Tools for managing stories and questions

Stories are an accessible medium of communication, and interactive dialog, with an expert teacher is a time-proven method of tutoring and mentoring. A natural way to explore complex material is to ask questions and listen to answers: and answers can often take the form of stories. Given a collection of texts and a user who wants access to the knowledge contained there, how can the texts be analyzed and connected such that the knowledge is maximally available to the user? There are two things the user must be able to do: focus and browse. In order to facilitate a focused interaction the texts must be represented in a natural way. In order for the user to creatively browse, however, the texts must also be connected in a remindful way that allows users to follow tangents and change topics easily. The tools for creating these structures are essential to the success of the eventual teaching environment. The article focuses on the particular AI requirements for these tools, recent progress in achieving these requirements and lessons we have learned along the way