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How to Teach Science Online with a Whiteboard: 7 Practical Ideas
In this article
- How do you draw science diagrams online?
- How do students label diagrams in an online class?
- How do you use lab sheets in an online science class?
- How do you graph experiment data online?
- How do you write formulas clearly on an online whiteboard?
- Watch experiments together with the synced video player
- How do you check understanding in an online science lesson?
- Frequently asked questions
- Bring your next science lesson online
To teach science online with a whiteboard, draw diagrams step by step and let students label them, annotate lab sheets as PDFs, graph real data, type formulas clearly, and pause experiment videos for predictions. Finish each topic with a short timed test so you know what to reteach. Students stay active instead of watching slides.
These seven ideas work for biology, chemistry, physics and general science lessons.
How do you draw science diagrams online?
Draw science diagrams in stages while you explain, rather than pasting a finished image. Start with the outline of a plant cell, then add the wall, the nucleus and the chloroplasts. Students follow the structure far better when they see it built in order.
The Educastic whiteboard has shapes, arrows, dashed and dotted lines, and fill colour for clean results: circles for cells, arrows for energy flow, dashed lines for boundaries. A blank background suits diagrams; switch to a grid when you need measurements.
How do students label diagrams in an online class?
Students label diagrams when you remove the labels and hand them the pen one at a time. Ask one student to label three parts, then another to label three more. Educastic lets the teacher give or take back drawing access for each student at any time, so the activity moves around the group and you see who knows what.
Sticky notes work well too. Write the labels on sticky notes around the diagram and ask students to draw an arrow from each one to the right place.
How do you use lab sheets in an online science class?
Use lab sheets by uploading them as PDFs and annotating them live with the class. Circle the variable, underline the instruction students tend to skip, and fill in a results table together. In Educastic, Word and other documents convert to PDF on upload, and you can import files from Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive, or keep favourites in My Library.
Give a student the pen to complete the method or results table, so the sheet becomes shared work rather than something you read aloud.
How do you graph experiment data online?
Graph experiment data by collecting it in a table on the board, asking for a prediction, then plotting it. Educastic includes graphing through a Desmos integration. A routine that works:
- Collect data in a table on the board, from a demonstration video or an experiment students did at home.
- Ask students to predict the shape of the graph before plotting.
- Plot the data in Desmos and compare with the prediction.
- Discuss the pattern: is it linear, does it level off, what does the gradient mean here?
The Educastic scientific calculator sits on the board too, for quick conversions and calculations.
How do you write formulas clearly on an online whiteboard?
Write formulas clearly by typing them with a formula tool and annotating around them by hand. Handwritten chemical formulas and physics equations are easy to misread, especially with subscripts and fractions. Educastic has a math formula tool for typing equations; then highlight the unknown, write the units, and show each substitution step.
| Subject | Example to type with the formula tool |
|---|---|
| Physics | Speed, force and energy equations with units |
| Chemistry | Formulas with subscripts and balanced equations |
| Biology | Magnification and percentage change calculations |
Watch experiments together with the synced video player
A short experiment video can replace a practical that is too dangerous, slow or expensive to run at home. In Educastic's video player the teacher plays the video and play and pause stay in sync for everyone, so you can stop at the key moment and ask, "What do you think happens next?" Draw what students predict on the board before you press play again.
How do you check understanding in an online science lesson?
Check understanding with a short in-class test at the end of each topic. In Educastic the teacher publishes a test, students answer against a countdown, and the teacher sees a summary of the answers. If most students miss the same question, you know what to reteach next lesson.
A sample 50-minute science lesson
| Minutes | Activity |
|---|---|
| 0 to 5 | Prediction question on a fresh tab |
| 5 to 15 | Diagram built step by step |
| 15 to 25 | Students label the diagram with the pen or sticky notes |
| 25 to 35 | Experiment video, paused for predictions |
| 35 to 45 | Data table and Desmos graph |
| 45 to 50 | Quick in-class test and summary tab |
Record the lesson so students can replay the explanation before an exam, and let them download the session's resources as a PDF.
Frequently asked questions
Does Educastic have a periodic table or lab simulations? No. You can upload your own periodic table or images as files, draw diagrams, graph with Desmos and play experiment videos in Educastic.
Can students write chemical formulas on the board? Yes, once you give them drawing access in Educastic. They can write by hand or type into a text box.
Can I upload my existing lab sheets? Yes. Educastic lets you upload PDFs and annotate them live, and Word and other documents convert to PDF on upload.
Is it free? Yes. Educastic includes all of its teaching features in the free version.
Bring your next science lesson online
Open the Educastic online whiteboard, draw your first diagram and graph a set of data in Desmos. For more ways to work with worksheets, read how to annotate a PDF in an online class.
