Social and creative skills promoted with the collaborative design of digital storytelling in the classroom

This research analyses the contribution of CINEMA project, -promoted by the Asturian Regional Department of Education -, focused on the the collaborative design of digital storytelling (DST) and aimed at promoting social skills and creativity in schoolchildren (N=282). Thus, two dimensions have been assessed on the basis of 10 qualitative indicators, measured with a Likert scale: a) the social and creative skills activated by preschool and primary education children, after finishing the project, according to their teachers, and b) the creativity of the 14 stories, according to the opinion of experts. The results show a significant increase in social skills amongst primary education children, such as socializing with classmates and peer helping, especially in girls. Besides, mediation skills have been increased in preschool education. Regarding creativity development, DST has fostered the ability to identify and solve problems creatively amongst all the students and the creative integration of several languages. The most outstanding aspect in primary is the flexibility to adapt to new situations, and the girls significantly stand out in creative skills. In conclusion, this experience has been very rewarding, having contributed to the development of creative thinking and social skills and to promote the children’s motivation and digital literacy.