Japan 高校（専門学科）1〜3年 Information (specialist)

1. Information Industry and Society

Information society and the information industry · Information and communication · Computers and programming · Role of the information industry

• Information Society and the Information Industry – In an information society, collecting, storing, sharing and using information is the main source of work and value, as farming and factories once were. Computers, networks and phones made this possible. Problems are solved by a clear loop: find the problem, collect data, analyse it, decide and check. The information industry (software, networks, data services, media, online shops) grows quickly, and brings both benefits and risks, such as privacy loss and unfair access. The future brings more connected devices, AI and data, so people need skills and care.
• Information and Communication: Representing, Managing and Sharing Information – Computers store all information as bits: 0 and 1. Numbers, text, pictures and sound are all turned into patterns of bits. Information management means keeping information organised, correct, backed up and safe, with clear file names, folders and copies. Communication using IT sends messages as small packets across a network through tools such as email, chat and video calls. Choose the tool for the purpose, write clearly, and keep messages safe.
• Computers and Programming: How Computers Work and How We Instruct Them – A computer takes input, processes it with the CPU using memory, and gives output; storage keeps files and the operating system manages everything. All information (numbers, letters, pictures, sound) is stored as bits, 1s and 0s, in groups of 8 called bytes. To solve a problem we first write an algorithm (clear steps using sequence, decision and repetition) and then a program, which is the algorithm written in a programming language. Computers also share information through networks, in small packets, and can run models and simulations to test ideas safely.
• Role of the Information Industry – The information industry is all the businesses that make, carry, store and sell information: device and software makers, network companies, and content and service providers. IT professionals who work in it have duties: protect information, respect privacy, be honest and follow the law.

2. Research Project

Investigation, research and experiments · Creating works · Practice at industrial sites · Obtaining vocational qualifications

Coming soon

3. Representing and Managing Information

Representing information · Information management

• Data Representation: How Computers Store Numbers, Text, Images and Sound – Data is raw facts; information is data given meaning; knowledge is information we can use. A computer stores all data as bits (0 or 1). 8 bits make a byte, and 1 kB = 1000 bytes, 1 MB = 1000 kB, 1 GB = 1000 MB, 1 TB = 1000 GB. Numbers are stored in binary, where place values double: 1, 2, 4, 8 and so on. Text uses a character set: in ASCII 'A' is 65; Unicode covers every script. A bitmap image is a grid of pixels; size = width × height × colour depth. Sound is sampled: size = sample rate × bit depth × seconds. Vector images store shapes instead of pixels. Compression makes files smaller: lossless keeps every bit, lossy throws some detail away.
• Information Management – Information management means collecting, naming, organising, storing, finding and protecting information so it stays useful. Good documentation (clear names, dates, types), sorted folders or databases on a computer, and protection by passwords, locks and backups make information easy to find and safe from loss.

4. Information Technology

Information society and information technology · How hardware works and its use · How software works and its use

• Information Society and Information Technology – In an information society, creating, sharing and using information drives daily life and the economy. Information technology (computers, networks, software) and information systems link homes, schools, shops, hospitals and banks. In the future, sensors, data and AI will make services smarter, but we must also handle risks such as privacy loss, false information and the digital divide.
• Computers and Computing: Evolution, Parts and I/O Devices – A computer is an electronic machine that takes input, processes it under the control of a program, stores data and gives output. Computing devices grew from the abacus to smartphones. Every computer has an input unit, a CPU, memory and an output unit, joined by buses and ports.
• How Software Works and How We Use It – Software works in layers: hardware at the bottom, the operating system (OS) on top of it, applications on the OS, and the user on top. An app asks the OS for memory, files and devices; the OS runs the hardware. Security software such as antivirus and firewalls blocks bad files. Many apps sharing data, with people, form an information system.

5. Information Security

Information society and information security · Information security and law · Information security measures · Information security management

• Cybersecurity: Threats and How We Stop Them – Cybersecurity protects computers, networks and data. It aims for confidentiality, integrity and availability (the CIA triad). Common threats are malware, phishing and social engineering, brute-force password attacks and denial of service. Defences include strong authentication, encryption, firewalls, anti-malware software, updates, access control and backups.
• Law and Computing: Rules for Using Computers and Data – Laws protect people when they use computers. Copyright protects the maker of a work, privacy (data protection) law protects information about you, computer misuse law protects computers from unauthorised access, and contract law makes online agreements binding. Details differ by country, but the ideas of permission, consent and fair use are shared.
• Information Security Measures – Information is protected by three kinds of measures that work together: human (training, rules, awareness), technical (passwords, encryption, firewall, antivirus, updates, backups) and physical (locks, guards, cameras, safe rooms). Using several layers is called defence in depth.
• Information Security Management – Managing security means writing a policy (the rules), finding and scoring risks (chance x harm), treating them (reduce, transfer, avoid or accept), and planning business continuity so work restarts quickly after a failure. It is a repeating cycle: plan, do, check, improve.

