Initiatives for media education and digital skills in schools have long been a priority in national (KMK, 2016, 2016; MIUR, 2015) and international agendas (European Commission, 2020). The UNESCO recognizes it as an integral part of ensuring quality education for all (Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development, 2017). However, research needs to examine further what constitutes viable resources, approaches and practices for education in the digital age. Digital storytelling has accrued significant interest over the last decade (Ohler, 2013; Robin, 2008; Yang & Wu, 2012). Proponents indicate benefits such as blending digital, oral and written literacies, enhanced potentials for engagement, reflection, deep learning and project-based learning across multiple subjects (Wu & Chen, 2020).

Nevertheless, according to a metareview conducted by Chang and Chu (2022, p. 2), little research has examined technology-enhanced digital storytelling. An emerging research field is concerned with interactive digital storytelling (Koenitz et al., 2015), where researchers explore how computational systems afford nonlinear storytelling and new kinds of aesthetic experiences. Yet, due to its different origin as a field, applications in education are still underresearched.

This research aims to investigate possible interventions for collaborative, guided storytelling that provide natural opportunities for media education with children aged 9-11. The research pursues the double goal of developing a design solution and theory-building by adopting the educational design research (EDR), or design-based research (DBR) approach. As an EDR project, the research starts from the stage of analysis and exploration and continues with design and construction, and evaluation and reflection. This paper focuses on the design and construction of an interactive storytelling tool.

With a focus on the specific research question "What design propositions can be drawn from what is known to design a learning arrangement for guided storytelling?", the research examines what technology-enhanced digital storytelling means in the context of media education in primary school. The development study aims at creating a tool that uses storytelling to generate curiosity and interest in complex topics, enables children to self-express and identify with their work, promotes ample digital literacy practices, encourages children to engage creatively with digital media and values the role and competence of teachers in curating and shaping the learning environment. The development study employs various methods including cooperative inquiry (Druin, 1999) with a small group of children, an extensive literature review of related work and design principles as well as conjecture mapping (Sandoval, 2014).

The resulting browser-based storytelling tool embodies several design principles developed in the previous research literature, such as cognitive load theory, universal design for learning, and constructionism. Conjecture mapping has been a crucial technique to specify underlying theoretical and design conjectures. Thus, this contribution resulted in a set of design-principles, grouped in the categories ’objects-to-think-with’, ’inclusive instructional design’, ’student agency’, ’interactivity’, ’curriculum guidance’, ’flexibility’ and ’community learning’. With the example of the designed tool and a preliminary analysis of observed child interactions during subsequent evaluation, this paper presents how these design principles have been enacted in a real-world application.

Broadband Commission for Sustainable Development. (2017). Working group on education: Digital skills for life and work New York, United Nations Educational, Scientific; Cultural Organization. https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000259013 Chang, C.-Y., & Chu, H.-C. (2022). Mapping digital storytelling in interactive learning environments Sustainability, 14(18), 11499. https://doi.org/10.3390/su141811499 Druin, A. (1999). Cooperative inquiry: Developing new technologies for children with children In Proceedings of the sigchi conference on human factors in computing systems. European Commission. (2020). Shaping europe’s digital future Publications Office. https://doi.org/doi/10.2759/091014 KMK. (2016). Bildung in der digitalen welt. strategie der kultusministerkonferenz https://www.kmk.org/themen/bildung-in-der-digitalen-welt/strategie-bildung-in-der-digitalen-welt.html Koenitz, H., Ferri, G., Haahr, M., Sezen, D., & Sezen, T. I. (2015). Interactive digital narrative: History, theory and practice Routledge. MIUR. (2015). Piano nazionale scuola digitale [[Accessed 2019-04-30]]. http://www.istruzione.it/scuola_digitale/allegati/Materiali/pnsd-layout-30.10-WEB.pdf Ohler, J. B. (2013). Digital storytelling in the classroom: New media pathways to literacy, learning, and creativity Corwin Press. Robin, B. R. (2008). Digital storytelling: A powerful technology tool for the 21st century classroom Theory into practice, 47(3), 220–228. Sandoval, W. (2014). Conjecture mapping: An approach to systematic educational design research Journal of the learning sciences, 23(1), 18–36. Wu, J., & Chen, D.-T. V. (2020). A systematic review of educational digital storytelling Computers & Education, 147, 103786. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.compedu.2019.103786 Yang, Y.-T. C., & Wu, W.-C. I. (2012). Digital storytelling for enhancing student academic achievement, critical thinking, and learning motivation: A year-long experimental study Computers & education, 59(2), 339–352.