The Open Innovation Paradigm: Can Digital Storytelling Generate Value for the Educational Field?

Introduction

The experience of learning is the opposite of fun for many children around the world, but new technologies and the so-called web 2.0/3.0 have turned learning into an imaginative, creative and pleasurable activity. Nowadays one has to take into account that receivers tend to be more active and creative, thus the border between production and reception is blurred, leading to an overlapping between the roles of the producers and receivers. The emergence of technologies such as the internet and its interactivity are not unknown phenomena; and concepts like convergence and networks are the main players in the construction of a new communication paradigm in different industries. In the last decade there has been an impressive take off of social computing, from blogging to social networking and social tagging. Researchers have pointed out that digital technologies have transformed learning patterns, coping with the different learning styles of the younger generation made up of the digital natives (McLester, 2007). All these fast growing and fast evolving digital experiences have radically transformed the traditional approach, and have traced the route for a new communication paradigm in (media) education. Digital natives are continuously connected with their peers and “always on” (Olbinger & Olbinger, 2005; Pedrò, 2006), thus their learning styles are affected by ubiquity, accessibility and ease of use of resources.

Educational agencies are at the crossroads of a number of innovative trends characterized by the use of the internet in the classroom and at home. Tools such as e-books, e-learning software, e-libraries, and Wikipedia are dramatically changing the traditional approach. Studying the evolution of the child’s literacy in digital environment since the early ages is the core of a fast growing scientific literature. When adults adopt sound teaching methodologies, children can benefit from the availability of digital tools as they expand the opportunities for learning by visual, interactive, and narrative supports unforeseeable a few years ago.

The aim of this chapter is to shed a light on an emerging educational and business paradigm, stemming from the digital revolution and the opportunities disclosed by Open Innovation. The chapter is organized as follows. In the first session the authors present the Open Innovation paradigm that lies at the foundation of the emerging educational and business paradigm presented in the following sessions. The second session focuses on the evolution of media and media education, emphasizing the effects at educational level of the transition from traditional to social and semantic media. Based on the identification of the four educational challenges, the third session shapes and describes the framework of intervention and analysis: the Value Generating Framework, that leverages the opportunities disclosed by the Open Innovation paradigm through a “wise” application of digital storytelling. The fourth session focuses on the alliance between the Zoo “Parco Natura Viva” and “Radio Magica”, a non profit organization devoted to children education. Finally, the last session discusses the benefits of the application of the Open Innovation paradigm both in profit and non-profit contexts, pointing out how the digital revolution can create avenues for new strategies and solutions in the formal and informal educational realms.