Citizen Science as a Cultural Bridge: The GLOBE Virtual Exchange Toolkit

Abstract:

The GLOBE Program worked with the U.S. Department of State’s Collaboratory of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) to develop a toolkit for teachers connecting GLOBE schools involved in the Zika Education and Prevention Project. Virtual Exchanges were organized to connect students collecting water samples and tracking mosquito habitats in Brazil, Kenya, Paraguay and Thailand virtually prior to the 2018 GLOBE Learning Expedition Meeting in Ireland where some of the students then had the opportunity to meet in person. In these exchanges, students shared photos, videos and stories and connected virtually to learn about mosquito-borne diseases and science communications. Feedback from the participating teachers was incorporated into a GLOBE Virtual Exchange Toolkit by both ECA and GLOBE Implementation Office (GIO). A pilot was then conducted with this new Toolkit where six pairs of schools in Brazil, Estonia, Kenya, Thailand and the U.S. (ranging from middle to secondary school aged students) field tested the toolkit to organize and implement a month-long virtual exchange on GLOBE science activities being conducted by the students. Following the virtual exchanges, the teachers provided comments and suggestions for the toolkit and companion website, and the toolkit was made available to the broader GLOBE community in July. This presentation will review the feedback to the toolkit, as well as show what the toolkit might be able to provide moving forward to support cultural exchange engagement on authentic science experiences over a sustained period of time, including steps, program ideas, suggested criteria, sample timeline, best practices / experiences, as well as technical troubleshooting tips.