Project information
| Status | Finalist |
| URL | Go to website |
| Category | Culture Heritage preservation and access |
| Country | Belgium |
| Operational areas | Urban, Rural |
| Target groups | Children, Youth |
| Fixed connection | DSL, IDSN, Cable |
| Wireless connection | WiFi, GSM, CDMA |
| Access points | Home, School, Library, Cafe |
| Interact | Landline Phone, Desktop Computer, Laptop |
| Software License Types | Proprietary |
Project location
Random images Challenge 2008
The Big Myth: A study of world creation mythology for children aged 7-14
- Brief description
- The Big Myth is a Flash-based learning website for the study of world creation mythology for students aged 12-14
- Vision, Objectives and Goals
The Big Myth presents 25 stories of creation from 25 different cultural perspectives. Through this project, students learn not only the basics of comparative religion study but also the ability to see the world from different perspectives. The ancient stories of the pre-christian world are made interesting and new again for the younger generation using the tools and delivery methods that appeal to them.
- How does ICT contribute to the organisational objectives
The internet makes The Big Myth widely accessible, so that there are students using this tool from around the world, from the far east, across Europe and the United States. For schools without boradband internet access the Big Myth is also available on CD-ROM. The myths and stories are told using Flash animation, which bring the stories to life in a colorful, vivid way, using audio to tell the stories and music to enhance them. The computer also allows students to carry out research projects based on this material, keeping several windows open. Since the educational methodoogy behind this tool is based on group work, it is necessary to allow students to have several sources of information available to them on an ongoing basis. There are already existing examples of collections of mythology in traditional media: richly illustrated books and audio tales. However, in the lead up to this project we found that a Flash animated means to tell these important stories was nowhere on the internet.
- Transferability
To re-create a project such as "The Big Myth", one would need two entities: a private internet design and development company to carry out the Flash work and an educational NGO which would be responsible for the content, research, curriculum development, teacher training and implementation.
- Project summary
- The Big Myth is the first learning website which combines cutting-edge Flash animation with cooperative learning techniques, and which is designed for direct use in the classroom. It is a collection of world creation myths that lends itself well for comparative study, classroom research and discussion. The Big Myth is available in English and Dutch and is free to use. The educational approach of The Big Myth is closely connected to the most recent developments in cooperative learning (especially Complex Instruction). Complex Instruction is a technique designed to balance and maximize a student's individual skills and strengths in a small group environment. Along with the animated creation story, students also have a number of resources to assist them with the exercises - basic information about each culture, a pantheon of the gods and pages of links to other websites. There is a chatroom, a discussion forum and a "write your own myth" page. The Big Myth celebrates our diversity, culture and histories, and is therefore an ideal tool for global education, intercultural and multicultural education. It will be presented at various educational and techNology conferences in Europe. The Big Myth was created by Distant Train, Amsterdam and the International Association for Intercultural Education. It was made possible with grants from Kennisnet, The Dutch Ministry of Education, Culture and Sciences and the European Union Socrates Fund.
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