Current Condition of Digital Education through Japanese Course of Study : Focusing on ICT utilization education of social studies in elementary school

The purpose of this study was to examine the current condition of digital education through a Japanese course of study. The research reviews educational policies on the use of ICT, the AI strategy in education reform, and the objectives of ICT education. The analysis focuses on how ICT education is reflected in Japanese courses, particularly in the contents of social studies for grades 4 to 6 in elementary schools. The results show that, while the aim is to create learner-centered instruction by improving ICT environments, enhancing the capabilities of teachers and students, and utilizing high-speed, high-capacity communication networks and 1:1 device environments, the anticipated outcomes have not been fully realized. Specifically, in the era of Society 5.0, although educational programs utilizing advanced technologies such as ICT, AI, and big data are being implemented in the educational field, the failure to fully establish the necessary ICT infrastructure is identified as a major factor behind this shortcoming. Furthermore, the course of study emphasizes that it is important for teachers to implement methods that help students: makes knowledge and skills easy to understand, the use of learner computers in activities that collect information, think, make judgments, and organize thoughts for presentations and express abilities.