Narrative techniques and digital storytelling laboratory for the development of emotional and cognitive skills in school Giusi Antonia Toto a , Pierpaolo Limone a a University of Foggia, Arpi street, Foggia, 71121, Italy Abstract Strengthened by Lambert, Atchley and Holler's international models of the construction of digital narratives, this article focuses attention on the contemporary evolution of the storytelling methodology in a digital key. The innovative teaching methodologies (for example IBL, PBL, etc.) have been experiencing digital evolution and experimentation, especially during the covid-19 pandemic in which schools have engaged in periods of distance-teaching. The use of stories on social media is now a very widespread communication practice among internet users. This narrative methodology is used in educational practice in various sectors of training not only to electrify disciplinary content but also to encourage emotional sharing and participation in the educational process. The purpose of the article is the design of an educational intervention aimed at teachers in the initial stages of a training path that aims to develop digital skills and a group atmosphere that will accompany the use of those skills in their subsequent training activities. The proposed experimental model not only collects the content to be followed during the educational intervention but also focuses attention on the use of digital technology (apps and software) to be integrated with the virtual platform for the concrete realization of digital storytelling 2.0. From a psychological point of view, it is interesting to monitor the processes of motivation, attention and participation in the didactic intervention. Keywords 1 Digital Storytelling, Narrative techniques, Cognitive skills, Teacher training, multimedia literacy 1. Introduction Digital storytelling is an evolution of the didactic and innovative methodologies of narratives and is a result of the digital revolution. Studies [1] have shown that this tool has a double presence: as a training tool for teachers and as a teaching tool in the classroom. Specifically, the digital and innovative teaching skills of teachers can be deepened through initial training courses (preservice) and narrative techniques, which are very valid tools according to the literature. The advent of the COVID-19 big bang has also accelerated the digital evolution of teaching tools in school practice, including storytelling. In particular, in the context of the classroom, multiple strategies have been used to improve students' digital skills through methodologies such as IBL and PBL. Digital literacy is also being promoted through the creation of digital stories [1]. Above all, teachers' digital skills are being developed in initial training courses within the discipline of information technologies (ICT). This involves the development of instrumental and content literacy for the use of digital media in the classroom. Digital storytelling is profoundly influencing cognitive and thought-forming processes; in fact, it elicits collaborations between users and influences the way information is searched for. During the COVID-19 pandemic, digital storytelling was widely used in distance learning to motivate students and capture their attention. Proccedings of the Third Symposium on Psychology-Based Technologies (PSYCHOBIT2021), October 4–5, 2021, Naples, Italy EMAIL: giusi.toto@unifg.it (A. 1); pierpaolo.limone@unifg.it (A. 2); ORCID: 0000-0001-5538-5858 (A. 1); 0000 0003 3852 4005 (A. 2); © 2021 Copyright for this paper by its authors. Use permitted under Creative Commons License Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0). CEUR Workshop Proceedings (CEUR-WS.org) CEUR Workshop Proceedings http://ceur-ws.org ISSN1613-0073