Brave experimentation with new technologies in Kanta-Häme

Over the past two years, the teachers and instructors in the Kanta-Häme region have gone straight to the heart of future learning. Our goal has been to increase practical skills in new technologies – such as XR solutions, artificial intelligence, learning analytics and game engines. We have also wanted to bring these tools into everyday teaching in Kanta-Häme educational institutions.

Educational institutions and teaching require skills that match the increasingly technological nature of the workplace. Utelias 2.0 provided teachers with concrete tools to develop their teaching and inspire students—in other words, not just to observe change from the sidelines, but also to create and learn from it. The training sessions we conducted reached a wide range of teachers at educational institutions in Kanta-Häme. As a result, the participants carried out their own teaching pilots and applied new technological solutions to their own teaching work.

The outputs were created in genuine cooperation between different educational institutions, companies, experts and developers. Our common goal was to make new technologies easily approachable and suitable for teachers’ everyday lives. That is why the materials, models and instructions are clear, practical and openly available for everyone to use.

Operating models and training materials developed collaboratively are transforming education

One of the most visible outcomes of our work is a comprehensive set of training materials that helped teachers familiarize themselves with XR technologies, accessibility, data security, multi-user platforms, and artificial intelligence. This content wasn’t created in isolation. Instead, experts from various educational institutions in the region developed it collaboratively. During the training sessions, participants had the opportunity to develop their skills and share their experiences with one another.

This collaboration also resulted in concrete models that facilitate the adoption of new technologies. The mobile classroom model and the XR design model are examples of how educational institutions in the region combined their expertise to create tools that enable teachers to design and implement new types of learning environments. Additionally, the network model is also an important part of the whole—it strengthens cooperation between organizations, helping to spread expertise more widely.

About Curious 2.0

Project name: CURIOUS 2.0 – Emerging technologies supporting enthusiastic teaching and learning
Funding: European Social Fund Plus (ESF+), national funding: Economic Development Centre of Inland Finland
Implementing organizations: Häme University of Applied Sciences (lead partner), Kiipula Foundation (partner), and Tavastia Education Consortium (partner)