Description of Urban Media Literacy .I offer *Curriculum Design *Programming* Workshops tailored to increasing comprehension skills for urban learners

1. OUTLINE FOR
MEDIA LITERACY THROUGH VIDEO PROGRAMS
&
“URBAN LITERACY” WORKSHOPS

2. CEP’S MEDIA LITERACY GOALS
CEP’s ultimate goal is to improve our nation overall by helping to improve life in
the poorest communities. The best tool for this is education. As Confucius spoke
of thousands of years ago “Knowledge is the equalizer of poor men and kings”
CEP’s current mission is to help build stronger communities by assisting in the
development in giving children in "at-risk" areas a firm foundation in Media
Literacy at earlier stages in life. From the cradle to the grave these children are
bombarded by media messages. At what ages are they taught how to interpret
these messages? Adding more media literacy lessons to Core Curriculum lesson
plans can help build a foundation of media literacy in these students. This can
trigger a "trickle up" effect of benefits.
Such as
>>>Understanding the work that goes into producing visual content, thereby not
be deluded by the glamour and glitz of the finished product. I.e. many students
believe that music artists actually own everything that may be shown in their
videos.
>>>Becoming better educated consumers who understand not only the value of
their dollar but the social capital they possess
>>>Ignoring or properly assessing messages that have negative content. I.e.
Messages that devalue the need for education, promote violence, misogyny
and other self defeating behavior.
>>>Better educated students will contribute more to helping communities
thrive. Assisting students in becoming better equipped to understand the skills
and work ethic required for success in maintaining employment or continued
education produces members of communities that strengthen rather than drain
community resources.

3. WHAT IS MEDIA LITERACY?

 1. All media are constructions. This is arguably the
most important concept. The media do not simply
reflect external reality. Rather, they present carefully
crafted constructions that reflect many decisions
and are the result of many determining factors.
Media Literacy works towards deconstructing these
constructions ( taking them apart to show how they
are made).
 2. The media construct versions of reality. The media
are responsible for the majority of the observations
and experiences from which we build up our
personal understandings of the world and how it
works. Much of our view of reality is based on media
messages that have been preconstructed and have
attitudes, interpretations, and conclusions already
built in. Thus the media, to a great extent, give us
our sense of reality.

4. WHY MEDIA LITERACY IS CRUCIAL FOR ”AT-RISK”
STUDENTS
 Developing Media Literacy skills set are vital in getting “At-Risk” students to
take ownership of their educational careers.
 Many of these students’ educational decisions are influenced by media
generated messages that bombard them with images of opulence and
consumerism. Unfortunately, these students are poorly equipped to critically
analyze the constructs used to direct messages to them. Today's students
have grown up using computers and technology in almost every aspect of
their lives. They are true digital natives, never knowing a world without the
Internet and newest media forms such as Twitter, Facebook, Skype, Smart
Phones, etc. Incorporating more “Media Literacy” lessons into more
curriculums will help create an environment where educators can connect with
these students.
“Back in the day” learner Today’s early learner

5. SERVICES OFFERED
 -10,20, and 40 week Media literacy curriculums.
The course work is designed for grade ranges 6-
12th.
 - Media Literacy workshops. 60-90 minutes
workshops. For students, administrators, and
educators.
The workshops for students is designed to give
an over view of the power various media has on
influencing their decision making. How messages
are constructed and how to craft effective content
for outgoing media messages. The goal is to
teach students how to be assertive users of
media mediums instead of passive consumers.
 The workshops for adults are designed to show
the benefits of how becoming media literate aids
those they work with in all aspects of decision
making. Many decisions from budgeting money
to valuing education are influenced by messages
delivered overtly and subliminally to those who
do not understand how messages towards them
are designed.
 The curriculums use video production to teach
not only employable skills such as editing, story
boarding, engineering, and producing but are
designed to give the participants the skills to
effectively incorporate video and related
technologies into core curriculum assignments

6. THERE ARE MANY WAYS OF INCORPORATING MEDIA LITERACY IN CLASSROOM
LESSONS VIA VIDEO ….HERE ARE A FEW
 Math Classes-Have students visually give
math formulas
 Science-Visually document a process or
experiment
 History- Create short re-enactments of
textbook sections
 Social Studies- Create a video magazine
on current topics
 Other ideas- Have students tape relevant
terms and definitions
 Create video promos for classes, events
and things that highlight the school or
program
The overriding lesson is teaching
students how content is created,
which leads to their better
understanding of the content that is
presented to them for consumption

7. TARGET MARKETS
-Education stake holders
- Curriculum developers
-Program administrators
-"At-Risk" students and populations

8. DELIVERY OF SERVICES
CEP has a firm
relationship with the
Overbrook Arts Center at
61st + Lancaster and a
few other locations to do
workshops or teach
classes in the
Philadelphia area. As far
as working on site, We
will do paying projects
within a two hour travel
radius between
Harrisburg , NYC, and
Delaware.

9. DEVELOPING AN IMPORTANT SKILL SET
 Success in the work world is more than just gaining employment. Sustained success comes from
advancement. The goal of every business is also advancement. A manager in the corporate world is told
not think about getting rid of an employee before giving them every tool they needed to do their job
properly. The axiom used is “Do not send a man out to war without bullets” From the cradle to the grave
students are playing on the battle field of marketers and other media entities. Some of those use the
media delivering messages that insidiously devalue the biggest tool that the poor have to achieving
success-education. Media literacy is too important a tool to ignore. Building Media Literacy skills helps
students to:
 Become more discriminating in the use of mass media.
 Distinguish between reality and fantasy and separate fact from fiction.
 Think critically about media messages.
 Consider whether media values presented to them are their values.
 Better understanding of the value of education.
 Increasing overall comprehension levels will increase overall test scores.
 One learns best by teaching others. When students do their own research and produce their own media
messages they are much more likely to learn and remember ideas.
 Lack of creative arts classes. Due to ongoing cutbacks, many students in distressed school districts are
not receiving music and art classes on the scale that previous generations of students received. This
leads to less students who utilize creative outlets as a tool of anger management or conflict resolution.
 By integrating elements of media literacy into their instruction, parents and educators can make the
media more of an asset to education than an obstacle. Let’s utilize the mechanisms of the media as an
ally of education instead of allowing it to be an enemy of education. In her song “Everything is
Everything” Lauryn Hill speaks of the youth being put in positions to lose before the game gets started.
Let’s change that.