People

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 Ferdig
RCET 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.
Annette Kratcoski
Educational 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.
Thomas McNeal
Project 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.

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.