Bear Abouts: Sharing Stories across the Physical and Digital

Abstract

We have developed an interactive storytelling platform for mobile devices that encourages children to engage in story creation across both digital and physical spaces. In our pilot study we have found that when using Bear Abouts, children engage in open-ended creative activity with tablet devices, and they also retell and re-frame narratives with each other. The platform does not use external electronics hardware, and has the potential to be a low-cost option for tangible interactions. This paper provides context for the demo of the Bear Abouts platform.