Using Canvas for teaching Science (K-12)

[isobel_williams]

Thinking about ways we can use Canvas in teaching Science I came up with a few ideas including:

• Using Simulations - finding online simulations to duplicate or try out dangerous or expensive experiments that are difficult to do in class.  these an be embedded directly into a Canvas page.  
• Organising Inquiry projects - use the group spaces in Canvas to have students collaborate and store their files, documents, images etc  in a place they can all access anytime anyplace.
• Science Journal -  set up individual discussion spaces (either use groups or assign to one student) for students to keep a reflective journal on their learning. Let students add files, record themselves or their experiments and use it for ongoing feedback.
• Use videos - include video from the wealth of resources available online.  Have students record their own video to share. Record your own video and flip the classroom.
• Investigate real time data - Look for real time data feeds for weather, energy use, population, traffic, disasters earthquakes etc. Embed the data in a Canvas page and students can look at the data as it happens and follow trends, look for patterns and make predictions.
• Become citizen scientists - Students can participate in real science data analysis in many subject areas. Embed the website in Canvas and  be part of a real study.  Most areas of science have current projects.  Search for "citizen science" to find something that will fir with your current topic.
• Communicate with real scientists - use communication tools to ask real scientists questions.  Many organisations including museums have a "ask a scientist" where real questions can be posed and answered.
• Station rotation - If you lack devices for everyone in the class organise some different activities and have students rotate through.  Set up stations with different activities or experiments, paired or small group work, technology based activity, and dedicated teacher instruction.
• Use playlists - let students choose from a list of activities, set up a Canvas page with lists of readings, interactive games, videos, projects, inquiries.Let students decide what to do by setting parameters for example -  watch 3 out of 5 videos, read 1 out of 4 articles,  do 2 out of 3 simulations and choose the final assessment from 3 alternatives. 

Can anyone add to these ideas?