Storytelling in the Classroom - New Research
by Jilliane Yawney
Sunday, 16 March 2008

In this podcast, Jillian Yawney, a graduate student in Canada, discusses her recent research which documents how the use of storytelling in a classroom setting helps students work through the research process.

Jilliane Yawney was eighteen years old when she attended her first storytelling festival. She was so affected by the magic of the experience that within the next month she enrolled in private drama lessons and began her journey into the world of storytelling. Shortly after this, Jilliane received an Associates of Speech and Dramatic Arts and began teaching drama to her own students. Later she pursued a degree in drama from the University of Lethbridge. She has competed in festivals, told stories in libraries, in schools and in the community.

After using storytelling in the school system and witnessing its ability to captivate students, Jilliane was convinced that storytelling had an important role in classroom instruction. While pursuing a Master's of Library and Information Studies at the University of Alberta she received a research grant from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada. This grant enabled Jilliane to spend a year researching how storytelling can help students work their way through the research process.

Download this: iTales_Podcast_5_Jillian_Yawnee.mp3


The Art of Storytelling with Children Podcast Interview with iTales.com Founder
Saturday, 29 September 2007

From The Art of Storytelling with Children podcast, Brother Wolf interviews iTales.com Founder, Mary Margaret O'Connor. On his weekly podcast show, Professional Storyteller Eric Wolf (e.g., Brother Wolf) interviews someone about a different aspect of the art of storytelling with children. In this show, the focus is on the vision and plans for iTales.com. The site Founder talks about the emerging digital storytelling revolution, plans for iTales.com and recommended mp3 audio stories from the website.

Eric James Wolf was born three minutes after the taxi arrived at a New York City hospital on January 20th, 1970. He has attended numerous educational institutions, both public and private, graduating with a BA in Human Ecology from College of the Atlantic for which his senior project was storytelling. His experience has included an apprenticeship with a professional storyteller. He completed an M.S. in Environmental Education from Lesley University - sister school to Harvard.

Brother Wolf tells several genres of stories: modern fairytales, morality tales, peace stories, historical characterizations and personal tall tales. These stories all have one common theme to them - they teach children to have a magical, mystical and imaginative world view.

For more on Brother Wolf, or to subscribe to his weekly podcast, visit him at The Art of Storytelling with Children.

Download this: iTales_Podcast_4_Eric_Wolf.mp3


Denise Howell, Esq. Discusses Digital Distribution and other Legal Topics for Storytellers
Sunday, 17 June 2007

Denise Howell, Esq. is an appellate and intellectual property litigator, and a 1990 graduate of Boalt Hall. She enjoys broad industry recognition for her expertise on the intersection of emerging technologies and law. Denise has gained deep familiarity with several leading edge sectors of technology law, including the legal considerations surrounding online publishing and syndication, digital copyright, digital rights management, and Internet jurisdiction, as well as the nuances of Creative Commons and other generalized licensing strategies. Denise writes one of the original law-related weblogs, Bag and Baggage and is a ZDNet blogger. She hosts two podcasts: this WEEK in LAW and Sound Policy. Denise is also an Advisory Board Member for Lisensa, a provider of copyright transaction solutions for user-generated content.

Links of interest mentioned in our interview with Denise Howell:

Steve Jobs' Essay on DRM
Lisensa
Giving It Away by Corey Doctorow
Stop Worrying About Copyrights by Corey Doctorow

Download this: iTales_Podcast_3_Denise_Howell.mp3


iTales.com Founder interviews Todd Harvey, Folklife Specialist at the Library of Congress
Wed, 30 May 2007

iTales.com is a new user-generated storytelling community where users can either listen to or share stories.

Todd Harvey is a Folklife Specialist at the American Folklife Center, Library of Congress and curator of the Alan Lomax Collection. Todd also curates the Folklife Center's Pete and Toshi Seeger Film Collection and the International Storytelling Collection. Previously, Todd's research interest in the 1960's folk revival led to a post-doctoral fellowship at the Smithsonian Institution's Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage and the publication of the book, The Formative Dylan. The book examines the lyric and melodic roots of seventy songs from Bob Dylan's early repertoire. Todd holds a library science degree (MSLS) from the Catholic University of America as well as degrees in music composition (MM, DMA) from Ohio State University.

Download this: iTales_Podcast_2_Todd_Harvey.mp3


iTales.com Beta Launch
Wed, 30 May 2007

iTales.com Founder, Mary Margaret O'Connor, discusses the vision and basic site rules for this new user-generated storytelling community.

iTales was launched in 2007 and has stories for every interest and age group. Stories are in mp3 audio format and can be downloaded to any mp3 player. Story prices start as low as 49 cents per download.

Download this: iTales_Podcast_1_Founder.mp3