Cooney Fellows Program

Cooney Center Fellows assist with high priority research, program development and dissemination activities relating to the potential and limitations of digital media applications to accelerate children's learning and healthy development. Fellows include both young investigators, who have recently completed graduate study, and more senior leaders in research and industry. Fellows are supported by a modest fund derived from the Center's core support and are based both "in residence" and in their current leadership positions at other institutions.

This professional development program offers opportunities to:

• Conduct research on digital media use among elementary school-age children;
• Publish research that responds to practical industry and practitioner needs;
• Help expand the influence research has in government, education, philanthropy, and industry decision making; and
• Develop new skills and perspectives that are critical to becoming a leader in the field of digital media and learning.

The 2010-2011 Cooney Center Research Fellow is Dr. Gabrielle Cayton-Hodges, recent graduate of Tufts Graduate School of Education, and our Nokia Research Fellow is Dr. Glenda Revelle, veteran Sesame Workshop researcher on digital media. Dr. Revelle is responsible for developing and pursuing strategic education and research collaborations for the Center with partners in academics and industry around research questions pertaining to children and learning with digital media. She is currently serving as Principal Investigator and JGCC Project Lead for ongoing research work conducted in collaboration with Nokia Research Center, creating a line of pioneering research in the areas of mobile media, family communication and literacy. Prior to joining the Center, Dr. Revelle served as Vice President for Education and Research/Digital Media at Sesame Workshop, managing a team of researchers that provided consultation on educational content, interface development, interactive design and usability to Sesame Workshop's digital media product development team. Dr. Revelle has served as a Visiting Scholar at Stanford University and Senior Researcher at the University of Maryland's Institute for Advanced Computer Studies/Human-Computer Interaction Lab, and she has also served as an interactive education consultant to many prominent educational media companies. Dr. Revelle is also currently a Research Associate in the Psychology Department at the University of Arkansas. She received her Ph.D. in Developmental Psychology from the University of Michigan.

Action Research Agenda

Cooney Center Fellows priorities focus on work that will benefit children entering school, struggling readers, and heavy media users. Research, design, and policy questions pursued by Fellows include (those listed are illustrative and will be modified over time):

Basic Learning Research

• What are the underlying learning theories involving digital media?
• How does media multitasking affect literacy learning?
• Does Internet-based "short form" reading affect key literacy skills?
• How can digital platforms such as games, cell phones and Internet-based social networking sites be deployed to teach children literacy skills?

Field Surveys and Scans

• Utilization Studies: Which media are children using and how are they learning in a digital media environment?
• Stakeholder Attitudes: What do parents, teachers and caregivers think about the impact of digital media on learning?
• Market Analyses: What are the emerging industry trends and best practices?

Applied Policy Research

• Which educational technology investments could address the "4th grade reading slump," especially for low income and language minority students?
• What are quality standards of evidence to guide investments in digital media for literacy learning?
• Can intergenerational uses of digital media be better leveraged?

Apply to be a Cooney Center Fellow

The Cooney Fellows Program attracts a wide range of talented applicants who have expertise in digital media and/or in the fields of communication, child development, education, learning sciences, psychology, computer science, design, and public policy. The program allows early career investigators to participate in research, program development, dissemination, and design and production activities. Current and former Fellows have led research investigations and published reports and articles on digital media innovations, industry trends, and policy solutions. They have also developed public presentation and media outreach skills and contributed to the overall growth of the Cooney Center.

For directions on how to apply, download a PDF document providing more information about the 2010-2011 program, including qualifications, terms of the fellowship, and application timeline.