Lab 21.0 (Belgium)

Lab 21.0 forms part of the schoolwide innovation project School 21.0 at RHIZO Lyceum OLV Vlaanderen, Belgium. Lab 21.0 is used for learning activities (taking place in different learning zones, stimulating self-directed and independent learning) by teachers and pupils between 12 and 18 years old. It also serves as an informal meeting place for pupils and teachers, and will be used for experiments, educational research (e.g. by university students), professional development, networking activities, meetings and discussions about education, etc.

The learning space was completed in early 2016, and officially opened by the Flemish Minister of Education, Mrs. Hilde Crevits, on 18 March 2016. 

The learning space is funded by the school's Board (although there are some partnerships with tech companies and organisations) and is equipped with interactive (touch)screens with screen mirroring technology, tablets, GoPro cameras, Lego robots, an HD camera (and chromakey), VR glasses and some tools that can be used for coding (drones, etc.).

 

Commercial Partners:

Lab 21.0 has two main industry partners. First, there is Ocular, a company that designs and builds interactive audiovisual experiences for museums, visitor attractions and retail, and now ventures into education. They designed Lab 21.0.

Our second partner is Barco, a multinational company headquartered in Kortrijk, our hometown. It builds collaboration rooms for universities worldwide, and now works with a secondary school for the first time. Barco doesn't just help us with interactive screen mirroring technology, but is a true travelling companion on our journey through the world of educational innovation. For example, in September 2015, the company took part in the School 21.0 team at an educational hackathon coorganised by the Future Classroom Lab.

A third, non-profit partner is Microsoft Innovation Center Vlaanderen (MIC), which supports healthcare startups. The company is an industry partner, but it also invited our pupils to participate in its professional Hack for Health hackathon in September 2015.

Lastly, Lab 21.0 has a sponsorship agreement with Proximus, a Belgian telecommunications company.

Lab 21.0 is continuously looking for commercial partnerships for showcasing sponsored equipment (ICT and furniture). We also want to involve other companies, colleges and universities and explore the possibility of ‘intellectual partnerships' (lectures and workshops in the learning space, company visits, papers and dissertations about research conducted in the learning space, etc.). Through these (intended) partnerships we want to keep up with the latest trends in education and educational technology.

From 2017 to 2019, a couple of university research projects were carried out in Lab 21.0. They further explored the possibilities and the effects of the use of technology in the classroom, and tried to define the best ways to support teachers in integrating technology.

More information:

Find out more about the Lab 21.0 and the process of setting up a learning lab in this webinar.


Contacts:

 

Address:

RHIZO Lyceum OLV Vlaanderen
Beverlaai 75
8500 Kortrijk
Belgium