this. I was too. Because who knows, even when we go back, we may need to have online as an option for at-risk children. It's good to have on the back burner for typhoons and earthquakes and other natural disasters (she pointed this out). She is hoping that more people will be telecommuting and using online resources into the future.
Here's a link to her most recent broadcast in English (she does one in English every Friday night for the foreigners in Tokyo).
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4 people like this
3 responses
@JudyEv (381837)
• Rockingham, Australia
22 May 20
It's good to have options available if one method doesn't work out.
@JudyEv (381837)
• Rockingham, Australia
22 May 20
@petatonicsca Some find it hard to move out of their comfort zone.
@petatonicsca (7070)
• Japan
22 May 20
Yes. After writing this I watched a government meeting about how to proceed. They talked about having this system in place all the time in case it is needed. I noticed they also met in a room, with spaces between, and everyone wore masks, and the only thing done was "turn to page 3 in the notes" and they read. The entire thing could have been done online. They had WebEx going and had about ten participants who were online. It should have been all of them, to set a good example.
1 person likes this
@Alexandoy (65302)
• Cainta, Philippines
22 May 20
The education department here is looking at the possibility of the virtual classroom. It is the answer to the social distancing that is an impossibility in the traditional classroom.
@petatonicsca (7070)
• Japan
22 May 20
The problem I have here is that there are some students who don't have devices or internet access if the school supplies devices. I'm sure in the Philippines you have the same problem.
1 person likes this
@Alexandoy (65302)
• Cainta, Philippines
22 May 20
@petatonicsca you are right, they are now studying the possibility of holding virtual classes so they are surveying the students. What to do with students who do not have the internet facility? That is the issue.
@RasmaSandra (97957)
• Daytona Beach, Florida
22 May 20
That sounds like a very good idea and it is good that children can get back to learning.
@petatonicsca (7070)
• Japan
22 May 20
They are now talking about things like having half days at school and half days at home. Lunch is a problem because you have to take off your mask to eat.
1 person likes this
