GIGA School Device Usage Case Study of Tokyo's Shibuya City Board of Education
— Introduction to filtering measures taken by local governments that are advanced in ICT education - Creating an environment where anyone can learn anytime, anywhere —

Information security solutions provider Digital Arts Inc. (headquarters: Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan; CEO: Toshio Dogu; hereinafter referred to as "Digital Arts"; Securities Code 2326) is pleased to announce on January 24, Tokyo's Shibuya City Board of Education announced that it would be introducing our web security product i-FILTER Ver.10 as a security measure for the GIGA School Program's One Device per Student initiative.

Introducing a Case Study of a Board of Education That Introduced Filtering to Ensure Proper Use of Devices

The GIGA School Program, which aims to provide devices and high-speed internet to every student nationwide, coupled with the increased need for online learning brought on by the pandemic, has led many local governments to fully introduce devices by the end of fiscal 2020. Online classes and technology-based learning were advanced by the pandemic, and while there are various advantages, there are also issues such as problems in operating the devices and cyber-bullying using the devices. Children are still in the developmental stages of relationships and communication, and their internet literacy, too, is in its infancy. At this stage, both the issue of whether to allow students to use devices connected to the internet without restriction and the use of GIGA School devices have been highlighted. Is there any way to keep an eye on children's safety and allow them to use their devices safely?

At Digital Arts, we provide a web security service tailored to the needs of schools called, i-FILTER@Cloud GIGA School Edition, so that students can use GIGA School devices safely and teachers and parents can have peace of mind in letting their children use the devices. On January 24, we released a case study of the Shibuya City Board of Education in Tokyo, which introduced i-FILTER@Cloud GIGA School Edition and has been progressive in its promotion of the use of technology in education.

Ahead of the rest of the nation in introducing devices for all students, the board is already onto its second generation of devices.

In September 2017, Shibuya City distributed LTE-compatible tablets to students in its elementary and junior high schools, making it the first municipality in Japan to achieve the One Device per Person initiative. Using those tablets from 2017, the board introduced Teams and made interactive online classes a reality when the pandemic started. During the school holidays, we also made use of the terminals in the form of online learning. Then, in September 2020, 12,500 Surface Go 2 devices were introduced alongside i-FILTER Ver.10.

The maintenance of the second generation devices was carried out not only by the board but also by the entire ward office as well, including Shibuya's center for experts on technology, the ICT Center. Takuo Yamazaki, Education ICT Policy Section, Education Policy Division, Secretariat of Shibuya City Board of Education, explaining said on how they were able to smoothly introduce the devices, "It would have been difficult for the board to do it alone. So we did it with help from ward office members with specialized knowledge."

They have been using the devices for three years now, and with the second generation of devices, they are now at the point where all schools can use them. Also, since teachers are employees of the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, they may be transferred from other wards. Shibuya City's school are at such a level that the teachers are able to teach other teachers when they transfer in.

The students are now accustomed to using the tablets and seem to be using them without any resistance even outside of school. "In some cases, schools, in consultation with the students and their parents, allow students who are unable to come to school to watch and study in class at home. We are also working to prevent classes from becoming too crowded, for example by having one class use two classrooms and the other use online classes," says Mr. Yamazaki.

Use of tablets with fine-tuned settings and timer restrictions ensure a safe learning environment in music classes

"Inappropriate sites are an inevitability. And allowing students to freely view them will have a negative impact on their growth," Mr. Yamazaki warned. He added, "Above all, parents are concerned about whether or not filters are in place. Some worry if children are being properly protected. As well, browsing inappropriate sites is not the purpose of the devices in the first place. In order to make good use of devices in class, certain restrictions are necessary."

The board applies the same rules both on weekdays and outside of class hours, but they make minor adjustments such as not blocking social bookmarking during class hours, but blocking them outside of class hours. In addition, video sites are filtered so that they cannot be viewed, and social media is also blocked through filters. The timer function is also used to limit the amount of time students spend on the Internet, preventing them from using the internet for long periods of time. The rules state that elementary school students may use devices from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm on weekdays, and junior high school students may use them from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. For summer vacation, the hours were extended to 20:00.

The database of i-FILTER Ver.10 has been changed from the conventional method of categorizing URLs that may be blocked to a method of categorizing all URLs, such as "threatening sites," "pornographic/adult sites," and "news." For "uncategorized" URLs, which are not categorized, the system is set to not block them during class time, but to block them outside of class time.

Everyone can take it home and learn anytime, anywhere.

Shibuya City has a closed area LTE system, and the devices are being used for off-site learning. Because of the closed area LTE, even students who do not have Wi-Fi at home can connect to the Internet. Mr. Yamazaki said, "Our goal was for everyone to be able to take devices home and learn anytime, anywhere. We took the initiative to allow everyone within the ward to use the internet as we don't want any child to be left behind because of their lack of an internet connection.

Based on this policy, off-site learning has been implemented in all schools in Shibuya City. For learning, they use online materials and other resources. They set the times of use and apply strict filters outside of those hours, and sites necessary for learning are included in the i-FILTER's exclusion list, allowing them to always be available. This exclusion list is standardized across the city. The function of i-FILTER Ver.10, which can flexibly change the sites that can be accessed depending on times of use, makes it possible to efficiently study outside of school grounds.

Teachers are also taking their devices home with them. Since both school work and study are done on the same devices, it has led to a change in work style. As for the use of devices, i-FILTER Ver.10 will protect the parts that absolutely must be protected, such as access to dangerous sites. Usings its fine-tuned settings, it is also possible to increase the degree of freedom as well.

- The full case study of the Shibuya City Board of Education in Tokyo can be found here

Digital Arts' GIGA School Program security solutions

Digital Arts' web security cloud service i-FILTER@Cloud GIGA School Edition is a filtering service for schools that has been improved to enable the use of the GIGA School Concept's one device per student initiative and allow safe and smooth learning in educational settings. Based on i-FILTER's filter database, which has the No.1 share in the domestic market^*, detailed filtering rules can be made to meet the learning environment's needs.

i-FILTER@Cloud GIGA School Edition

* Fuji Chimera Research Institute, Inc. "2021 Network Security Business Srvey General Guide" Web Filtering Tool Market Share (FY2020) (Published September 2021)