 Dale Cook Summit Professor RCET Director dcook@kent.edu 330-672-0611 Vita |
Dr. Cook joined the Kent State University faculty in 1978 after the completion of his Ed.D. in Educational Leadership from Western Michigan University as a Charles Stewart Mott Foundation Fellow. Over the past 34 years with the College, he has served as the Director of the Center for Community Education, faculty member in Education Administration and Associate Dean for Research, Outreach and Technology. Currently, he serves as the Summit Professor for Learning Technology, Professor of Educational Administration, and Director of the Research Center for Educational Technology in the College and Graduate School of Education, Health, and Human Services. Dr. Cook’s efforts involve implementing technology initiatives that impact teaching and learning at the university and preK-12 level. The Ameritech Electronic University School classroom (currently the AT&T Classroom), which began under his direction in 1998, continues today as a technology-rich classroom environment for preK-12 students, and a research laboratory for college faculty and graduate students. In 1999, The Research Center for Educational Technology (RCET) was founded under Dr. Cook’s leadership. RCET is a multi-faceted center that was established to provide support for researchers committed to studying the impact of technology on teaching and learning. Additional research interests include interagency collaboratives, political aspects of educational leadership, community engagement, and digital game based learning. |
 Richard FerdigRCET Research Professor rferdig@kent.edu 330-672-3317 Vita |
Richard E. Ferdig is the RCET Research Professor and Professor of Instructional Technology at Kent State University. He works within the Research Center for Educational Technology and also the School of Lifespan Development and Educational Sciences. He earned his PhD in educational psychology from Michigan State University. At Kent State University, his research, teaching, and service focus on combining cutting-edge technologies with current pedagogic theory to create innovative learning environments. His research interests include online education, educational games and simulations, and what he labels a deeper psychology of technology. In addition to publishing and presenting nationally and internationally, Ferdig has also been funded to study the impact of emerging technologies such as K-12 Virtual Schools. Rick is the editor of the International Journal of Gaming and Computer Mediated Simulations, the Associate Editor of the Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, and currently serves on the Development Editorial Board of ETRD and on the Review Panel of the British Journal of Educational Technology. |
 Mark van ‘t HooftEducational Researcher Technology Specialist mvanthoo@kent.edu 330-672-5996 Vita |
Mark van ‘t Hooft, Ph.D., conducts research and evaluations, provides occasional technical support in the AT&T Classroom, and is the Editor of the Journal of the Research Center for Educational Technology (RCETJ). He is a founding member and former chair of the Special Interest Group for Mobile Learning (SIGML) for the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). His current focus is on ubiquitous computing and the use of mobile technology in K-12 education, especially in the social studies. Prior to his work at RCET, Mark taught middle school and high school social studies and language arts. He holds a B.A. in American Studies from the Radboud Universiteit of Nijmegen, the Netherlands, and an M.A. in History from Texas State University. He received his doctoral degree with a dual major in Curriculum and Instruction, and Evaluation and Measurement from Kent State University in 2005. |
 Annette KratcoskiEducational Researcher akratcos@kent.edu 330-672-3371 Vita |
Prior to joining RCET in Fall 2000, Annette Kratcoski worked as a speech-language pathologist in clinical and school settings and also in special education and curriculum coordination in the public schools. She holds bachelors and masters degrees in special education and earned her Ph.D. from Kent State University in speech-language pathology and curriculum. As one of the researchers at RCET, Annette studies teachers’ and students’ use of technology in the AT&T Classroom. She is also part of RCET’s project team on the Thinking with Data project, a three-year grant funded by the National Science Foundation.
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 Frank SemanAdministrative Specialist fseman@kent.edu 330-672-9722 |
Frank Seman had 31 years of classroom and administrative experience with the Ravenna City Schools in Ohio when he accepted the position of Administrative Specialist in the AT&T Classroom at Kent State University. While he was principal at Brown Middle School in Ravenna, he gained the distinction of being one of the first administrators to participate with his teachers in the inaugural year of the high tech Classroom. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration and a Master’s in Education Administration from Kent State University. As Administrative Specialist, Mr. Seman has the responsibility of the day-to-day oversight and management of the Classroom. |
 Thomas McNealProject Director Digital Videoconferencing Collaboration tmcneal@kent.edu 330-672-9801 |
Thomas McNeal has worked with teachers and students for 24 years as a 5th grade teacher, educational in-service instructor for a PBS television station, and as a computer and applications instructor for an educational service center. He currently directs the Digital Videoconferencing Project that facilitates the connection of Internet video communication between the staff of Kent State University and K-20 educational institutions. Mr. McNeal holds a Bachelor of Science in Education and a Master’s in Instructional Technology from Kent State University. |
 Mary StithProgram Assistant mstith@kent.edu 330-672-5995 |
Mary Stith earned an A.A.S Business Administration/ Accounting from the State University of New York. She has worked for eight years at Kent State University, including 2 years of temporary assignments throughout the campus, and 6 years in Human Resources. She has also worked at Youngstown State University as a budget analyst and Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, as an administrative assistant in the student health services. Mary joined the RCET staff in Fall 2007. |
 Josiah (Zach) Nyangau Graduate Assistant jnyangau@kent.edu |
Josiah Nyangau earned his bachelors’ degree in Education from Kenyatta University in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2006. He taught Tourism Studies at Air Travel and Related Studies College in Nairobi before embarking on his M.A (Geography) at Ohio University in spring 2007. Josiah entered Kent State’s Higher Education Administration & Student Personnel program in 2009 and is currently working towards his doctorate. He joined the Research Center for Educational Technology team in fall 2009 and has been working as Dr. Cook’s graduate assistant. |
 Katie Schottke Graduate Assistant kschottk@kent.edu |
Katie received her B.S. in psychology and minor in education from the Ohio State University in June 2011. Upon graduation, she entered the School Psychology program at Kent State University, where she is currently working towards her Master of Education and Education Specialist degrees. She is working this year for the Research Center of Educational Technology as Dr. Ferdig’s graduate assistant. |