Design and Construction of SNS Platform and "Working Room" for Making Community for Fostering Japanese Teachers

In this report, we introduce the Japanese teacher training program at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies. We explain our SNS platform which contributes to the program's success and "Working Room" which support the communication among students and teachers. We think that the combination SNS with "Working Room" is very effective for making community. Students can post a variety of information on the SNS, such as self-descriptions, blogs, BBS entries, and reports of practice teaching. They can share information on Japanese teaching and communicate with teachers and other students. As an additional advantage, they can treat the SNS as a daily journal reflecting their teaching training progress. Students come to "Working Room" with some purposes such as prepareing trial lessons. Some freshman can see work of senior students in the room, some changes happen gradually; senior students give advice to freshman students; freshman students read others' diary and write comment in SNS.