1. Introduction

With a rapid growth of information and communication technology (ICT), every field in society is advancing to "knowledge society". School Education, Enterprise Training and life long education are certainly riding on the waves. Moreover, people themselves cannot bypass the computerization flow. Furthermore, with the expansion of worldwide network, one challenge for us is to obtain communication competence via technology in international communities. To meet this challenge, the government in either European or Asian countries endeavors seriously to the informatization of education/training. Japanese Government has already set forth "Policies to Promote New Learning Society" in "Millenium Project", " e-Japan Senryaku (strategies)" and "e-Japan jyuuten (accentuating)".

In Cologne-Summit conference, "Cologne Charter" regulated the educational necessity for school children to grasp the competence in reading, writing, mathematic, and ICT as well. In keeping with this evolution, the informatization of education in Japan has become one of the most significant challenges which will give all of people the benefit in knowledge society. This rationale is also to build learning individual, learning organization, learning community and learning society. In the report "the Project in the Informatization of Education" to "Virtual Agency" under the direct control of Prime Minister, the objective of 2005 is that there should be a computer in each classroom in national schools, and each computer is capable of accessing the Internet.

With this background in mind, through promotion of informatization, this project aims at "the change of the children", "the evolution of instruction" and "the advancement of school". Concretely, so as to promote the children's computer literacy, in accordance with the utilization of computer in everyday life in school, the patterns of instruction have been substantially evolved, and the children's logical/critical thinking skills, the power of creativity and self-expression have been dramatically promoted. In addition, over informatization, the management methodologies in school have been alerted, as the schools start their co-operations between families and communities.

Not only in school education, but also continuing education including enterprise training must be innovated in the line of building this knowledge society. At the same time, the concept of classroom teaching and a school is changing to "Self-Learning", "Self-Regulated Learning", "Collaborative Learning".

2. The development of the utilization of computer and Internet environment

In this chapter, we take up the primary part of education in "e-Japan strategies" and introduce the skeleton of essentials for e-Learning.

2.1 The implementation of teacher training

From 2000 to 2001, during the two-year enforcement of the new guidance principles, the training curriculum within campus, the training contents development and the training promotion school have been conducted so that the teachers in all public schools can grasp the computer operation skills, and then utilize these skills in their teaching activities.

2.2 The learning contents development for schools

The learning contents for schools have been developed progressively using the existed learning resources in every field of society. The details are as follows:

1. Network supporting learning contents development

   In line with the two-year project from 2000 to 2001, while gaining co-operations of private enterprises and others, local education committee and educational center endeavor for the digitization of their educational materials conforming with the contents of a new curriculum, furthermore, for the development of the contents in model using for each subject.

   Moreover, while paying attention to the international standard, with promotions of much more contents developed by educators, the advanced platform has been improved in accordance with contents distribution, depending on the content framework for representing the contents assimilated into models.

   Finally, for the provision of the ready-made contents, the advances in technology have been utilized for delivering the compressed animations and high capacity pictures and for distributing the high-speed animations as well.

2. The digitization of learning resources and promotions of network worldwide

   From 2000, the two-year project aimed to investigate the concepts of digital archive depending on consultations between educators' consortium and organizations or institutions, such as museums, libraries, research centers, universities and so on, who have learning resources.

   Besides, for the provision of the developed contents, the advances in technology have been utilized for delivering compressed animations and high capacity pictures and for distributing high-speed animations as well.

3. Contents creation for school sports and healthy education

The contents for school sports and healthy education, which can be utilized by the instructors in their teaching and are interested by the children during their learning, have been created so as to provide the school information via Internet.

The utilization instances would be addressed as follows:

1. The technology has been advanced to enable to browse through the high capacity contents (e.g., 3D contents) via the Internet from the average of the terminals distributed in school.
2. The plug-in software has been developed for browsing multimedia contents (i.e., text, picture, drawing, CG, and VR).
4. The construction of cultural digital archive

   As traditional contents for school education, arts (e.g., good opera and ballet), traditional art performance (e.g., precious Kabuki), and so on have been built as databases, which had already been adjusted as educational contents based on the digital technologies during 2000.

   The utilization examples are as follows:

   1. The technology has been developed, by which the browser for the high capacity contents such as 3D contents over the Internet has become possible from the average of the terminals distributed in the schools.
   2. The plug-in software has been developed for browsing multimedia contents (i.e., text, picture, drawing, CG, and VR).

3.1 The categories and content for WBT

1. Education Service Vendor (ESV)

   The major business of ESV is to provide WBT curriculum. The participating enterprises who are engaged in educational systems originally are increasing in numbers. However, the percentage of participations from companies who only provide educational services is comparatively lower. Nowadays, because there are needs for LMS (Learning Management System), except training undertakings, the others such as system enterprises would be engaged in the ESV business continually in future. In current market, the focus is on "computer related fields and "business related fields". Some companies aimed to develop business in the fields like stratified training or medical fields. Therefore, it was predicated that WBT education services in the near future would be multivariable. Moreover, with the full-scale growth of broadband, the services responding to multimedia such as animations have increased in comparison with last year. Nevertheless, responses to CL / a joint working mechanism remains in a lower rate. Solutions to such issues would be one challenge in future.

