The technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK) framework is increasingly used by educational technology researchers in European contexts. This paper aims to cohere and constructively strengthen this promising area of research but also break new ground in its’ epistemological bases by revealing interconnections between procedural and declarative knowledge in teaching and learning situations.This paper reports a case study research around the craft and technology project “Intelligent clothing”. The aim of the study is to examine students’ knowledge creating and learning process in technology education. The research task can be addressed as follows: 

1) Which kind of divisions of procedural knowledge do there exist in the students’ knowledge creation and learning process concerning understanding the concepts of electricity and electronics? 

2) Which kind of divisions of declarative knowledge do there exist in the students’ knowledge creation and learning process concerning understanding the concepts of electricity and electronics?

In all over the world scientific literacy and technology literacy have been in the center of interest amongst curriculum developers (Blomdahl & Rogala 2008, 19; Ginns, Stein & McRobbie 2003, 306; Sammel & Zandvliet 2003, 513-514). Research in students learning in technology has to take into account the conceptual and procedural understanding, but also the manner technological tools and objects effect and interact with student thinking and doing. (Jones 2009, 407.) Our emphasis in this study on an understanding of electricity is justified for the sake of its consequence within science subject and its pervasiveness in everyday life (Borges & Gilbert 1999, 95). Concepts concerning electricity are problematic. They are abstract and complex in ways that make their understanding dependent on models, analogies and metaphors. There are consistent results from many studies, that understanding of electricity of learners of all ages before formal learning experiences is strongly influenced by everyday uses of terminology. More significant is that students’ understanding after conventional teaching is little changed. (Mulhall, McKittrick & Gunstone 2001, 576). These facts challenge educators to find out teaching strategies to advance the learning process of understanding the phenomena. That is linked to teacher’s technological pedagogical content knowledge TPACK: the highly applied knowledge that supports content-based technology integration in teaching and learning (Harris & Hofer 2011, 212). This kind of knowledge is characterized by connections, interactions, affordances and constraints between and among content (as electronics in this research), pedagogy and technology. The synergy compounded by these factors is central for appropriate and good teaching. (Mishra & Koehler 2006, 1025.)

The “Intelligent clothing” project was carried out in southern Finnish urban teacher training school and implemented mainly during January-March of the year 2011. After first two ideation and introduction lessons the students and the teachers compromised an intelligent cap as a common theme for the project. The students were able to use the virtual learning environment (called Opit) during the project. Knowledge and examples – especially concerning electronics and microcontrollers – were presented in the virtual environment.

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