Last updated: May 2026. Original page published May 2016. Rebuilt with current tools and resources.
Digital storytelling gives language learners a structured reason to write, speak, and create — and the tools for doing it have expanded significantly since this page was first published. This page covers three areas: tools for creating digital stories and comics, sources of storytelling for listening and reading practice, and reading resources for EFL learners. For audiobooks and podcast-based listening, see the Audio Guide.
Contents
- Story and Book Creation Tools
- Comics and Visual Storytelling
- Video and Multimedia Storytelling
- Interactive and Branching Stories
- AI-Assisted Storytelling Tools
- Storytelling Podcasts
- Reading Resources
- Korea-Related Reading
1. Story and Book Creation Tools
Storybird — Students pair their writing with professionally illustrated art from a library of over 10,000 images, then publish as picture books, chapter books, or poetry collections. Removes the blank-page problem by letting the illustrations prompt the writing rather than the other way around. Used widely in EFL writing classes for its low barrier to entry and high-quality output. Free tier available; paid plans for classroom management features. Example: Seven Ways to Survive School
StoryJumper — Students write, illustrate, and publish their own books with props, scenes, and characters, then record audio narration directly in the browser. The recording feature makes it particularly useful for combined writing and speaking activities. Free to create; printed copies available for purchase. How-to video Example: Dumplings and Mandoo
Book Creator — Browser-based tool for creating multimedia books combining text, images, audio recordings, video, and drawing; students can collaborate in real-time and publish to a shared library. One of the most flexible and widely adopted digital storytelling tools in education at all levels. Free for one library of 40 books; paid plans from $12/month for unlimited books and more classroom features.
WriteReader — Students write and illustrate their own books with teacher or peer feedback embedded directly in the text; particularly designed to support emergent writers and lower-proficiency learners. Teachers can model, scaffold, and comment without leaving the platform. Free trial; paid plans from approximately $5/month per teacher.
MyStoryBook — Simple online storybook creator aimed at younger learners; drag-and-drop characters, backgrounds, and text. Lower capability than Book Creator or Storybird but very easy to use for beginners. Free. Example: My Five Senses
Storyline Online — Well-known picture books read aloud on video by actors; each book includes a printable activity guide. Useful for modeling read-aloud, building listening comprehension, and exposing learners to authentic storytelling performance. Free. Example: Enemy Pie
2. Comics and Visual Storytelling
Storyboard That — The most comprehensive storyboard and comic creation tool for education; pre-designed scenes, characters, and props make it fast to produce classroom-quality visual narratives. Used widely for summarizing stories, retelling events, illustrating vocabulary in context, and creating original comics. How-to screencasts: Screencast 1 Screencast 2 Examples: Curated Storyboards Literary Conflict Lesson Free tier available; paid plans from approximately $14.99/month.
Pixton — Comic creation platform with highly customizable avatars, backgrounds, and poses; students create characters that look like themselves and use them across multiple panels and scenes. Strong classroom management tools including teacher assignment and progress tracking. Recognized by the American Association of School Librarians as a top digital tool. Free trial; paid plans for full classroom use.
MakeBeliefs Comix — Simple browser-based comic strip maker requiring no account; students choose characters, add speech bubbles, and print or save. Low setup friction makes it useful for in-class activities with minimal preparation. Free.
Canva — While primarily a design tool, Canva’s comic strip, storyboard, and presentation templates make it a capable visual storytelling platform. Students can combine text, images, illustrations, and their own uploaded photos. Free tier is generous; Education plan is free for verified K-12 teachers.
Webtoons — The dominant platform for web comics (manhwa), particularly popular among Korean students; enormous library of free comics in English across every genre. Useful for independent reading of authentic visual narrative content. Good for motivating reluctant readers who already read manhwa in Korean. Free.
3. Video and Multimedia Storytelling
WeVideo — Cloud-based video creation platform designed for educational settings; students can record, edit, and publish short video stories from any device with access to a built-in media library of over 1 million stock videos, audio files, and images. Integrates with Google Classroom and LMS platforms. Free tier available; education plans from approximately $4/student/year.
Toontastic 3D — Google’s free storytelling app for iOS and Android; students draw, animate, and narrate their own cartoon stories using a simple arc structure (Setup, Conflict, Challenge, Climax, Resolution) that models narrative progression. Good for younger learners and for making the structure of storytelling explicit. Completely free, no ads, no in-app purchases.
Scratch — MIT’s free coding platform lets students create interactive animated stories, games, and presentations using visual block-based programming. More complex than other tools here but valuable for students interested in combining storytelling with computational thinking. Large community of shared projects to explore and remix. Free. Example: Browse story projects
Genially — Creates interactive, animated presentations and infographics where elements are clickable and layered; useful for building non-linear visual narratives and choose-your-own-adventure style stories. Free plan includes unlimited public projects; paid education plans from approximately $12.50/month add privacy and download features.
4. Interactive and Branching Stories
Twine — Free, open-source tool for creating interactive, non-linear text stories where the reader’s choices determine what happens next. No coding required for basic stories; more complex branching can be created with simple scripting. Excellent for advanced students writing choose-your-own-adventure narratives or for teachers building reading comprehension activities with decision points. Completely free, open-source. Try in browser
Inklewriter — Browser-based interactive story editor; simpler than Twine and better suited to students new to branching narrative. Stories are published as shareable links. Free.
ChooseYourStory — Community platform for reading and writing interactive stories; large archive of user-created stories across many genres. Useful for exposing students to the branching narrative form before asking them to create their own. Free.