6. Programming for Information Systems

Information system design · Data structures and algorithms · Programming · Development management, operation and maintenance

• Information System Design – Designing an information system has three big jobs: find out what users really need (requirements analysis and definition), draw how data moves (modelling), and split the big system into small modules with clear links (partitioning). Good design makes the system easy to build, test and change.
• Data Structures: Arrays, Lists, Stacks, Queues and Trees – A data structure is a way of organising data in memory so a program can use it well. Arrays keep items in numbered boxes for instant access by index. Linked lists chain nodes with pointers, so inserting is easy. Stacks work last-in-first-out, queues first-in-first-out. Dictionaries find values by key, and trees store data in levels so searching is fast. Choosing the right structure makes programs faster and simpler.
• Programming Basics: Sequence, Selection, Loops and Functions – A program is a set of exact instructions a computer follows. Every program is built from three structures: sequence (steps in order), selection (if/else choices) and iteration (loops). Variables store values. Functions group code into reusable, named blocks, which makes programs modular and easier to test, debug and maintain.
• Software Development: From Idea to Working App – Good software is built in stages: analyse the problem and write requirements, design the solution, code it in small parts, test it with normal, boundary and erroneous data, deploy it to users and maintain it. Waterfall does each stage once in order; agile repeats short cycles. Robust programs validate input, and teams use version control, clear roles and feedback from users.

7. Network Systems

Network basics · Network design and construction · Developing network systems · Operating and maintaining network systems

• Network Types, Topologies and Protocols: Size, Shape and Rules – Networks are grouped by size: PAN (a few metres around one person), LAN (a room, building or campus), MAN (a city) and WAN (a country or the world). A topology is the layout of how nodes are wired: bus (all on one backbone cable), star (all to a central hub or switch) and tree (stars joined in levels). A protocol is a set of rules: TCP/IP breaks and routes data on the Internet, HTTP and HTTPS carry web pages, FTP moves files, SMTP sends email, POP3 downloads email, PPP links two devices directly, TELNET logs into a remote computer, and VoIP carries voice calls over the Internet.
• Network Design, Construction and Management – A good network is planned first, then built, then run and checked. Design starts from what users need (people, speed, safety, budget), then picks a layout, devices and addresses. Building means fitting cables and devices, setting them up and testing. Operation means watching the network and fixing faults fast. A system audit checks that everything works as planned and follows the rules.
• Developing Network Systems: Services, Servers and Network Apps – A network service is a job done by a server for clients, such as showing web pages, carrying email or sharing files. To build a server we set up hardware, an operating system, service software, an address and a port, and a firewall decides which ports are open. A network application is two programs, a client that asks and a server that answers, which follow an agreed message format.
• Operating and Maintaining a Network System – A network is not finished when it is built. Someone must run it every day (administration), fix and update it (maintenance) and keep it safe (security). This lesson shows the daily jobs: watching traffic, managing accounts, finding faults, keeping spares and backups, and blocking bad traffic with a firewall.

8. Databases

Databases and our society · DBMS and database design · Data and database operations · Database operation and maintenance

• Databases and Our Society – A database is an organised collection of data that many people can share, search and update. Shops, schools, banks and hospitals depend on them. A database stores data, lets people find it fast, keeps it correct and safe, and arranges it using a data model: table (relational), tree (hierarchical) or web (network).
• Database Concepts: DBMS, Relations and Keys – Keeping data in separate files causes duplication, inconsistency and poor security. A database stores related data in one organised place, and a DBMS (like MySQL) is the software that manages it. In the relational model, data is kept in tables (relations) made of columns (attributes) and rows (tuples); a domain is the set of allowed values of a column. A candidate key uniquely identifies each row; one is chosen as the primary key and the others are alternate keys.
• SQL with MySQL: Create Tables, Change Rows and Ask Questions – SQL (Structured Query Language) is the language used to talk to a relational DBMS like MySQL. DDL commands (CREATE, ALTER, DROP) define tables; DML commands (INSERT, UPDATE, DELETE) change rows; DQL (SELECT) reads data. Each column has a data type such as INT, FLOAT, CHAR, VARCHAR or DATE. SELECT … WHERE filters rows using relational operators, BETWEEN, AND/OR/NOT and IS NULL.
• Database Operation and Maintenance – A database must run all day and never lose data. The database administrator (DBA) decides who can do what, keeps backups, restores the data after a failure, watches speed and storage, and does regular maintenance like clean-up and updates. This lesson shows each job step by step.

