ABSTRACT
W hen people talk about creating technological tools to support learning, they usually want to support educational experiences that will result in knowledge that is both meaningful and robust. Meaningful learning requires not only that students can remember the to-be-learned information but also that they are able to use this knowledge to solve new problems, to apply to new situations, and to build upon during future learning opportunities. Designing effective educational technology that supports deep, generalizable learning requires attention to at least three interrelated goals for student cognition. First, technology should target deep understanding of key conceptual ideas in the domain of study. That is, it should promote successful learning of critical conceptual information that supports the organization and interpretation of new knowledge. Second, technology should encourage the development of metacognitive skills that allow students to monitor the level of their understanding and to choose useful learning strategies. Third, technology should support the use of cognitive processes involved in sensemaking and integration, so that relevant information is processed in a manner that results in deep understanding.
