The RBG4Lif Mission

[RBG Street Scholar]

For those who are interested, any RBG Blog has a paypal link.

I hope u all find the images, video and audio to enhance the school ? It is RBG's way of tricking young people into reading. My hope is that we will start turning our young folx on to the school as an alternative to their being too frequently stuck on BET/ video stupid.That is why I lead with photos and videos and music.

THE MISSION: WE GET HIP-HOP HEADZ TO BEGIN TO THINK CRITICALLY ABOUT THEMSELVES.

We challenge students to assess and analyze hip hop culture and its effects (positive and negative) on them and their communities by asking them to contemplate some critical questions.
1) What do the lyrics of a particular song really mean?
2) Who controls hip hop in terms of how rap artists is selected; what rap music is produced; how and to whom it is marketed?
3) What is the role of commercial radio in making rap music hits and who benefits financially from our imagination, creativity and intellect?
4) What personal and community values, principles and ideals does a particular rap song promote?
5) How do we neutralize the expolitation of our creativity by corporate executives/rich white men who largely direct the course of mainstream rap / hip-hop culture?
6) Are too many of our youth using the messages and images of so called gangsta rap and rap music videos to develop both their personal and public identities?

RBG4Lif

[josteele]

Those are some great opening questions!!!

[RBG Street Scholar]

Originally Posted by josteele

Those are some great opening questions!!!

Thank you young man. The way it works online is like this. When you go to any of the Zines there is a Table of Content to the left. U can acess videos from there. Or u can open videos on the start page or on top of articles/group blogs from the right side related video pane. Everything RBG has loaded is "positive" , but when u start a video and mouse over the screen it will give u "related vids "according to You "white" Tube. I will try to screen shot the full evaluation instrument for your persual. The RBG offline video data base is 500 strong. Here's a sample.

[RBG Street Scholar]

The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates.
The great teacher inspires.

RBG SSTT FORMAL METHODS, FORMATIVE AND SUMMATIVE ASSESSMENTS

ACTIVITIES:
WRITE A FEATURE ARTICLE FOR RBG STREET SCHOLARS THINK TANK SUITABLE FOR PUBLICATION IN OUR SCHOOL AND RBG WIKIZINES ON THE STRUGGLES AFRICANS IN AMERICANS FACE TODAY AND IN TIMES PAST AS WE CONTINUE TO FIGHT FOR COMPETE FOR FREEDOM, JUSTICE AND EQUALITY IN AMERICA.

CONSIDERATIONS MIGHT INCLUDE:
WHEN WERE WE FIRST DEEMED LEGALLY FREE? AND ARE WE IN FACT FREE? WHAT IS FREEDOM ANYWAY?
WAS THIS WELCOME BY WHITES AND WHY? WAS THIS WELCOME BY BLACKS AND WHY?
WHAT WERE POST-EMANCIPATION CONDITIONS LIKE? WHAT DIFFICULTIES DID WE FACE? PROVIDE A THOUGHTFUL EXAMINATION OF OUR CURRENT SITUATION IN COMPARISOM.
WHY ARE THE MASS OF BLACKS STILL LIVING IN POVERTY AND IGNORANCE AND SUFFERING FROM DISPROPORTIONATE AMOUNTS OF DEATH AND DISEASE?
DO MORE AFRICAN AMERICANS PLAY BASKETBALL AND FOOTBALL AND SING AND DANCE , GET INTO ACTING AND BECOME MODERN DAY AMOS AND ANDYS’ FOR INDIVIDUAL GAIN (AS THE WHITE MAN HAS HISTORICALLY USE US THIS WAY) OR ARE THEY DOING IT BECAUSE THESE ARE GOD GIVEN SKILLS AND THE ONLY WAY THEY SEE TO DULL THE IMPACT OF AMERICAN OPPRESSION ? OR MIGHT THERE BE OTHER REASONS?
WHY ARE THERE SO FEW BLACK OWNERS OR MANAGERS OF PROFESSIONAL BUSINESSES THAT ARE COMMITTED TO THE SOCIAL, POLITICAL, ECONOMIC AND/OR EDUCATIONAL ADVANCEMENT OF THE MASSES BLACK FOLK? GIVE YOUR OWN OPINION AS WELL AS DOCUMENTED FACTS.
BASED ON THE HISTORY, CAN WE BE ASSIMILATIONIST AND ACHIEVE BLACK POWER/WEALTH EQUITY IN AMERICA?