5. AI-Assisted Storytelling Tools
AI tools have created a new category of storytelling support: they can help students overcome writer’s block, generate story starters, suggest plot directions, and produce illustrated stories from text prompts. Used carefully, they function as creative scaffolding. Used carelessly, they bypass the writing entirely. The distinction worth teaching is between using AI to start or unstick a story versus using it to write the story for you.
ChatGPT / Claude / Gemini — Any major LLM can generate story starters, suggest what happens next, provide feedback on student drafts, or help students develop characters and settings through dialogue. The most effective classroom use is as a writing partner, not a ghostwriter. Free tiers available on all three.
Ideogram / Leonardo AI — AI image generators that produce illustrations from text descriptions; students can use these to illustrate their own stories without drawing ability. Ideogram is particularly strong at including accurate text within images, useful for comic-style panels. Both have free tiers. Worth a brief discussion of copyright and AI-generated art before using in class.
Canva AI Image Generator — Built directly into Canva; students can generate illustrations while building their story layouts without switching between platforms. Included in the Canva free tier.
6. Storytelling Podcasts
These podcasts model excellent storytelling in English and work well as listening materials for upper-intermediate to advanced learners. Each entry links to a specific episode as a starting point.
NPR StoryCorps — Short (3-4 minute) unscripted conversations between two people about what matters most in their lives; each episode is a complete story with emotional resonance and clear, natural speech. Excellent for listening comprehension and discussion. New episodes weekly. Example: When Living Out of a Car, It’s Hard to Feel at Home
The Moth Podcast — True personal stories told live without notes; covers the full range of human experience with remarkable storytelling craft. Episodes vary in length (5-20 minutes) and difficulty. Particularly useful for modeling how spoken stories are structured and how speakers handle an audience. New episodes twice weekly. Example: Browse stories
This American Life — Long-form radio journalism and storytelling from WBEZ Chicago; each episode explores a theme through multiple acts combining narrative, reporting, and personal essay. Best for advanced learners. Full episode archive with transcripts available. Example: Switched at Birth
Death, Sex and Money (now on Slate) — Interview podcast covering the big topics people avoid in polite conversation: money, relationships, grief, parenthood. Honest, thoughtful, and naturally conversational. Good for advanced learners interested in contemporary American conversation about real life. Note: mature themes — not appropriate for all classroom contexts.
7. Reading Resources
Graded Readers and EFL-Specific Sources
English E-reader — Well-curated selection of graded readers across multiple levels including recent publications; browsable by level, genre, and word count. One of the best organized free graded reader libraries available. Free.
News in Levels — Current news stories rewritten and recorded at three difficulty levels; students can read the same story at a level matched to their proficiency. Good for comparing language complexity across levels. Free.
Breaking News English — News-based reading and listening lessons at seven levels with vocabulary, comprehension, and discussion activities; updated several times weekly. One of the most complete free CALL resources for reading instruction. Free.
Extensive Reading Foundation — The primary organization supporting extensive reading research and practice worldwide; resources for teachers on implementing ER programs, graded reader recommendations, and access to research. Free.
Free Book Sources
ManyBooks.net — Large collection of free ebooks across genres, downloadable in most e-reader formats. Good for students with e-readers or tablet devices. Free.
LibriVox — Volunteer-recorded audiobooks of public domain texts; the largest free collection of human-read audiobooks available. Quality varies by reader but many recordings are excellent. Free.
Children’s Library — Thousands of children’s books from around the world, sortable by age level and book type. Useful for extensive reading with younger learners or low-proficiency adults. Free.
Starfall — Phonics-based reading and language activities; one of the most reliable resources for very early readers and beginner English learners. Free core content; Plus subscription available.
High-Interest Reading for Students
Time for Kids — Simplified news articles from Time magazine with lesson materials and kid reporters; good for lower-intermediate readers who need accessible but authentic content. Free.
National Geographic Kids — Articles on animals, countries, science, and culture with print-friendly materials, videos, games, and photo activities. Good for students interested in the natural world. Free.
Webtoons — See Comics section above. Also functions as an independent reading source for students who are motivated by the manhwa format. Free.
CommonLit — Reading passages with comprehension questions, vocabulary support, and discussion prompts; covers fiction, nonfiction, poetry, and historical documents at multiple grade levels. Free for teachers and students with an account.
Newsela — News articles rewritten at five Lexile levels; teachers assign articles at specific levels and track comprehension quiz results. Requires an account. Free tier available; Pro plan adds more features.
Digital Libraries (Busan)
Busan English Digital Library — Free ebook and audiobook loans for Busan residents via OverDrive; requires a library card. Good source of current English-language titles for students in Busan.
8. Korea-Related Reading
For Korean university students, reading about topics they already care about is one of the most reliable routes into extensive reading in English. These sites provide authentic English-language content on Korean entertainment, culture, and current events.
Soompi — The longest-running English-language K-pop and K-drama news site; extensive celebrity coverage, interviews, and very active comment sections. A reliable source of high-interest reading material for students who follow Korean entertainment. Free.
Allkpop — Short news articles about K-pop, K-drama, and Korean celebrity culture in English; articles are brief and accessible for lower-intermediate readers. Large volume of daily content. Free.
Korea JoongAng Daily — English-language newspaper covering Korean politics, business, culture, and society; more substantive than entertainment-focused sites and appropriate for upper-intermediate to advanced learners. Free.
Korea Times — One of Korea’s oldest English-language newspapers; broad coverage of domestic and international news from a Korean perspective. Good for current events discussion. Free.
AI-assisted, human-edited. Links verified May 2026. Report a broken link.