In English

Matleena Laakso is an educator, trainer and keynote speaker passionate about ICT and AI in education, and the power of open sharing

Email

Freelancer: firstname.surname@outlook.com
Tampere Universities: firstname.surname@tuni.fi 

Tel.: +358 41 525 0067

LinkedIn: @matleenalaakso 

Instagram: @matleenalaakso

Facebook: @matleenalaakso 

Threads: @matleenalaakso

X: @MatleenaLaakso 

Blue sky: @matleenalaakso.bsky.social

YouTube: @matleenalaakso (a few playlists in English)

My referral links

Latest & Upcoming

• AI in Education - Erasmus+ Summer Course in 21-27th June 2026
• Want to learn more on AI in education - AI literacy, ethics, tools for teachers and learners and much more? You will also get to know Finnish education and the city of Helsinki Read more and sign up for an adventure in Helsinki Metropolitan Area in Finland! Or recommend the course to colleagues across Europe!
• The summer school is organized by Euneos.

• New videos on AI and Education are made for European SALTO Digital Resource Centre. More information below after my introduction:
• Learning path on AI for NA staff 2025 -YouTube playlist (4 videos, autumn 2025) 
• AI and Pedagogy -YouTube playlist (12 videos (12 videos in December 2025) 
• Meaningful tech: enhancing student engagement with digital tools. Workshop at Teaching festival 30. April 2026 in Malta by an EU project.
  

My Introduction

I am an experienced educator with a strong passion for teaching and learning, specialising in E-Learning and the use of AI and ICT in education and professional development. I support teachers from primary to university level, as well as other trainers from companies and the public sector like libraries, to make the most of digital learning learning and tools. 

I have mainly worked as a freelancer since 2014, I work part-time as a visiting lecturer at the School of Pedagogical Innovation and Culture at TAMK - Tampere University of Applied Sciences and as an e-Leaning Expert at the Tree – Continuing Education unit at the University of Tampere. I hold Master's degree in Adult Education and have also completed Professionl Teacher Education studies (60 credits). I have worked in continuing professional development more than 20 years. I speak Finnish, English, and some German and Swedish.

You can watch the infographic of my work year 2024 (or 2025 in Finnish). The main topic during the past three years has been AI in education - I have given more than 170 keynotes, webinars and workshops. Since 2009 my other main areas of work have been with ICT in education, e-learning, online courses, creating online educational materials, participative methods in webinars and social media. I have worked with companies, public administration, organizations and especially with educational institutions. 

I am well-known for this blog and for sharing Creative Commons -licensed OER instructions on pedagogy and applications. The National Open Science awarded me a national prize for my work in 2023. My open materials have been viewed in total 3,5 million times.

I am a member of the planning group of ITK Conference - Finland's largest event for digital education and learning, and The expert panel in Open Education by Open Science. I am also an H5P Ambassador and until autumn 2024 I was also a Microsoft Innovative Educator Expert (MIEE). 

 This badge is designed for Finnish
educational professionals.
It is made by Ilona IT Ltd
for BETT. In January 2026, I  
participated the BETT Show 
in London for the tenth time.
 .

My previous work experience includes working at Kiipula Vocational Collage, the School of Professional Teacher Education at Oulu University of Applied Sciences, the Brahea Centre at the University of Turku, Center of Educational Technology at the City of Tampere and several units and employment relationships at the University of  Tampere since 1995: From 2004 to 2009 I specialized in problem-based learning and co-operative learning and teaching methods. In 2020 I mentored several teams to create online courses. In 2021, I supported teachers in creating hybrid courses and from 2022 to 2023 I held workshops on online pedagogy and its tools. In 2024 I work as an e-learning expert in training progamme for library section. 

You can read more from my LinkedIn-profile. It is in English, but I mainly share posts in Finnish. You are welcome to connect with me, but  please specify how we know each other or what we have in common.

Videos and podcasts in English

• Learning path on AI for NA staff 2025. European SALTO Digital Resource Centre. 
1. Introduction to Generative AI (50 min) and slides
2. Using Copilot and ChatGPT (53 min) and slides
3. Using AI for teamwork (38 min) and slides
4. Exploring various AI tools (55 min) and slides and NotebookLM-example
• AI and Pedagogy -playlist (9-13 minutes each). Videos are created for European SALTO Digital Resource Centre. Published on Monday 22.12.2025. Here is a link to slides.
1. What is Generative AI?
2. Responsible Use of AI
3. Creating Effective Prompts 
4. ChatGPT in Everyday Work: Your Smart Assistant
5. Copilot in Everyday Work: Your Smart Assistant
6. Tips for Using AI in Information Searching
7. Learning Tasks and AI 
8. AI Tools for Teachers
9. Generating Summaries and Modifying Content
10. Visualising Ideas with AI
11. Enhancing Teamwork with AI
12. AI-Generated Slides, Videos, Music and more 
• AI resources from Finland: AI Guides for Teachers and OER resources for learning about AI .
• AI Guides and Tools (in Finnish, but you will find good tools that can be used in English).
• Use referral links when registering to digital tools (you and me get more AI credits).
• I have shared AI created podcasts and videos based on my blog posts and other materials on digital pedagogy and AI in education. They are created with Google NotebookLM, mainly in English. 
• In April 2025, I created a digital version of myself with HeyGen. You can listen to my avatar telling about My AI journey (1:40 min, embedded below) or German Meine KI Reise.
• Most on my recent videos include captions so you can automatically translate them into almost any language. Have a look at my YouTube Channel.
  
