This presentation explores the use of 360° videos as an immersive, pedagogically structured tool to support pre-service teachers in planning and enacting laboratory-based science activities. A 360° video was developed around an ocean acidification experiment to model fair testing, capturing the full laboratory process. The setting for this project was a science laboratory room that is equipped for physics, chemistry, biology, and environmental science instruction in a teacher education program at a Canadian university. The 360° video allows pre-service teachers to experience the lab procedure, enhancing procedural competence and instructional readiness before conducting experiments with their future students. This pilot also demonstrates the potential for 360° videos to support student science laboratory preparedness, laboratory safety awareness, science learning motivation, and engagement. Future research will examine pre-service teachers’ experiences using the video as a pre-laboratory intervention and extend its use to in-service teacher professional development. This study highlights 360° videos as a scalable, immersive strategy to strengthen teacher preparation and enhance experiential hands-on science learning.
Continue reading ‘Seeing the whole lab: 360° videos as an immersive tool for science teacher education’Archive for the 'Educational Materials' Category
Seeing the whole lab: 360° videos as an immersive tool for science teacher education
Published 23 July 2026 Educational Materials , Science Leave a CommentTags: education, resource
MACAN coastal acidification in the classroom curriculum- grades 9-12
Published 15 July 2026 Educational Materials , Resources , Science , Web sites and blogs Leave a CommentTags: resource
This curriculum developed by the Mid-Atlantic Coastal Acidification Network (MACAN) brings coastal and ocean acidification into the classroom in clear, practical ways. It provides complete lesson plans, hands-on activities, and data-driven investigations that support student inquiry while aligning with Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS).
Designed for high school classrooms, the lessons can be taught as a full unit or selected individually to fit existing course needs.
| Lesson 1: This section introduces the curriculum and key concepts in ocean acidification through background reading and short videos. It includes NGSS-aligned questions and transcripts that can be used in class or for flipped learning. |
| Lesson 2: Students learn how carbon moves through Earth’s systems and how emissions affect atmospheric CO₂. An interactive game helps reinforce sources and sinks through hands-on participation. |
| Lesson 3: Students explore how increased atmospheric CO₂ changes ocean pH and water chemistry. Demonstrations and guided activities help introduce the foundational processes behind ocean acidification. |
| Lesson 4: Through hands-on lab activities, students investigate the chemical reactions that drive ocean acidification. These labs also introduce how changes in chemistry affect shell formation in marine organisms. |
| Lesson 5: Students compare ocean and coastal acidification using data and infographics. The lesson emphasizes how estuaries and coastal waters experience different conditions than the open ocean. |
| Lesson 6: Students examine data on Mid-Atlantic species to understand how decreasing pH affects growth, reproduction, and survival. They connect changes in chemistry to impacts on living organisms. |
| Lesson 7: Students work individually and in groups to analyze data related to bivalve health. The lesson focuses on interpreting evidence and drawing conclusions about the effects of dissolved CO₂. |
| Lesson 8 Part 1: This lesson engages students in investigating declining bay scallop populations while exploring the scientific method and experimental design. Students analyze data, build critical thinking skills, and examine coastal acidification’s impacts on biological species. Lesson 8 Part 2: In Part 2, students apply the scientific method to investigate the bay scallop mystery by reviewing key steps, conducting research, developing hypotheses, and designing experiments to guide their inquiry. |
Ocean acidification education toolkit – Pacific Northwest
Published 15 July 2026 Educational Materials , Resources , Science , Web sites and blogs Leave a CommentTags: resource
Bring your students into the Pacific Northwest to discover how the ocean acts like a carbon sponge and its effects on salmon and plankton that fuel the ecosystem. This toolkit utilizes effective communication strategies to convey the significance of ocean acidification effects and empower mitigation actions within communities. Tested in classrooms, this toolkit increased ocean acidification literacy for ages 9 and older. Students can become OA Ambassadors as they apply what they know toward ocean acidification solutions.
The toolkit includes four NGSS aligned modules that can be used independently or together. Each module includes the ocean acidification literacy goal, a value that can be used to better engage or connect with students, discussion guide, and solutions students can take part. In addition, an optional script that uses specific language will guide the instructor in successful and effective ocean acidification dialogue.
| Module | Description |
| I. Our Ocean: The Giant Sponge | Students learn how the ocean absorbs carbon dioxide and the difference between regular and uncontrolled amounts through a guided demonstration. |
| II. Our Changing Ocean | Students make the connection between carbon dioxide in the ocean and increased acidity. With a simple experiment, they compare ocean acidity now with the past. |
| III. Swim, Snack, Sink | Students learn about the impacts of increased acidity on the plankton that feed the food web through an interactive activity. |
| IV. Senseless Salmon! | Students understand the impacts of ocean acidification on a salmon’s ability to smell to migrate and avoid predators through a game. |
New ocean acidification policy infographics
Published 15 September 2025 Educational Materials , Resources ClosedTags: policy
The Ocean Acidification Research for Sustainability (OARS) Outcome 7 is focused on policy engagement for ocean acidification. The Outcome 7 working group recently published a series of infographics on the following themes:
- Ocean acidification as a risk to marine sectors and coastal communities
- Ocean acidification information can support local actions
- Global frameworks and national policies for taking action on ocean acidification
Download the ocean acidification policy infographics here.
