Busan Office of Education Establishes 'Future-Oriented Digital Classrooms' for Kindergartens

Busan Metropolitan Office of Education is accelerating the establishment of ‘Future-Oriented Digital Classrooms for Kindergartens’ to develop future societal competencies in young children through experiences with digital media and content.

This year, Busan Office of Education will set up future-oriented digital classrooms in 130 kindergartens selected through a public contest.

The ‘Future-Oriented Digital Classroom for Kindergartens’ refers to a digital play environment centered on content-utilizing play experiences that cultivate young children’s digital future competencies. It involves creating a play environment tailored to each kindergarten’s conditions using VR·AR multimedia learning devices, touch tables, electronic blackboards, and more.

The Office of Education plans to focus on preventing digital addiction by using equipment centered on small-group cooperative play experiences rather than excessive use of digital devices by young children, as well as promoting play, experiential learning, and peer interaction.

Busan Office of Education.

The 130 kindergartens selected as project targets in the February contest can establish one digital classroom per kindergarten. They can purchase VR·AR multimedia learning devices along with motion sensors, projectors, content, and if necessary, other digital devices such as electronic blackboards.

After setting up the classrooms, kindergartens will operate child- and play-centered curricula utilizing digital devices and provide various play experience opportunities linked to these activities for young children.

The digital classrooms will be operated focusing on small-group cooperative play such as games, fairy tales, and physical activities to prevent media overdependence and overimmersion among young children, and digital ethics education will also be provided for both children and parents.

To ensure stable operation of this project, the Office of Education will conduct training over two days on the 9th and 10th at the Busan Early Childhood Education Promotion Institute and Yeonsan Kindergarten for about 130 teachers in charge of the project.

During the training, Shin Hyun-jeong, a teacher at Anrak Elementary School Attached Kindergarten, will deliver a lecture titled ‘The Practice of Digital Education with Play.’

In April, a ‘Future-Oriented Digital Classroom Support Team’ composed of about 10 teachers with experience in operating digital classrooms or excellent digital competencies will be formed. They will provide customized consulting on the establishment and operation of digital classrooms.

The Office of Education plans to complete the sequential establishment of these classrooms in all public and private kindergartens in the district over the next three years starting this year.

Ha Seung-hee, Director of Elementary Education at the Busan Metropolitan Office of Education, said, “The establishment of these classrooms is meaningful as it lays the foundation for operating a future-oriented curriculum centered on play experiences through the creation of a digital play environment. We will continue to support the stable operation of these classrooms to help young children develop core future competencies.”

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.