Kashima City, Mercari, Inc. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and CEO: Shintaro Yamada), and Kashima Antlers concluded a "Comprehensive Partnership Agreement on Regional Revitalization" in February this year, aimed at solving regional issues through the promotion of smart city projects. This project will be a new initiative in the education sector under this agreement.
Online programming classes will be conducted utilizing "TechAcademy Junior," a practical programming service for elementary, junior high, and high school students operated by Kiramex Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Takahiro Higuchi; hereinafter "Kiramex"), a consolidated subsidiary of UNITED Inc. (Headquarters: Shibuya-ku, Tokyo; Representative Director and President: Tomonori Hayakawa), which is a club partner of Kashima Antlers.
1. Objective
The objective is to foster the "ability to think independently" and "creativity" of elementary school students in Kashima City and to develop next-generation IT human resources.
2. Background
As technological innovations such as IoT, big data, robots, and AI (artificial intelligence) progress, the need for IT human resources is increasing. This fiscal year, programming education became compulsory in elementary schools, and it will begin in junior high schools in FY2021 and in high schools in FY2022. In this context, Kashima City is engaged in active learning that cultivates students' ability to set their own challenges and solve them collaboratively.
3. Project Outline
Students will learn the basics of programming under online guidance using "TechAcademy Junior," a practical programming service for elementary, junior high, and high school students operated by Kiramex. They will utilize "Minecraft," a popular sandbox crafting game for children, and take on the challenge of creating two-dimensional and three-dimensional works inspired by Kashima Antlers.
■Target
・Toyotsu Elementary School
・Namino Elementary School
・Daido Nishi Elementary School
・Nakano Nishi Elementary School
・Mikasa Elementary School (all in Kashima City) - 4th to 6th graders (varies by school)
■Period
October 22, 2020 - Late January 2021 (varies by school)
＜Comment from Kashima City Mayor Koichi Nishikiori＞
It is said that an era of rapid societal and employment environment changes, difficult to predict, will arrive due to the decline in the productive age population, the advance of globalization, and ceaseless technological innovation. Starting this fiscal year, elementary schools in Kashima City will fully implement education to cultivate individuals who can proactively adapt to such changes, and programming education is one such initiative. I am confident that this project will enable high-quality education for all students and hope to contribute to the smooth implementation of programming education and the development of next-generation human resources.
＜Comment from Kashima Antlers President Fumiyuki Koizumi＞
We are pleased to announce the start of a new project in the education sector under the "Comprehensive Partnership Agreement on Regional Revitalization" concluded with Kashima City in February this year. Through this initiative, the club hopes to foster the "ability to think independently" and "creativity" of children in Kashima City, leading to the development of next-generation IT human resources. Kashima Antlers will continue to be involved in the town development of Kashima City from an educational perspective and contribute to regional development.
■What is TechAcademy Junior?
It is a practical programming service for elementary, junior high, and high school students targeting cram schools and educators nationwide. The independently developed learning system features a step-up curriculum from basic to practical skills, allowing students to proceed with their studies without confusion on a single screen. Currently, a programming learning experience is offered where students can learn about the fun of programming in two hours from home.