Consider the world of difference between merely being able to restate information and the ability to apply the information in the course of living and working. A great deal of instruction is aimed at rote memorization or superficial learning, but that approach doesn't go far enough. Complex skills and abilities that can be used in real life are the true goal of learning, not simply the ability to recall information.

Declarative knowledge is knowing about (the ability to state, list, match, describe, and so on). Procedural knowledge is knowing how (the ability to accomplish complex real-world skills). Copier technicians who can list the parts of the copier have declarative knowledge. Those who know how the parts work together and can use that understanding to troubleshoot a malfunction have procedural knowledge. Declarative knowledge is commonly part of procedural knowledge, but it isn't enough. Too often, instruction is developed at the declarative level, while actual tasks require people to work at a procedural level

Learning and multimedia

In the next few sections I'll describe how contemporary learning theory explains the way people learn, how multimedia can augment or detract from learning, research that explains how multimedia impacts learning, design practices that augment learning, and why lack of attention to good design can lead to inferior learning environments.

 this page has a link to a pdf that looks good.

 Links to several research paper on this page, not all related to technology but some are. 

 Click on Publications at the top of the page and view the pages "Techno Briefs" and "Ed Tech Reviews" for articles. Also watch the video on the home page.

Washington, DC – Nov. 7, 2007 – Americans increasingly recognize that the U.S. education system can and should do more to prepare our young people to succeed in the rapidly evolving 21st century. Skills such as global literacy, problem solving, innovation and creativity have become critical in today’s increasingly interconnected workforce and society. To help education leaders and policymakers implement 21st century teaching and learning, the Partnership for 21st Century Skills launched Route 21, an online, one-stop shop for 21st century skills-related information, resources and tools.

Route 21 showcases how 21st century skills can be supported through standards, assessments, professional development, curriculum and instruction and learning environments. The site represents the first comprehensive, go-to online resource for high-quality content, best practices, relevant reports, articles and research to assist practitioners in implementing 21st century teaching practices and learning outcomes.

 Technology with emergent readers. This is not research but an example of how research is being applied to help emergent readers.