Founded by Wouter van der horst

Elevating Education through Innovation

Consultancy services for museums, education, gouvernement & NGO's

Strategy

Thoughtful & innovative digital strategies.

Concept

Meaningful digital experience design.

Research & Development

Engineering the future of education.

about

Wouter van der Horst

Meet Wouter van der Horst, a freelance educator, researcher & media technologist driven by a passion for history, art, science, and teaching, combined with cutting-edge technology. As a former history teacher and museum educator with an expertise in media innovation, he's able to brigde the gap between arts, culture, education and technology.At the prestigious Rijksmuseum, Wouter led the development of award-winning products like SnapGuide, RijksTube, & RijksCreative, seamlessly integrating digital content and education. Today, he continues to push the boundaries of audience engagement and online learning, exploring innovative ways to harness new technology both within and beyond the confines of traditional museums and learning institutions.

New book! (Dutch)

AI in het Onderwijs

How can the history of technology enrich our perspective on generative AI?In the book AI in Education. Historical Perspectives and New Opportunities, Wouter van der Horst explores the influence of historical technological developments on our modern understanding of generative AI. He demonstrates that our current view is often limited by the "Horseless Carriage Syndrome," a phenomenon where we attempt to interpret the potential of new technologies through contemporary perspectives.Drawing on established media theories, Van der Horst illustrates how historical awareness can help us better assess the impact of AI in education, both now and in the future. This book invites readers to critically reflect on the opportunities and risks of generative AI in education, and how this technology might reshape and challenge our understanding of human intelligence and creativity.

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Work: Enhancing Media literacy skills in education

MediaCollege

Wouter takes great pride in leading the media literacy learning community as a Practor at the esteemed Practoraat Mediawijsheid—a colaboratory project involving four vocational colleges in the Netherlands.Emphasizing the significance of media literacy in modern education, the team fosters a Design-Thinking approach to conduct comprehensive research on critical themes like fake news, privacy, digital equality, and more.

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Work: Content strategy

Smartify

Between 2020 and 2023, Wouter van der Horst led the content & learning strategy and content creation at Smartify, the premier Arts & Culture app with over 3.5 million users. As Head of Content & Learning, he spearheaded the development of this cutting-edge platform-technology, revolutionizing the museum, heritage, and historic sites' engagement worldwide.

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Publication: Improving civic education in vocational education (Dutch)

Expertisepunt Burgerschap

As Advisor Burgerschap (Civic Education) at the Expertisepunt Burgerschap, Wouter takes pride in providing expert guidance to vocational institutions on the implementation of civic education. With a fervent commitment to fostering active citizenship, he dedicates himself to equipping educators with the knowledge and tools necessary to deliver impactful civic education.In tandem with the institutions, Wouter remains steadfast in instilling the values of democratic participation, critical thinking, and social responsibility, leaving a lasting impact on the lives of young learners and the broader society.

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WORK: Online Courses

MuseumNext

During the 2020 pandemic, Wouter joined forces with MuseumNext to launch an exclusive series of online courses, aimed at empowering museums worldwide to kick-start their global digital engagement efforts. These courses, carefully curated and tailored for museum professionals, were designed to swiftly enable institutions to adapt to the challenges posed by the pandemic.

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Highlighted work: Rijksmuseum

Is This Art?

A YouTube series that connects popular culture to the collection of the Rijksmuseum.

Highlighted work: Rijksmuseum

Rijkscreative

A YouTube series with creative art tutorials by museum professionals:

Highlighted work: 2 publications in

Towards AI literacty: 101+

Abegglen, S., Nerantzi, C., Martínez-Arboleda, A., Karatsiori, M., Atenas, J., & Rowell, C. (Eds.) (2024). Towards AI Literacy: 101+ Creative and Critical Practices, Perspectives and Purposes. #creativeHE.