9. Information Design

Role and targets of information design · Elements and structure of information design · Building information design · Using information design

• Information Design: Its Role and Its Targets – Information design is the craft of arranging facts so that the right people understand them quickly and correctly. It helps in safety, travel, health, learning and business. A good design thinks about its target: who will read it, where and why. It uses order, big clear text, pictures and colour, and works for as many people as possible.
• Elements and Structure of Information Design – Designers use a small set of tools: shape, colour, size, position and order. Colour and size say what matters most, closeness makes groups, and order guides the eye like a story. These choices also change how people feel. To draw a subject well, observe it, drop details and keep the key features. Then stage the message: first this, then that.
• Communication and Information Design – Good communication starts with a purpose: to inform, persuade or instruct. Information design arranges the content so the reader sees the main point first, using order, one picture, short words and strong contrast.
• Graphic Design – Graphic design is planning pictures, words and shapes so that a message is clear, useful and attractive. Designers use elements (line, shape, colour, type, image, space) and principles (alignment and grid, hierarchy, contrast, proximity, repetition, balance and white space). They follow a process: brief, research, ideas, sketches, digital drafts, feedback and final artwork. Graphic design is used in posters, logos, book covers, packaging, signs, websites and apps.

10. Content Production and Publishing

Information society and content · Still-image content · Video content · Sound and voice content · Publishing content

• Information Society and Content – In an information society, content (text, pictures, sound, video) travels fast to many people and shapes what they know and feel. Each medium has its own strengths. Copyright and licences protect the maker so that sharing stays fair.
• Still-Image Content – A still image is a picture that does not move. A digital one is a grid of pixels. You can express an idea with framing, colour and light, edit it by cropping, resizing and changing brightness, and then save it in the right format for print or screen.
• Video Editing: From Raw Clips to a Finished Film – Making a video has two big parts. Production is shooting the clips and photos. Post-production is everything after: retouching photos, editing clips on a timeline (trim, join, add title and sound layers), then exporting the result as a video file for screens or a high-resolution image for print. Editing is where the story is really made: the order and length of the clips decide how the viewer feels.
• Sound and Voice Content: Expression, Editing and Production – Sound and voice can say things text cannot: feeling, rhythm, place and mood. On a computer, sound is stored as a long list of numbers (a waveform). Editing changes those numbers: cut, fade, change volume, remove noise, mix tracks. Producing content means planning, recording, editing, mixing, exporting and sharing.
• Publishing Content – Publishing content means making something (text, pictures, sound, video), combining and editing it into one finished piece, putting it where readers can reach it (a website, a video channel, social media, print), then checking what readers think and improving it. Always respect copyright: use only your own work or work you have permission to use.

11. Media and Services

Media and information society · Media-based services · Role and influence of media services

• Mass Media – Mass media are channels that carry the same message from one sender to a very large audience: print (newspapers, magazines), broadcast (radio, TV, film) and digital (websites, social media, music videos, video games). They inform, educate, entertain and persuade. Owners, editors and algorithms act as gatekeepers that choose which news we see. New media is digital, interactive and two-way, so audiences can reply and create. Sociologists debate how strongly media affect audiences, from direct 'injection' to active audiences who choose and interpret.
• Media-Based Services: How They Work and How to Use Them – A media service is an online service that stores media (video, music, news, pictures, posts) and delivers it to many people on request. Creators upload, the service stores and organises, and users ask and receive. Services recommend content, earn from ads or subscriptions, and need careful use: privacy, time, cost and trust.
• Role and Influence of Media Services: Society and Industry – Media services connect people, so information spreads fast. This helps learning, trade and help in emergencies, but it also spreads false news and takes time. Media services also grow the information industry: creators, developers, advertisers and support staff earn from them. Good citizens use them with checking and balance.

12. Information Practice

Information system development process · Content production process · Practice

• Information System Development Process: From Need to Maintenance – An information system is built in stages: plan (understand the need), design (draw the blueprint), build and test (make it and check it), then run and maintain (use it, fix faults, add new needs). The stages form a loop, because faults and new needs send the team back. Clear goals and testing save time and money.
• Media Production: How a Media Product Is Made – Media production is making a media product, such as a video, podcast, poster, website or magazine, for a purpose and an audience. It starts with a brief: what the client wants, for whom, by when and on what budget. Producers research their target audience (age, interests, where they spend time) and choose the platforms that reach them. Production happens in stages. Pre-production: idea, research, script, storyboard or mock-up, shot list, schedule, permissions. Production: filming, recording or photographing, using shot sizes, angles, lighting and sound with purpose. Post-production: editing, adding music, graphics and captions, and checking quality. Distribution: publishing on the right platforms, often as a cross-media campaign where products link to each other. Finally, producers evaluate using audience feedback. Good media is legal and ethical: respect copyright, get consent, avoid stereotypes and be honest.
• The Design Process: From Problem to Product – The design process is a loop of steps designers use to solve a real problem for real people: investigate the need, define it in a brief and a measurable specification, generate many ideas, build a prototype, then test and evaluate it against the specification. Whatever fails sends you back round the loop. This repeating is called iteration, and it is how almost every product, app, building and artwork is improved.