Building narrative experiences for children through real time media manipulation

When we first started our user study in 1999 for the design of the POGO world, an information technology environment that should support the development of narrative competence in children, we were conscious that the development of educational technologies calls for new interaction design approaches to overcome the limitation of the current personal computer-based technologies. But, to better understand the limits and constraints of computer based technology mediating educational activities and to have some sound empirical evidence to share within the multidisciplinary design team we carried out a longitudinal study was in two European schools; one located in Siena, Italy the other in Brussels, Belgium. In this study, we observed and described more then 30 narrative activities, and we discovered that even though in one of the schools advanced digital technologies were available, and although there were several activities that included the use of computers, none of the narrative practices involving such equipments was among the most successful ones. Moreover, the teachers considered the possible introduction of computers in the successful activities a potential disruptive factor that prevent cooperation, and supported their claim with evidence drawn from their own experience (UniSi & UniLi, 1999). Thus one of the main challenges we faced in designing a new system for interactive story building was to envision a new form of interaction that encourages creativity and cooperation and that did not jeopardise successful pedagogical activities currently used in the schools. In the following we describe a general model of successful narrative activities we developed from the field study in the two schools. Next we present POGO tools in some detail in order to briefly illustrate how the proposed tools embody the concept of situated editing as a metaphor to mediate interaction between children and the POGO world. Finally we present a summary of the tests carried out in the schools with the last version of the POGO world prototype, which provide some empirical evidence of how POGO world does not jeopardize successful narrative practices, but empowers it.