Urban Media Literacy

My goal is to begin teaching students the basic lessons that help them to become Media Literate at much younger ages. My experiences teaching  middle school and high school in Philadelphia taught me that when given proper information and motivation students usually make good decisions regarding their education and ,just as importantly, in the real world.  My prior to teaching experience involved selling a variety of tangible and intangible products. Solving many test  problems involves understanding intangible concepts, thus the need for strong comprehension skills.

   Many  students have unconsciously  been given via various media constructs the message that  seeking knowledge is not essential to improving their lives. Being "media illiterate"  can lead to  fatally bad decisions for a child born into poverty. Education is still the best path out of poverty. I offer programming, workshops, and design curriculum tailored to urban learners.  I have had success improving ELA  and literacy skills of learners from 7-12 th grades and adult learners. I work with learners , educators, and practitioners.

     More teachers need to engage students in media literacy based lesson — the ability to access, evaluate, analyze and produce both electronic and print media Media literacy education can help students build critical thinking and analytic skills, become more discriminating in the use of mass media, distinguish between reality and fantasy, and consider whether media values are their values. Due to the pressure to improve standardized test scores and lack of a national media literacy curriculum most teachers do not incorporate these important skills into their lessons

One of the tools Urban Media Literacy came up with is the Comprehension 10 Pack. an online course designed to build literacy and comprehension skills.

Why a 10 Pack? 10 can be "The Magic Number ". A 10% increase  in skillsis easily doable. A 10% increase in comprehension skills  may mean a 10% increase in standardized test scores may equal a 10%increase in grades in regular courses.  10% can be a life changer. Example,   two students  are separated by 5 points .One has a grade of 75 and the other  a grade of 80. Obviously the learner with the 80 should have a  better chance of getting into the next level educational or training program if both apply. What if the student with the 75 grade had a 10% increase in grades.  75 + 10%increase (7.5) =82. 10%can be a life changer .

The Comprehension 10 Pack is a series of exercises in an online course that helps learner sharpen their comprehension skills.  As with all  exercising results may vary. The amount of improvement in comprehension can be very significant. We use the 10% example as a  minimum expected improvement for any learner who completes all 10 sections of the course. 

Urban Media Literacy wants to increase the opportunities for all families that want to use education as a tool towards a better life. A person's opportunity for success should never  be determined by the zip code they are  born into. This is why we offer this valuable course for less than the  cost of a pair of sneakers. $45 per learner.  Volume discounts available to  schools and  organizations .

Baba Bernard David Miller, 

CEO, Urban Media Literacy