Home > Policy > White Paper, Notice, Announcement > White Paper > Japanese Government Policies in Education, Science, Sports and Culture1999 > Part2 Q57

A:The aim of the Information subject is notsimply to learn how to use a computer butalso to develop information literacy so thatstudents cart select important informationwithout being confused by incorrect or un-necessary data.It also involves students be-ing able to convey information about them-selves.

Three types of Information course

Students entering upper secondary school from FY2003 will study the Information subject.The subject is composed of three courses-In-formation A,Information B and Information C.Students will have to study one or more of these courses before graduation.What course is stud-ied and the grade in which it is studied will vary from school to school.In addition,the standard number of credits is two,equating to two hours of study per week.The subject matter and level is different for each course.Given that there is a great diversity in students' experience of and interest in com-puters,the courses will not be studied in order of A,B,C,but will be selected by students based on their individual circumstances.

Information A

This course will focus on the practical ability to use information.Study activities will be con-ducted using the Internet and commonly used software to enable students to master the use of computers and the Internet in everyday life.

Information B

This course will focus on the scientific under-standing of information.Learning activities will be conducted in order to scientific com-prehension of the functions and mechanisms of computers and how data is processed internally and to use the computers for problem solving.

Information C

This course will focus on developing an attitude for participation in the information society.Learning activities will be conducted to study communication using the Internet and survey activities in order to develop a deeper under-standing of the network society itself rather than the internal mechanisms of computers.All courses will also focus on the rules and manners required in the information society.The major difference with other subjects is that practical learning using computers and the Internet will be emphasized.Depending on the course,more than one half or one third of total class hours will be allotted to practical studies.

There is also a specialized Information sub-ject for people who want to specialize morein their studies

In addition to the common Information subject mentioned above,which all upper secondary school students will study,there will also be a specialized Information subject for students with aspirations to work in an information-related field in future.The specialized Information sub-ject is composed of11courses,including Infor-mation Industry and Society,Algorithms and Computer Design.An Information Course in which students will study a specialized Informa-tion subject will be introduced in upper secon-dary schools.

Systematic Installation of Computers

We are promoting the establishment of computer classrooms and the systematic installation of computers so that during classes there will be one computer for every two students in elemen-tary schools and one computer per student in lower and upper secondary schools and schools for the blind,deaf and otherwise disabled.

Plan to Install Computers in the Classroom