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Enhancing Education: The Role of YE Digital's Cache Feature in Takasago City

In an exciting development for digital education, YE Digital has implemented its innovative cache feature for educational digital textbooks, significantly improving the ICT environments across 16 schools in Takasago City, Hyogo. Since its rollout in September 2023, this advanced system has enabled smoother internet access and reduced stress when utilizing digital contents, fostering an effective learning atmosphere for students.

Key Benefits of the Cache Feature

The introduction of the cache functionality within the NetSHAKER network access management device has led to remarkable improvements, particularly in classrooms that rely heavily on digital media, such as art and music. Here are some notable enhancements:

• - Streamlined Lessons: The time taken to load rich media resources has drastically decreased, allowing classes to proceed without interruptions.
• - Encouragement of Student Initiative: With fewer technological hurdles, students are empowered to engage in learning at optimal times, promoting an encouraging educational environment.
• - Simplified OS Updates: Frequent updates to Operating Systems can impose significant burdens on connectivity. The NetSHAKER allows for simultaneous updates across all devices, ensuring that students and teachers can operate with the latest features and optimum security.

Addressing Challenges in Digital Learning

The Takasago City Educational Committee has been proactive under Japan's GIGA School initiative, aiming to integrate ICT into education. Each student has been provided with an LTE-enabled Chromebook and electronic blackboards have been implemented within classrooms. However, challenges such as slow digital drill operations and considerable strain from regular OS updates hampered ICT utilization, making it essential to unearth effective solutions.

As the demand for ICT use grew, so did concerns regarding connectivity speed from simultaneous user access, highlighting a critical need for a system overhaul. Upon trialing the NetSHAKER with its caching capabilities, the educational team confirmed that lessons could advance seamlessly without disturbances—a crucial factor in their decision to adopt this technology.

Future Vision of Takasago City Educational Committee

According to officials, including Motohiro Keida and Hiroki Nakagawa from the Takasago City Educational Committee, their vision is driven by the motto, “Start a Movement.” They are committed to utilizing ICT tools to catalyze change within the educational landscape. Recent improvements include not only the caching of educational content but also the establishment of single sign-on environments, carefully crafted to ensure network access is only allowed within school premises.

In the future, Takasago’s educational framework will greatly benefit from the newfound stability of their network environments, subsequently enabling more creative applications of ICT in lesson plans. They have plans to incorporate sub-displays in every teacher's room, making full use of the analytics and visualization options provided by the NetSHAKER dashboard.

An Overview of the Cache Feature

YE Digital’s caching function temporarily stores content obtained from digital textbook delivery platforms in the NetSHAKER system. This means that when multiple students access the same materials, they do so through locally stored data instead of repeatedly drawing from the internet. This effectively lessens bandwidth usage and alleviates network congestion, ensuring an optimal environment for the high demand often seen in digital learning settings.

Compatibility with Various Platforms

The cache function is compatible with educational digital textbook contents from:

• - Lentrance's Lentrance Platform
• - Fujisoft's Mirai School Platform
• - Komura Publishing's Mana Viewer

Additionally, frequent communications like updates for Microsoft 365 Copilot, NHK for School, and system updates for ChromeOS and Windows will integrate seamlessly with the caching system, preventing delays and ensuring smooth access.

Conclusion

As we witness this transformative phase in Takasago City's education, YE Digital's cache technology highlights a strategic leap towards fostering a more effective, connected, and engaging learning environment. This initiative not only improves immediate learning experiences but also sets a precedent for other educational institutions aspiring to modernize their digital functionalities. The future looks bright for Takasago's young learners, supported by innovative technology like the NetSHAKER.