SMARTS - Online science community for students and teachers

Launched in May at Canada-Wide Science Fair 2011, SMARTS is the first online science community for youth, by youth, designed to connect students (ages 13 to 18) with science and each other. Our goal is to bring together all Canadian students with an interest in science, technology, engineering and math.

Adults on SMARTS include science educators, science fair alumni and enthusiasts who can provide assistance and mentorship – or teachers who want to use SMARTS in their classroom. (All adults on SMARTS have a distinctive border around their profile photo to help keep the community safe.)

SMARTS is a place to connect, share ideas and information about science and technology, get creative, and have fun! It’s also a place to organize and track science projects – for students, teachers, and parents.

Using the SMARTS project log, or “plog,” students can organize and record their investigation or innovation – from the initial question or problem through to conclusions. The plog’s structure helps beginners stay organized (with example text in each section); its flexibility supports the most advanced project work. A plog can include text, photos, and videos – and can be shared with teachers and parents, who can monitor progress and add comments or grades. When the project is complete, one click exports the plog to a fully formatted PDF report (or text file).

Finally, SMARTS groups are a great way to start and manage a school science club, or create a space for a class – especially if they’re doing projects and using plogs. Most regional science fairs already have a SMARTS group, and there are groups for various aspects of science, technology, engineering, and math.

Visit SMARTS to get started!