OBJECTIVES:
STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO STATE THEIR CONCERNS AND OPINIONS ABOUT BOTH THE PAST AND PRESENT STATUS OF AFRICANS IN AMERICA. USING THEIR RESEARCH FINDINGS BASED ON STUDYING OUT OF THE CURRICULUMS ASSETS, AS WELL AS THEIR OPINIONS, STUDENTS WILL BE ABLE TO WRITE A FEATURE ARTICLE FOR OUR COLLEGE THAT EXAMINES THE STATUS OF OUR PLIGHT AND STRUGGLES.

ONLINE CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT:
TYPICALLY WE POST A CLASS ASSIGNMENT ON A SUNDAY EVENING, ALONG WITH READING FROM THE CURRICULUM AND A “LECTURE” FOR STUDENTS TO RESPOND TO. AS THE WEEK PROGRESSES, VARIOUS STUDENTS LOG ON TO THE SYSTEM, DOWNLOAD THE MATERIAL AND ADD RESPONSES TO THE TEACHER’S QUESTIONS AND COMMENTS AND CONVERSE WITH OTHER STUDENTS. ALTHOUGH BEING AN ONLINE STUDENT REQUIRES MORE THAN AVERAGE STUDENT RESPONSIBILITY; YOU ALSO GET MORE ACCESS TO TEACHERS AND CLASSMATES THAN THE TRADITIONAL STUDENT BY HAVING ACCESS TO E-MAIL, MESSAGE BOARDS AND CYBER DISCUSSION FORUMS, AS WELL AS A MORE DEMOCRATIC/SELF-PACED “EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCE.” STUDENTS CAN RESPOND TO QUESTIONS AND DISCUSSIONS AS FULLY AS THEY WANT, NOT PRESSURED BY THE TIME CONSTRAINTS THEY’D FACE AT A TRADITIONAL COLLEGE. RBG STREET SCHOLARS THINK TANK TAKES PRIDE IN BLURRING THE LINE BETWEEN URBAN YOUTH IN THE COMMUNITY AND THOSE IN TRADITIONAL COLLEGES. WE TAKE PRIDE IN EDUCATING STUDENTS FROM DIVERSE BACKGROUNDS AND OUR ADVANTAGE OF MAINTAINING SMALLER CLASSES THAN CAMPUS-BASED SCHOOLS.


ASSESSMENT/EVALUATION
AN APPROPRIATE FEATURE ARTICLE; WELL THOUGHT-OUT AND BASED ON THE CURRICULUM’S MUSIC, VIDEOS, PHOTO-STORIES, TEXT AND LINKS WILL:
INCLUDE A RELEVANT MIX OF FACTS AND OPINIONS (INCLUDING THE STUDENT’S OWN) CONCERNING AFRICAN AMERICANS’ STRUGGLES TO COMPETE FOR FREEDOM, JUSTICE, EQUALITY, LIFE, LIBERTY AND THE PURSUIT OF HAPPINESS IN PRESENT DAY AMERICA

FOLLOW THE FORMAT, DESIGN PRINCIPLES, AND STYLE OF FEATURE ARTICLES IN OUR CURRICULUM.

REFLECT THE CRITERIA FOR A WELL-WRITTEN AND CAREFULLY EDITED FEATURE ARTICLE

THE SUCCESSFUL STUDENT:

THERE ARE FOUR ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS TO BE A SUCCESSFUL STUDENT IN RBG STREET SCHOLARS THINK TANK CORE CURRICULUM

FIRST, ALL STUDENTS SHOULD PARTICIPATE REGULARLY IN THE ONLINE DISCUSSION FORUM MEETINGS. ATTENDANCE WILL NOT BE TAKEN, BUT FAILURE TO ATTEND REGULARLY MAY RESULT IN A LACK OF PREPARATION FOR THE FINAL EXAMINATION. THE DISCUSSION FORUMS ARE AN EXTREMELY IMPORTANT ASPECT OF THE CORE CURRICULUM, BECAUSE STUDENTS HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY HERE TO SURE UP THEIR OVERSTANDING OF SELF DIRECTED LEARNING AND EXCHANGE PERSPECTIVES AND EXPLORE ISSUES WITH PEERS AND ELDERS IN GREATER DETAIL. YOUR ATTENDANCE AND PARTICIPATION IN THE DISCUSSION FORUMS SECTION, YOUR ABILITY TO ANSWER QUESTIONS DISTRIBUTED AND TO INITIATE DIALOGUE BASED ON THE REQUIRED READINGS WILL ENRICH YOU EDUCATION TREMENDOUSLY