2. Education system vendor

   Besides the hosting service, teaching contents creation and the consulting service, education system vendor (EsV) appends a supply of WBT system. According to a questionnaire survey, the enterprises who are engaged in technical support and system customization services were increased.

   In a survey of the target market, concerns about education in an enterprise are higher. There are about 80% undertakings with this view on their future businesses. Moreover, from the sales prospect, 12 enterprises are expected to get 136.8 billion in 2005 and 208.2 billion in 2007. As a service provider, EsV is the same as ESV. Due to the serious spread of broadband, his services responding to multimedia such as animation are also expanded compared with last year. Nevertheless, the response to CL and a joint working mechanism is still lower. Besides, there are some differences between each vendor in responding to blending support. In future, such service support would be another opportunity in IT market.

3. Education Contents Vendor

   More and more enterprises are engaged in the business of educational contents, for instance, training undertakings, companies associated with computers, venture enterprises related to educations, and others. Moreover, in some enterprises the training department starts to offer their closed contents to outside for profits. Increasingly various enterprises' participating activate the content markets.

   In a survey of the target market, concerns about "education in an enterprise" are continually higher. There are about 80% undertakings with this view on their future businesses. The service support to streaming has lagged behind. From here on, effective responses to such an issue would be the future service trends.

3.2 The trends of WBT system standardization

In order to realize WBT system functions, two features were defined: platform features (a common feature of teaching materials) and contents features (an intrinsic feature of teaching materials). As essential elements of WBT, they are standardized as SCORM (Shareable Content Object Reference Model) by ADL (Advanced Distributed Learning) associated with the Ministry of American National Defense. SCORM are unified standers by Europe and America organizations associated with standardizations.

Meanwhile, in our country, in keeping with the international standardization trends, such as SCORM, ALIC (Advanced Learning Infrastructure Consortium) and eLC (e-Learning Consortium Japan) have regulated some new standards that do not exist currently, but will be useful in the near future. Moreover, they have developed test-bed systems for examining CMI standards consisting of WBT contents and learning log standards. Furthermore, they laid out a guideline to use the standards from other countries.

3.3 Services associated with WBT model

1. The supply of information via portal sites

   The role of portal sites as information sources is on the increase. As information offering media to the potential users, WBT are highly expected. Various type of information is desired in a one-step environment. From users' side, they need some basic information supported by WBT, for instance, the lectures categories, the study period, tuitions, and others. Whereas, for the experienced lecturer and the third party, some information like a lecture assessment is also needed.

2. The pervasion of WBT in ASP

   As one type of WBT, ASP (Application Service Provider), providing various services and the supply of contents to Internet, is classified into two types: one is from data management centers. The other is from internal servers installed in communities or education institutions. Besides "anywhere", "anytime" and "anybody" merits in WBT, the compatibility of ASP services is another advantage, which is beneficial for special enterprises to securely administrate the system. For the expansion of WBT, the functionality of ASP is highly expected.

E-Learning is evolving worldwide. The major trends are the motion through practice, involving: (1) contents, (2) LMS, (3) collaborative learning, (4) competency and evaluation, (5) ID and curriculum development, and (6) standardization. E-learning is a means to secure individual learning environment. As a new learning ecology, its evolution concerns with its studying, developing and practicing from technological, educational and economic perspectives. In order to make the individual learning ecology more affluent, group study is blended into this learning ecology. Furthermore, from conventional collective instructions, it is intended to explore a sound methodology for e-Learning. Here, based on the reconsideration of the conventional instruction, the new construction theory (i.e., "stirring-up") for e-learning contents would be found via information media exploring (e.g., the interaction between learners, interaction between teacher and learner, search and communication over Internet, information/knowledge sharing and reusing. Q & A mode, individual learning history and achievement ratio, achievement ratio in the whole class, knowledge discovery and construction, and the knowledge management) and improved via practice. Above all, we aimed at investigating a new e-pedagogy. One challenge is to explore the relationships between each entity. To meet this challenge, our education environments over Internet were built on three learning dimensions: the first dimension presents learning competency, the second one is describes the learning contents, from the third axis, the favorite learning forms can be chosen. Concretely, these environments can be expressed as follows:

• An individualied-learning environment (e.g., WBT, VOD) for acquiring knowledge and skills as well.
• Discovery learning in an individual learning environment, such as the use of various search engine, VOD search and navigation mechanism, and so on.
• Learning via problem-solving in an individualized learning environment, e.g., simulation, CAD tool and so on.
• A video-conference system based on a collaborative learning environment, distance lecturing with Q & A functions depending on multi-place transmission.
• Group-work or pair-work in a collaborative learning environment with video-conference mechanism, communication tools (e.g., chat), various applications and tools with screen-sharing and work-space sharing, and learning history log mechanism.
• Providing virtual collaborative learning platform technologies, such as, asynchronous collaborative learning and learning management and participation checking based on agent techniques
• A collaborative simulation learning form for team learners performing a different role with skills in a special field. For instance, the collaborative activities in a big plane's cockpit.

