The RCET Team

Rick Ferdig

Richard E. Ferdig, Ph.D., is the Summit Professor of Learning Technologies and Professor of Educational Technology at Kent State University. He works within the Research Center for Educational Technology and also the School of Teaching, Learning, and Curriculum Studies. He earned his Ph.D. in Educational Psychology from Michigan State University. He has served as researcher and instructor at Michigan State University, the University of Florida, the Wyzsza Szkola Pedagogiczna (Krakow, Poland), and the Università degli studi di Modena e Reggio Emilia (Italy). 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, the relationship between faith and technology, international education, 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 augmented reality, virtual reality, and K-12 Virtual Schools. Rick was the founding Editor-in-Chief of the International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations, the past Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, a Consulting Editor for the Development Editorial Board of Educational Technology Research and Development, and the current Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Interactive Learning Research. 

Annette Kratcoski

Annette Kratcoski is the Director of the Research Center for Educational Technology. Prior to joining RCET in Fall 2000, Dr. 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 RCET director, Dr. Kratcoski oversees the center’s research and outreach projects related to PreK-12 technology integration and leads programming in the center’s AT&T Classroom, a high-tech professional development, outreach, and research laboratory classroom.

Thomas McNeal

Thomas McNeal is the Technology Project Director for RCET’s AT&T Classroom where he provides technical support to the Classroom and technology training for teachers and students. Mr. McNeal holds a Bachelor of Science in Education and a Masters of Instructional Technology from Kent State University. He has worked with teachers and students for over 35 years as a fifth grade teacher, educational in-service instructor for PBS, and as a computer and applications instructor for the Summit County Educational Service Center. Mr. McNeal joined RCET in 2001 to direct the Digital Videoconferencing Project which facilitated the connection of web-based video communication between Kent State University and other organizations and K-20 educational institutions.  He has presented at numerous local, state, and national conferences on the use of innovative tools to enhance teaching and learning.

Enrico Gandolfi

Enrico Gandolfi, Ph.D., joined RCET in 2015 as a post-doctoral researcher and is now an Associate Professor of Educational Technology. His research interests include games and simulations for learning, extended reality (AR, VR, MR) in education, and online communities of inquiry. He is author of several journal articles (e.g., for Journal of Technology and Teacher Education, New Media and Society, Technology in Society, British Journal of Educational Technology, Journal of Computer Assisted Learning, Computers & Education) and book chapters (for publishers like Routledge, MIT Press, ETC Press) about these topics. He has been CO-PI and senior personnel for grants funded by the National Science Foundation and the National Endowment for Humanities. Finally, he is associate editor for the International Journal of Gaming and Computer-Mediated Simulations and the Journal of Interactive Learning Research.