Continue reading ‘New ocean acidification policy infographics’Sea-Bird Scientific introduces deep SeapHOx V2 moored system
Published 23 December 2024 Educational Materials , Resources , Web sites and blogs ClosedTags: resource, sensor
Sea-Bird Scientific has introduced the Deep SeapHOx™ V2. Designed for long-term deployments in diverse environments, from shallow regions to the deep ocean, this state-of-the-art multiparameter moored system integrates the Deep SeaFET™ V2 pH sensor with the tried-and-true SBE 37 SMP-ODO MicroCAT CTD+DO sensor. The result? A powerful tool for monitoring ocean acidification and other critical physical and biological processes.
…
Applications and Case Studies
The Deep SeapHOx V2 is designed to support a wide range of oceanographic research and monitoring applications:
- Carbon cycle analysis – track the movement and storage of carbon in the ocean to better understand the global carbon cycle.
- Climate science – collect data on ocean temperature and salinity to contribute to climate models and predict future climate change scenarios.
- Coral reef monitoring – investigate the conditions that support deep-sea coral ecosystems and assess their vulnerability to environmental changes.
- Deoxygenation and hypoxia monitoring – measure dissolved oxygen levels to identify and study hypoxic zones, which can have significant impacts on marine life.
- Fisheries and aquaculture – early warning and monitoring for critical marine resources that are sensitive to changing pH.
- Case study – Experimental kelp farming with Saccharina latissima
- Food web studies – analyze the interactions between different species in the marine food web and how they are affected by environmental factors.
- Marine biology – Study the health and behavior of marine organisms in response to changing environmental conditions.
- Ocean acidification – monitor changes in ocean pH levels to understand the impacts of increased carbon dioxide on marine ecosystems.
- Case study – Inductive modem technology for use in measuring pH
Ocean acidification experiment (text & video)
Published 16 September 2024 Educational Materials ClosedTags: resource, video/audio
Why are our oceans turning acidic?
See why our oceans are turning acidic due to climate change.
This is an experiment which is hard to do at home and is best suited to laboratory conditions, where appropriate safety measures can be put in place. If you do not have the correct setting and equipment, we have produced a video of the experiment which you can find below.
Equipment
- 2l graduated cylinder
- 2ml potassium hydroxide (1M) or sodium hydroxide (1M)
- 1l water
- 25ml universal indicator
- ~10g dry ice
Method
- Pour the water into the cylinder.
- Add the potassium hydroxide(KOH) or sodium hydroxide. (NaOH) to the cylinder to make a dilute base.
- Add 25ml of universal indicator to the cylinder. You should see the liquid turn blue/purple to reflect the basic pH. You will need to give the solution a stir.
- Now gently add the dry ice into the cylinder. You should see gas bubbles rising through the solution, vapour at the top and the solution change colour to an orange/red colour.
So, what is happening here?
Dry ice is solid CO2.
As the dry ice is dropped in the liquid, it sublimates, going from a solid directly to a gas. This gas bubbles through the liquid, and the vapours you can see at the top.
The CO2 reacts with the water in the solution producing hydrogen, H+, ions.
CO2 (g) + H20(l) → H2CO3 (aq) + 2H+(aq) + CO3 (aq)
The H+ ions produced, react with the hydroxide, OH–, ions in the base, producing water and acting to neutralise the solution.
H+(aq) + OH–(aq) → H2O(l)
However the universal indicator in solution ends up yellow, indicating the solution is a weak acid. This is because eventually there are no OH– ions left, and instead unreacted H+ remain in the solution, turning it acidic.
Optional extra: while the dry ice is still bubbling, you can add more potassium hydroxide or sodium hydroxide to the top of the cylinder, one pipette-full at a time. You should see the liquid temporarily returning to its purple colour, but then changing to yellow again as the carbon dioxide bubbles through.
So how does this relate to climate change?
