Description of the Freedom to Choose interactive

Grooverboy introduces this interactive by inviting players to join him in getting creative with the flag and making some noise!

This is a drag and drop interactive. Onscreen is the title 'Freedom to Choose' and an image of the Australian flag without the union jack or stars, which are located in a pile next to the flag. The user is invited to drag and drop the union jack and stars to their correct position on the flag. If an object is dropped incorrectly it moves back to its original position. When dropped correctly, a snippet of the national anthem plays. When the flag is complete the user is invited to click the union jack and stars in the right order to play the national anthem. Alternatively, the user may click the 'Play All' button which plays the anthem automatically, highlighting the stars and union jack as it goes. A 'Hint' button is available to assist the user by numbering the flag objects in the correct order. The game can be replayed by clicking on the 'Reset' button.

Each of the flag elements (stars and union jack) is associated with a sentence about democracy. The statements can be accessed one by one as the interactive is played or altogether on one screen by clicking the 'Show all Text' button.

The statements about democracy are:

• The meaning of the word 'democracy' is 'rule by the people'.
• Abraham Lincoln said democracy is 'government of the people, by the people, for the people'.
• Democracy is founded on a belief in social equality: that every person should have an equal say in choosing the government of a community or country. The Collins Australian Dictionary of Political Terms.
• Democracy is [also] founded on the assumption that the people have the will to govern themselves, that they will be interested and well-informed and will cherish their rights and freedoms. The Collins Australian Dictionary of Political Terms.
• Democracy is the form of government in which the free are rulers. Aristotle, Politics.
• Democracy is a charming form of government, full of variety and disorder, and dispensing a sort of equality to equals and unequals alike. Plato, The Republic.
• Two cheers for democracy: one because it admits variety and two because it permits criticism. E M Forster, Two cheers for democracy 1951.
• The first great benefit of democracy is the right to oppose. Professor Kenneth Minogue.

Go to: Freedom to Choose Teachers' Notes

NOTE:
To view this interactive: download the latest Flash Plug-in