New and emerging digital technologies are making an impact on how we practice science, and this has implications on how we teach science. We introduce the concept of the Electronic Laboratory Notebook (ELN) as used in the research environment and describe how we have implemented this as a tool for providing undergraduate science students with an authentic research experience. We suggest this tool could be similarly used in schools. The online environment provides the opportunity for science to be conducted in the open. Citizen science and large-scale collaborative open science projects have been developed to enhance the collaborative nature of science practice for groups who can contribute to research projects, large or small, from anywhere in the world and to ensure that the record keeping conventions are adhered to. We know that teaching science by offering students opportunities to participate in research projects is considered best practice, and both the technology and the philosophical shift to practice open and collaborative science has made more accessible opportunities for students to engage in authentic science practice. In this paper, we outline the four methods by which research activities can be integrated into teaching, and describe how each of these can be enhanced by open science and the ELN. We also include examples of how educators, from primary schools to tertiary institutions, have partnered with their students on fascinating projects which inspire.