While more educators and parents are turning toward computer technologies to support learning activities for their students and children, few of these new technologies support collaborative learning experiences. KidStory addresses this by proposing to build systems that support collaborative learning which itself may underpin the development of storytelling and visualisation skills along with the development of multiple forms of literacy. We believe that new learning experiences need to be developed that are supported with technologies that are as inherently collaborative as a box of crayons or a pile of blocks. Thus, the KidStory approach is composed of the following:

KidStory works with children, educators, and researchers from various disciplines in the development process by building an interdisciplinary, intergenerational, international design team.

KidStory develops technologies, extending currently available techniques to support inherently social learning experiences while concurrently exploring novel approaches that can be used in the learning environments of tomorrow.

KidStory assesses the impact of these new technologies in how they promote change in learning outcomes and how these new technologies change teaching practices and classroom structures.

The research process not only includes technology design, development, and testing but also classroom integration and support. Applications will be built and installed in locations where they can be used by children within their context. We believe it is essential that practical educators and the children themselves collaborate in the design process as much as computer scientists and educational researchers. The iterative design process is composed of three key elements: contextual inquiry, technology immersion, and participatory design.

KidStory involves three phases of technological development, each of which extends the interface further away from traditional computer hardware towards more kid-friendly and inherently collaborative forms of interaction. The three technologies are: the shared spatial desktop computer, where multiple input devices enable new forms of sharing; shared storytelling objects, where both physical and virtual objects can be manipulated as part of storytelling; and shared augmented spaces, where movement and gesture within physical space forms the basis of interaction with such objects.

Evaluation methods including surveys, observational instruments, and portfolio coding, will offer a rich archive of change over time. In addition, these assessment methods will offer snapshots of information useful in the on-going technology development efforts.

KidStory combines recognised talent with proven task records in Computer Science, Education, Psychology and in developing technologies through iterative participatory design processes. The partners are The University of Nottingham (UK), The Royal Institute of technology (Sweden) and The Swedish Institute of Computer Science (Sweden). KidStory also involves researchers from the University of Maryland (USA).