Continue reading ‘Ocean acidification experiment (text & video)’A multi-sensory immersive installation at UCSB takes you through coral reefs and beyond
Published 13 September 2024 Educational Materials , Press releases , Web sites and blogs Closed
Immersive environmental ‘Sketches of Sensorium’ are being screened at the AlloSphere at UCSB
I’m coasting along the ripples on the surface of the ocean and dive below, swimming through coral reefs and passing schools of fish. When I look up I can see the sun reflecting on the surface of the water, below me the sandy ocean floor and behind me the reef surrounds me.
But…I’m bone dry – because I’m doing all this…on dry land!
This is the AlloSphere. It’s a three-story metal sphere in an echo-free chamber. Think the Las Vegas Sphere but on a smaller scale.
Inside, screens fill my vision all around, as I am led on this immersive deep-sea dive by JoAnn Kuchera-Morin, the AlloSphere’s Director and a Professor of Media Arts and Technology.
“It’s where you can have a group of researchers, a group of people come in and actually experience virtual reality in a new and different way as a group user experience instead of putting a helmet on your head. You’re actually here in the space and we can bring in any space that you’d like to be in,” said Kuchera-Morin.
The AlloSphere will host a series of public screenings of Sketches of Sensorium – immersive films which seek to answer a question.
“What are the implications of what’s happening with climate change and ocean health?” said Kuchera-Morin. “And so what Sketches does is in the beginning you were looking at the earth and we were out from afar. And we have actually NASA’s science data on that earth that will show you temperature change, show you ocean acidification, and then we’ll zoom in to certain places in the ocean to show the ramifications of what’s happening.”
As well as the awe inspiring visuals, the immersive sounds of ship engine noises and other ocean sounds takes your senses to the environment it seeks to protect.
“Think about how we live on the planet. We use all of our senses in order to navigate through complex systems. All of our senses vibrate in frequency relationships. So we have an infrasound across between feeling and hearing,” said Kuchera-Morin.
There’s a sweet spot where art and science meet. And that’s right here, says Kuchera-Morin, in this innovative space which started as an educational tool and is now challenging visitors into new thinking, insight and action.
“We do research with our scientists, but it’s education among us, but it’s also education that anyone can start to understand. And that’s the whole idea of the AlloSphere, where if we can bring data up to human scale and we can work with that data and we can understand it in a way that you’re not going to get from reading a science paper or a textbook,” said Kuchera-Morin.
“We may find a different way to educate. These are the classrooms of the future, the immersive cinemas of the future, the interactive situations of the future. And as media artist, it’s all to be able to do the most important things that we believe are really important in this world. That’s compassion, that’s understanding one another, that’s equity, and that’s climate justice,” she said.
The Sketches of Sensorium at the Allosphere at UC Santa Barbara is open to the public on six Thursdays and Saturdays starting Thursday 12 September, and you need to sign up online in advance.
Continue reading ‘A multi-sensory immersive installation at UCSB takes you through coral reefs and beyond’Reactions: is there a quick fix for ocean acidification?
Published 3 September 2024 Educational Materials , Presentations , Science ClosedTags: resource
The ocean is getting more and more acidic. Can we solve it by emptying a giant bottle of antacid into the ocean? No… but the idea of lowering the ocean’s acidity in order to decrease global carbon dioxide levels isn’t all bad. Let’s dive into the science behind ocean alkalinization, and how it could be one part of a larger solution to our global climate crisis.
What ocean pH means (video)
Published 11 June 2024 Educational Materials , Resources ClosedTags: resource, video
What is the pH Scale | acids, bases & alkalis | chemistry (video)
Published 29 May 2024 Educational Materials , Presentations , Resources ClosedTags: resource, video/audio
Ocean acidification (video)
Published 28 May 2024 Courses and training , Educational Materials , Resources , Science ClosedTags: resource, video/audio
(a) The ocean carbonate system.
(b) Alkalinity, total CO2, pH.
(c) The effect of increasing atmospheric CO2 on ocean acidity and on calcium carbonate dissolution.
(d) Long-term decline of anthropogenic CO2
Is there a quick fix for ocean acidification?
Published 17 April 2024 Educational Materials , Resources ClosedTags: resource, video
The ocean is getting more and more acidic. Can we solve it by emptying a giant bottle of antacid into the ocean? No… but the idea of lowering the ocean’s acidity in order to decrease global carbon dioxide levels isn’t all bad. Let’s dive into the science behind ocean alkalinization, and how it could be one part of a larger solution to our global climate crisis.
Brian Cox School Experiments: ocean acidification – classroom video (video)
Published 15 February 2024 Educational Materials ClosedThe Royal Society has produced a new set of videos and resources, presented by Professor Brian Cox, based around new and emerging STEM technologies. In this video, Brian joins a teacher to demonstrate an ocean acidification activity, including set-up, demonstration and the experiment being taught with a secondary science class.
