‘Stories on the Hill’ uses app to tell tales

In the Year of the Wisconsin Idea, a two-part event at historic University of Wisconsin–Madison locations will meld the storytelling traditions of the past with new ways of telling tales.

“The Wisconsin Idea and Stories on the Hill,” held on Thursday, Oct. 13, uses a location-specific iPhone application to interact with past and present storytellers of UW–Madison. Using the ARIS app (Augmented Reality and Interactive Storytelling), developed by the Division of Information Technology’s Academic Technology division, Bascom Hill and nearby Muir Knoll set the stage for an afternoon of interactive fun. The event is part of the campus Learning Through Story group, founded by Cheryl Diermyer of Academic Technology.

The event draws on Muir Knoll’s history as “Storyteller’s Hill,” originally a gathering place for summer folklore meetings led by archaeologist Charles E. Brown nearly 100 years ago. Last summer, the tradition continued with a class on “Storytelling and the Oral Tradition.” The newly dedicated Storyteller’s Circle at Muir Knoll honors Robert E. Gard, a former faculty member known as a great storyteller who authored several books on Wisconsin life and culture.

“It’s a little parcel of land that embodies the Wisconsin Idea, and the Wisconsin Idea was his total passion,” says Maryo Gard Ewell, Gard’s daughter and one of the live storytellers for Thursday’s event, in a 2009 news release heralding the area’s restoration. “On that hill is a marriage of the visual soul of the university, conversation, inquiry, the pursuit of ideas and the Wisconsin landscape.”

Thursday’s activities begin with a 45-minute tour game at 3:30 p.m., meeting in front of the Education Building at 1000 Bascom Mall. Assistance with the ARIS app is available at 3 p.m. Participants will interact with the virtual storytellers in the game, including John Muir, Robert Gard and Aaron Bird Bear. The interaction provides virtual artifacts that link participants to additional story resources, such as e-books and audio recordings.

At 4:30 p.m., the event continues with Stories on the Hill at the Storyteller’s Circle, overlooking Lake Mendota behind Helen C. White Hall. In addition to Maryo Gard Ewell, live storytellers include Reid Miller, a local favorite for his children’s performances; Jim Winship, professor of social work at UW-Whitewater and a professional storyteller; and Aaron Bird Bear, academic adviser in the School of Education, whose campus walking tours incorporate Native American parallels.

“Storytelling is a natural tie-in for ARIS, so it was just a matter of finding a specific topic,” says David McHugh, one of the organizers and a Learning Through Story coordinator. “I was impressed with the open source nature and flexibility of the tool, and its potential for place-based interactive learning. So naturally, I wanted to get more involved.”

The event itself celebrates interdisciplinary collaboration. Diermyer, senior learning technology consultant in Academic Technology, founded the Learning Through Story group to discuss aspects of storytelling and narrative as it relates to teaching, learning, and research. Other colleagues in Academic Technology have used ARIS in a variety of settings, including a recent game created for the Wisconsin Science Festival.

“The Wisconsin Idea and Stories on the Hill” is free and open to the public; it is not necessary to attend both activities. Dress for the weather and bring an iPhone. Seating for Stories on the Hill may be limited, so participants should consider bringing a blanket to sit on. In case of inclement weather, Stories on the Hill will take place in Room 198 of the Education Building.