Researchers don’t spend enough time writing for practitioners; practitioners, therefore, don’t always have access to high quality research, according to Rick Ferdig, Ph.D., Summit Professor of Learning Technologies and professor in the School of Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum Studies.
Ferdig was part of a team of national editors who worked with the Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education (AACE) to release a new and free book titled, “What PreK–12 Teachers Should Know About Educational Technology in 2023: A Research-to-Practice Anthology.”
"I’m very proud that the book is out, and I’m excited to share that there is a lot of Kent State involvement from faculty and students," said Ferdig. "But I’m even more pleased to share that there were teacher authors, including our local schoolteachers."
The references Ferdig mentioned include faculty authors Karl Kosko, Enrico Gandolfi, Joanne Caniglia, Scott Courtney, Maryam Zolfaghari; student authors Grace Morris, Jacob Morella, and Kent State alumni Megan Brannon and Emily Baumgartner (also one of the editors).
The 45-chapter, 450+ page book asks researchers to briefly summarize and interpret important research into practical and observable implications for PreK-12 teachers. The book covers everything from artificial intelligence to social and emotional learning, and gaming to K-12 online and blended learning.
The book was released this summer with the goal of influencing professional development for teachers before or at the start of school.