Designing an online video based platform for teacher learning in Singapore

In this paper, we describe our path for designing an online community of practice for teachers in Singapore, from identifying the current status of professional development to designing an online platform where teachers can share vivid images of their teaching practices with other teachers. To identify current practices in professional development, we conducted a large scale online survey with 1605 teachers. The quantitative data collected from this survey gave us a macro-level overview of the current status of teacher professional development in Singapore schools. Next, for a more in depth understanding of teachers’ views on professional development experiences and gathering of ideas for designing an online video based environment, we conducted participatory design workshops with 11 teachers in two schools. The purpose of these workshops was to engage end users, who are teachers in Singapore, from an early stage of the design process so that their needs and ideas could be reflected in the final design. Finally, we turned the ideas gathered from the participatory workshops into a concrete design of an online environment for a teacher community. In the design process for this environment, particular attention was given to Web 2.0 technology solutions, which emphasise participation from community members as a key element. In conclusion, we discuss issues and challenges faced in this process, and implications for future research into online professional development actvities.