Collective digital storytelling at school as a whole-class interaction

There is a growing interest in the use of cooperative technologies for education. In formal education, however, such an introduction is more difficult than it may look at first sight. There are few successful cases of implementation of cooperative technologies in schools, with proper integration in the curriculum. This paper draws on empirical data from a large-scale project based in Italy, involving the development of digital narratives by school children, as part of their curricular activities. The project is in its fourth year of implementation, and it involved hundreds of classes (and thousands of pupils) every year. The paper examines several different aspects and benefits related to the implementation of digital storytelling at school, focusing upon two specific issues: 1) How digital storytelling can become "collective", i.e. involving the whole class, rather than individuals or small groups; 2) How digital storytelling can be integrated within the regular curricular activities at school, generating substantial learning benefits.