When a teacher uploads a lesson plan, the Story Drifter uses search algorithms to create a first draft concept map with key themes and ideas about the lesson and pulls related content from the internet to be displayed in the story. To supplement the automated process, a teacher can manually upload other important information like images, video, articles, key dates and historical artifacts.

The teacher is then able to move and shift the content as she sees fit. If two images ought to share a connection, she can create a link between them in the story.

With the story in place the lesson can begin. The teacher is able to drift among the different arms of the story to follow the dynamic conversation in her classroom. If a piece of the story is missing she can add it on the fly by quickly searching for and adding relevant content.

Our prototype shows the Story Drifter as it is meant for groups on a large-scale touchscreen, and the software can be adapted for smaller groups with access to only small screens.

The Story Drifter was created in collaboration with John Finley and Clint Beharry, using Apple Motion, Prezi and Flash to create the illusion of a large-scale touchscreen interaction.