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"Jack Whitehead's Living Theory and Jean McNiff's Action Research approaches In generating a living educational theory [http://www.actionresearch.net Living Theories; Whitehead, 1989), most recently explained in Whitehead and McNiff (2006), individuals generate explanations of their educational influences in their own learning, in the learning of others and in the learning of social formations. They generate the explanations from experiencing themselves as living contradictions in enquiries of the kind, 'How do I improve what I am doing?' They use action reflection cycles of expressing concerns, (saying why you are concerned in relation to values), imagining possibilities in developing action plans, acting and gathering data, evaluating the influences of action, modifying concerns, ideas and action in the light of the evaluations. The explanations include life-affirming, energy-flowing values as explanatory principles."

Mark Dohn. He is an EMDT student currently in Month 5 and one of our ADEs. Mark is involved with an organization called impossible2Possible (i2P), which works to inspire today's youth in becoming leaders in both social and environmental action. On October 20th, he will be leaving for the Amazon jungle and will be returning on November 1st. During this time, Mark will have access to video, photos, authentic jungle sounds, and a satellite dish, which can record and transmit information directly to the Internet. Below is a brief description of the trip he will be going on and a link to the i2P site. In October 2010, four i2P Youth Ambassadors will join Ray Zahab, along with fellow i2P ambassadors and adventurers, in this incredible journey through the Tapajos National Forest. Youth ambassadors will trek for up to 8 days - and nearly 200kms - through incredibly dense jungle, swamps and oppressive humidity in a quest to study and learn about the culture and biodiversity of the region. For more information including a ten minute CNN interview with the founders of i2P, you can visit the site here: http://impossible2possible.com/i2p . This is an incredible opportunity for us to connect with i2P and experience how they are implementing technology, experiential learning and a global community to "educate, inspire, and empower" students. The question is, how can we leverage this trip to benefit both Mark and EMDT. Please bring your ideas to the brainstorming session on Thursday, September 22nd from 6:30-7:30 EST in the PD Wimba room. Hope to see everyone there! Thank you in advance, Rena

" The Open World Program enables emerging leaders from Russia and other Eurasian countries to experience American democracy and civil society in action. It is the first and only exchange program in the U.S. legislative branch. Congress established the program in 1999 following discussions among Librarian of Congress James H. Billington and members of Congress led by Senator Ted Stevens (AK) on ways to increase U.S.-Russian understanding and to expose Russian leaders to American democratic and economic institutions. Open World has introduced more than 12,000 current and future Russian decision makers to American political and civic life, and to their American counterparts. Open World delegates range from first-time mayors to veteran journalists, from nonprofit directors to small-business advocates, and from political activists to high-court judges. Each U.S. visit focuses on a set theme that relates to the delegates' professional or civic work, exposing them to ideas and practices they can adapt to their own situations. Typical activities include watching jury selection, sitting in on newspaper editorial meetings, and observing political candidates on the campaign trail. Most participants stay in private homes. Open World is managed by the Open World Leadership Center, an independent legislative branch entity headquartered at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C. "

Maintaining student engagement within large lecture environments has never been an easy proposition. This 6-month study analyzed student surveys and test scores taken before and after the implementation of a variety of digital technologies designed to increase engagement and retention in lecture settings. While student responses indicated an appreciation for the inclusion of multimedia within daily lessons, this study found no statistical evidence that such resources increase student achievement. A review of the literature suggests that the lack of observable gains in student grades after implementation could be related to an uncoordinated deployment of said technologies. The author intends to repeat this analysis in the coming school year with a more considered deployment of multimedia and Internet based resources.

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