World’s first Mobile EdTech Testbed brings innovative education technologies to learners and educators

Helsinki, known worldwide as a pioneer in collaborative EdTech experimentation and development, has created something truly unique. In the new mobile learning environment, called TEKLA, teachers get access to latest educational technologies, students are able to learn important skills in an exciting environment and companies can test and co-develop different educational technology and learning environment solutions in collaboration with end users.

What makes the mobile testbed unique is that it is not tied to a specific location, as the learning environment is built inside a container. This mobility ensures that the latest technologies are accessible to learners everywhere and that companies can tailor their products to meet the needs of a diverse user base. The container, filled with EdTech innovations, spends a few weeks at each school before moving on to the next, allowing for dynamic experimentation and adaptation.

An educational and exciting field trip in the schoolyard

The first ones to take part in the mobile testbed activities were students from Sakarinmäki Comprehensive School in Helsinki. The companies testing their products in the container are primarily startups still in the development phase. Within the container, these companies lead workshops to test and improve their products based on user feedback.

Teachers also have the opportunity to borrow educational technologies from the mobile testbed for classroom use. These experiments follow the Easy Access Co-Development (EAC) model, which promotes collaboration between schools and businesses in a lightweight, flexible, and streamlined manner.

Both students and teachers have been very enthusiastic about the container. Students find the mobile testbed exciting and are eager to try out new inventions. In the mobile container, learning new things and practising problem-solving skills can be a lot of fun. When children are taken out of their usual classroom environment, they are encouraged to share their opinions and try new things in the experiential space.

Teachers on the other hand appraise the project as it brings the latest educational innovations right to their schoolyard, no matter where the school itself is located. This way, the mobility also improves the accessibility of the latest educational technologies. The mobile testbed container offers a wide range of tools for learning new skills and provides good material for different aspects of the curriculum. Workshops in the container are a place to experiment and learn.

Helsinki aims to be Europe’s leading platform for experimentation and innovation

Helsinki has a long history of developing and piloting services of the future with startups and business partners. Helsinki aims to be Europe’s leading platform for experimentation and innovation and to provide a city-wide testbed for testing, developing, piloting and scaling up new innovations.

Helsinki provides companies and RDI actors a wide variety of development and testing opportunities for new innovations, products and services. The key content areas for the testing platform activities are EdTech, Smart Mobility, Built Environment, Circular Economy and Health & Wellbeing.

The mobile testbed TEKLA is part of the Resourceful Sharing: Innovative and Co-Usable Learning Environments project. The project brings together companies developing learning environments, research and education organisations, cities and end-users of products and services. The project is co-funded by the European Union.

Read more:

• Original article on City of Helsinki’s website
• Testbed Helsinki website

Contact:

Marjo Kenttälä
Project Manager
City of Helsinki, Business Helsinki
marjo.kenttala@hel.fi
+358 40 578 6261