THE HIP HOP TUTORIAL™:
A TEACHER’S GUIDE & ONLINE COURSE
A project of Caravan for International Culture


Copyright © 2005

What It Is
The Hip Hop Tutorial Project (HHTP) is a two-part cultural, educational, and multimedia technology initiative that includes:

1.) A teacher’s guide /manual
2.) An online course

The HHTP is both content- and technology-driven and aims at a practical means for closing the "digital divide". It is a tool for those educators, artists, and youth interested in teaching and learning Hip-Hop. It uses cultural theory concepts, social science insights, and computer-mediated learning. The objective is to provide an immersive, interactive, multimedia instructional means for educating young people about Hip Hop Culture. It is designed to increase literacy skills by encouraging reading, studying, and informal research among K-12 age students.

Why Hip Hop
Hip Hop is a contemporary socio-cultural movement which incorporates, among other things, music, dance, visual art, performance, new media, oral tradition, values, and community activism., Historically, its origins took root in the South Bronx (New York city) in the late 1970’s among Black and Latino youth communities. Its audiences and markets are now global and, for the generations of young people who identify with its practices and ideologies, it has become a lifestyle.

Computer-Mediated Learning
Computer-mediated learning and text-based instructional tools, when combined, offer a unique method for reaching and teaching students who may be discouraged or bored by standard education. Such tools as synchronous discussions, one-to-one exchange, distance leaning, exchanges between multiple students across time and distance, and computer networking projects are among the real and potential models for communication. Fused with Hip Hop Culture, the social and cultural relevance and potency of these tools increases exponentially.