5. Collaborative Learning

Collaborative learning (CL), as one type of group learning patterns, encompasses various learning elements, more specifically, via interaction with others, CL concerns with "learning by observing" reflecting a distributed cognition such as reflective thinking. Moreover, the achievement of the group would be that of each individual participate in this group. Besides knowledge acquiring and problem-solving, CL also requires the ability to cooperate and to compete involving the leadership, respect, responsibility, and self-regulation features. Furthermore, learning also requires a Performance Support System for leading to actual problem solution activities. CL with a reality, thereof, is desired. This trend makes the e-learning contents construction and training methods evolution based on existing curricula extremely necessary for both synchronous and asynchronous CL patterns.

The developments of technical bases for CL are starting to make it possible to use CL in e-Learning. Over an Internet environment, there is an individual learning space and a group learning space, where it is not only possible to transmit data, information and knowledge, but also feasible to distribute various information media (i.e., applications or tools) with screen-sharing and working space sharing. Furthermore, the learning behaviors can be saved systematically. Besides, CL as one object, the entity feature as metadata can be defined, represented, stored, and archived.

This research aimed at describing the CL entity features, based on various practices and experiences, our focus is on digitalization of the entities, on the data model of CL entities and on the method for hyperlink and the contents of hyperlink.

The significance of the conversion of knowledge society is to promote creations, various discovery and invention of wisdom in industrial society. During the conversion additional values are added. Furthermore, the acquired knowledge is delivered and learned (i.e., education). With rapid expansion of the science and technology, the qualities of knowledge for learning are enlarged. From knowledge transmission to knowledge creation, e-Learning as a sustainable activity is expected to support learning by an individual, learning in an organization and learning in a community.

CL environment is a sort of productive property and capital goods for the purpose of creating knowledge. And one significant challenge is to build such an environment. In various collaborative applications / tools and the data shown in the CL space, the useful knowledge discovery and share is becoming the new learning forms, which arouse a reform in pedagogy. The significance of "collaboration" is substantial encompassing self-regulations, responsibilities, contributions, and respect features. CL triggering mechanisms are made as follows:

• Interactivity
• Blended learning
• Covering assets
• Mobile & wireless
• Designing discussion questions for Online
• E-collaboration and e-learning in Organizations
• Educational knowledge management
• Virtual Gaming & simulation for real learning
• Standardization and re-use

• Knowledge and social constructivism
• Vygotsky's socio-cultural theory (especially, the notion of zone of proximal development)
• Situated cognition and distributed intelligence
• Situated learning legitimate peripheral participation
• Affordance theory
• Knowledge building theory.

The three proposals on collaborative technology have already been approved in ISO/IEC-JTC1 SC36, those activities have been conducted in WG2. The three proposals are 1) Collaborative Workplace, 2) Learner to Learner interaction scheme and 3) Agent to Agent architecture. At the moment, the two projects of collaborative workplace and learner to learner are examined under the experts from many countries.

The goals of those activities in order to standardize are as follows:

1. Independent on any pedagogical/psychological theories in order to warranty interoperability and re-using of learning objects
2. Common platform to enhance group learning
3. Functions of Plug-in & data model of learning log-data in order to share and use/operate any application software, learning resources/data and so on for participating from plural learning sites
4. Accumulating a practical case base of collaborative learning based on instructor's rationale
5. General description of collaborative learning entity as meta-data.

From the social computing perspective, where Internet is regarded as a major issue, e-pedagogy as a new concept is needed. Associated with this advancement, the communication supporting technologies is required, including:

• Direct manipulation
• Interactivity with the functions of assimilation/accommodation
• Modeling and simulation
• Visualization
• Sharing windows and operations
• Text mining
• Monitoring
• Agent's roles
• Learner modeling
• Group modeling
• Reflection and awareness
• Integration of synchronous and asynchronous learning
• Development of asynchronous materials/contents
• Collaborative tools

1. Topic oriented structure: contents are synthesized according to topics. Various topics are organized systematically, and make comprehensive contents.
2. Scenario oriented structure: making scenario-like contents, and offering well balanced unit subjects
3. Minimum essentials: extracting minimum, essential unit subjects as fundamental competency and making comprehensive subject get together with other common subjects.
4. Comprehensive subject based on existential subjects: integrated subject, making comprehensive section taking units as thought necessary from other subjects such as math, science and so on.

References

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About Author

PRESENT. Full Professor of the graduate school of Information Systems in University of Electro - Communications Director of the Advanced e-Learning Research Center in UEC.

RESEARCH AREAS. Artificial Intelligence and Knowledge Computing, e-Learning and e-Pedagogy, Collaborative Learning environment, Curriculum Development of "Information" education, educational knowledge management and so on.

ACADEMIC AND SOCIAL ACTIVITY. President of Japan Society of Information and Systems on Education. Convener of WG2 (Collaborative Technology) of SC36 (Learning Technology) in ISO/IEC-JTC1, A member of editorial board of JCAL. A member of editorial advisory board of "Interactive Technology and Smart Education". A member of editorial advisory board of "Journal of Educational Technology & Society" by IEEE-LTTF.

E-mail: okamoto@ai.is.uec.ac.jp.