Continue reading ‘Brian Cox School Experiments: ocean acidification – classroom video (video)’Brian Cox School Experiments: ocean acidification – research video (video)
Published 14 February 2024 Educational Materials , Resources ClosedThe Royal Society has produced a new set of videos and resources, presented by Professor Brian Cox, based around new and emerging STEM technologies. In this video, we visit Dr Helen Findlay at Plymouth Marine Laboratory, researching the impacts of changing ocean conditions upon marine life. This video links to two others in the series including an ocean acidification classroom activity.
The Royal Society, via YouTube, 29 January 2024. Video.
Exploring our changing ocean: impacts and response to ocean acidification in the U.S.A.
Published 11 January 2024 Educational Materials , Resources Closed
The ocean has absorbed approximately 90% of excess heat and 25% of the carbon dioxide emissions released into the atmosphere by humans. This increased carbon pollution has consequences for our ocean.
Working together, the OA Alliance, Aquarium Conservation Partnership and NOAA’s Ocean Acidification Program are advancing communications about climate-ocean changes occurring regionally in the U.S. by presenting localized information on unique impacts, responses, and calls to action taking shape across the country.
By regionalizing information and storytelling, “Exploring Our Changing Ocean: Impacts and Response to OA” is supporting education, outreach and calls to action that associated aquarium partners and science institutions can utilize across their larger climate change narratives and outreach efforts.
…
Continue reading ‘Exploring our changing ocean: impacts and response to ocean acidification in the U.S.A.’The Ocean of Tomorrow: Episode 2 with Linn Hoffmann – Ocean Acidification and the Marine World
Published 8 January 2024 Educational Materials , Presentations , Resources ClosedWelcome to our new Ocean Acidification series!
This expert talk is based on chapter 2 in The Ocean of Tomorrow teachers booklet, created by the New Zealand Marine Studies Centre and can be downloaded in the link below.
This short talk is perfect for teacher and student PD! Use the video as a stand-alone or together with the classroom activity demonstrated in The Ocean of Tomorrow: Activity 2B. Enjoy!
Continue reading ‘The Ocean of Tomorrow: Episode 2 with Linn Hoffmann – Ocean Acidification and the Marine World’The Ocean of Tomorrow: Episode 1 with Kim Currie – Ocean Acidification and the Marine World
Published 2 January 2024 Educational Materials , Resources ClosedWelcome to our new Ocean Acidification series for teachers and students!
This expert talk is based on chapter 1 in The Ocean of Tomorrow teachers booklet, created by the New Zealand Marine Studies Centre and can be downloaded in the link below.
This short talk is perfect for teacher and student PD! Use it as a stand-alone or together with the classroom activity demonstrated in The Ocean of Tomorrow: Activity 1B. Enjoy!
Continue reading ‘The Ocean of Tomorrow: Episode 1 with Kim Currie – Ocean Acidification and the Marine World’Ocean Protector – understanding ocean and coastal acidification through game-based learning
Published 15 September 2023 Educational Materials , Resources ClosedEngaging for students – Augmented for educators
Ocean Protector is a free online educational game that teaches students about the impacts of ocean acidification and how they can take action to prevent it.
Through a series of interactive decisions and evaluations, students will learn about the causes and effects of ocean acidification and evaluate solutions that can help reduce its impact on marine ecosystems and people.
This decision-driven experience helps students construct explanations, reason effectively, and become self-directed learners involving marine science and ocean literacy.
Continue reading ‘Ocean Protector – understanding ocean and coastal acidification through game-based learning’Inside National Oceanography Centre with Earth Minutes EP2: Ocean Acidification (video)
Published 19 July 2023 Educational Materials , Resources ClosedDid you know that the ocean is becoming more acidic?
Join us to explore inside NOC to learn more with Dr Sara Fowell, from monitoring the changing pH to dissolving shells.
…
Continue reading ‘Inside National Oceanography Centre with Earth Minutes EP2: Ocean Acidification (video)’Pacific scientific: ocean acidification (audio & text)
Published 19 June 2023 Educational Materials , Media coverage ClosedThere’s a rising threat in our seas — ocean acidification.
But in the Pacific, patchy monitoring is making it hard for scientists to know where the worst effects will be felt, and which ecosystems need our support.
Tag along for a trip out to sea to meet a woman from the Solomon Islands who is tracking this looming danger in the Pacific Ocean.
Guest
Dr Katy Soapi – Coordinator for the Pacific Community Centre for Ocean Science
Pacific Scientific is a co-production of ABC Science and ABC Radio Australia.
…
Continue reading ‘Pacific scientific: ocean acidification (audio & text)’