  

Presentations in English

• University of Oulu: Assessing learning in the age of AI (Finnish/English) 3.11.2025 
• eTwinning / Finnish National Agency for Education
• AI in teaching practice. Nordic eTwinning seminar. Helsinki. 
• Erasmus+ TCA. Finnish National Agency for Education.  
• AI and project planning and management. Helsinki 20.5.2025
• eTwinning / Finnish National Agency for Education
• AI and eTwinning. Baltic and Finnish eTwinning ambassadors training. Helsinki 14.3.2025. 
• Omnia Education Parthership, webinar for Ukranian DLC-teachers 7.2.2025
• Pedagogical approach to AI training planning for VET and DLCs. / Педагогічні підходи до планування навчання за допомогою ШІ для закладів П(ПТ)О та Цифрових освітніх центрів (referral links, GenAI teachable machine, AI guides).
  
• European SALTO Digital Resource Centre, online workshop 5.12.2024
• AI as an assistant in our everyday work, Artificial Intelligence for National Agency Staff. 
• META-COIN-project, Omnia: H5P-expert and -support (a few days in 2024-2025)
• H5P-seminar, slides 16.10.2024
• Tampere University of Applied Sciences (TAMK). Professional Teacher Education Programme 
• Facilitating at Teaching and facilitation -demo sessions 11.10.2024
• InterAct, Video Making for Teachers, Erasmus+, Angra do Heroismo, Azores 11-15th July 2022 (as a participant). Three blogposts both English and in Finnish:
• Two days in Faial island in Azores 
• Erasmus+ Course in the Azores Islands 
• Erasmus+: Learning videography 
• Erasmus+ at Azores -YouTube Channel (in English and/or Finnish)
• Educational Consortium OSAO (VET), Erasmus+  
• Mobile Videos in Education (slides) 15.6.2022
• Digital Skills and Methods for Distance and Hybrid Learning (slides) 17.-18.3.2022
• Tampere University, Teaching and Learning Centre (TLC)
• Activating students in face-to-face/hybrid teaching and online courses (slides) 27.1.2022 
• Activating students in hybrid and online lecture (slides) 20.1.2022
• View the two English columns in Padlet for examples and links. 
• Brazilian teachers at Tampere University of Applied Sciences, 5. and 7.10.2021
• Active learning in real time distance learning & Producing content to distance learning (slides)
• The ANGE project, Erasmus+, Novida, Loimaa 20.3.2018
• Trends in Education and Digital Assessment Tools (slides)
• Lappeenranta University of Technology 19.3.2018
• Creating e-learning courses (slides)
• YWeLP-project, Helsinki 19. and 22.2.2018
• H5P content types (slides) and H5P-blogpage in Finnish
• Web page for H5P content types: h5p.org (examples, tutorials etc.)
• ChemSAR Project, Partner workshop Helsinki 7.2.2018
• E-learning Environment & Digital Learning Material (slides)
• Chongqing University of Sciences and Technology, China
• On July 2017 I trained new university teachers in Chongqing in China. I worked with a colleague Tampere University of Applied Science lecturer Hanna Saraketo and interpreter Li Zhang. I wrote three blog post in Finnish language: Ensikertaa Kiinassa, Chongqing, hot pot ja munakoiso and Kiinassa opettajia kouluttamassa. 
• Introduction to education in Finland and some pedagogical approahes and methods (slides)
• Ict and digitalization in teaching and learning (slides)
• Footprints across Europe, Erasmus KA2, City of Akaa 4.-5.4.2017; Slides and Padlet.
• ICT and Social Media in Education, Networking and Sharing (2015)
• University Pedagogical Studies (4 ects), University of Vaasa, with Satu Öystilä (2015)
• The Principles and the Cycle of Problem-based Learning 
• ICT and Social Media in Education 
• Pedagogy in the Key Role! (several presentations of PAOK Network and/or Center for Educational Technology, City of Tampere, 2009-2014)
• Teacher training in Finland and the work environment in upper secondary and VET schools, Study Visit (2009) 
• Open the Classroom's door! Present situation and future of eLearning models in Vocational Education and Learning – case Tampere region, PLIMe Seminar presentation with Anne Suoniemi (2009)
• Supporting the Change, PBL-PD Program as the Dynamo for Teachers' Empowerment and Organizational Change (paper presentation with Sari Poikela) 
• FACE The Annual Conference of the Forum for the Advancement of Continuing Education, Ireland, Cork (2005) 
• International Conference on Problem- Based Learning, Problem-Based Learning - Bridging Work and Education, Finland, Lahti (2005)

Mobie Ltd: OnEdu AI Learning Environment 

OnEdu AI Learning Environment and its previous environments by the Finnish Mobie Ltd has been developed in co-operation with 100 Finnish schools. I have been training personnel of companies, schools and public administration to create online courses and Mobie Zine publications since 2014 in Finland, Sweden and Estonia. Besides training I have been building online courses for companies based on their own learning materials. (More information in Finnish.)

• Slides: OnEdu Learning Environment, Mobie Zine Publications and How to Use OnEdu Forms? 
• Mobie eSmart includes H5P content types for creating interactive content. Here you can view examples of almost all H5P tools and there are also good tutorials available. My slides (Feb 2018) show you can easily create web content with H5P also to Moodle. (H5P guides and examples in Finnish.)