SECOND, AT EACH DISCUSSION FORUM, ONE OR MORE STUDENTS WILL BE RESPONSIBLE FOR LEADING THE SECTION IN A GENERAL DISCUSSION ABOUT THAT WEEK'S READINGS. THEY WILL PRESENT THE KEY IDEAS WITHIN THE ASSIGNED READINGS, MAKING CONNECTIONS WITH INFORMATION FROM PREVIOUS READINGS AND CORE LEARNING OBJECTS. EACH STUDENT'S INITIAL PRESENTATION SHOULD BE ABOUT 10 MINUTES IN LENGTH, AND ACCOMPANIED BY A ONE OR TWO PAGE OUTLINE OR SHORT PAPER. IF MORE THAN ONE STUDENT IS ASSIGNED TO A PARTICULAR WEEK, THEY SHOULD MEET VIA E-MAIL AND OR INSTANT MESSENGER PRIOR FORUMS TO DETERMINE WHICH TOPICS OR READINGS EACH INDIVIDUAL WILL PRESENT.


THIRD, STUDENTS MUST SUBMIT A PAPER ON ISSUES THAT ARE RELEVANT TO THE SUBJECTS/ TOPICS ADDRESSED IN THE CORE CURRICULUM. STUDENTS MAY CHOOSE TO UTILIZE INFORMATION CITED FROM REQUIRED TEXTS AND REFERENCE RESOURCES. ADDITIONAL RESEARCH FROM OTHER LIBRARY SOURCES, SUCH AS DATA FROM ACADEMIC JOURNALS, NEWSPAPERS, REFERENCE WORKS, AND OTHER SCHOLARLY INFORMATION IS ALSO ENCOURAGED. FOOTNOTES ARE SUGGESTED, BUT NOT REQUIRED. HOWEVER, ALL PAPERS MUST HAVE A BIBLIOGRAPHY INDICATING ALL SOURCES USED FOR THE PREPARATION OF THE PAPER

FOURTH, ALL STUDENTS MUST TAKE THE FINAL EXAMINATION FOR THE COURSE. THE FINAL EXAM WILL BE COMPREHENSIVE; COVERING THE TOTALITY OF INFORMATION PRESENTED FROM READINGS, CURRICULUM LEARNING OBJECTS DISCUSSIONS, ETC., AND WILL CONSIST OF SHORT ESSAYS.

TEACHING TIPS
LEAD A CLASS DISCUSSION ABOUT THE PRESENCE OF AFRICAN AMERICAN POLITICS, EDUCATION, SOCIAL ACTIVISM, EDUCATION COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT, BUSINESS ETC., BOTH PAST AND PRESENT.

CONSIDER WHEN COLOR BARRIERS WERE BROKEN IN DIFFERENT ASPECTS OF AMERICAN LIFE FOR BLACKS AND WHICH ONES STILL EXIST.

EVALUATE THE RECENT SUCCESSES OF AFRICAN AMERICAN NEWCOMERS TO THE MONEY SCENEAND HOW THEY ARE HANDELING IT

ASSIST STUDENTS IN CRITIQUING THE MUSIC, VIDEOS, PHOTO STORIES POWERPOINTSHOWS AND ARTICLES IN THE CURRICULUM, PAYING ATTENTION TO FORMAT, DESIGN, AND WRITING STYLE. DISCUSS HOW GETTING INVOLVED WITH THESE ISSUES AND FACTORS CAN MAKE THE CONDITION FOR BLACK INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES, COMMUNITIES AND THE AFRIKAN AMERICAN NATION AND AFRIKAN RACE BETTER.

DISCUSS HOW SPECIAL LAYOUT FEATURES, SUCH AS SIDEBARS AND CHARTS AND GRAPHS FOR ORGANIZING MATERIAL, CAN HELP A WRITER ACHIEVE THE INTENDED PURPOSE OF THEIR FEATURE ARTICLE.

POINT OUT HOW GOOD ARTICLES MAKE CLEAR WHAT IS FACT AND WHAT IS THE WRITER’S OPINION AND PROVIDE OPPOSING ARGUMENTS AS WELL.

ALLOW CLASS TIME FOR SMALL GROUPS OF STUDENTS (2-3) TO ENGAGE IN PEER EVALUATION SESSIONS TO HELP EACH OTHER DISCUSS, REVISE, EDIT, AND PROOFREAD THEIR ARTICLES BEFORE FINAL DRAFTS ARE COMPOSED.