Hello Bill. The students in this video came from Croatia, Japan, Mongolia, Oman, Taiwan, Thailand and the United States. Not all the students were fluent in English… a few of them seemed eager to participate but then on camera they struggled with the language. It occurred to us that our strategy should be to encourage them to speak in their own languages and it made a difference immediately! The students really opened up when they could fully express themselves. Teachers were there to help translate.
-----When the American student Isaac said,” We’re speaking the same language, which is science...” he hit the nail on the head. The science protocols and activities in the field became their common language. It was the bond that brought them together. Because these students share a common interest in, and knowledge about GLOBE’s approach to Earth Science, they were constantly chatting about issues in their communities and sharing information about how they were applying what they were learning to finding solutions.
-----We’re really looking forward to the GLOBE Learning Expedition, in Ireland in July, where we’ll be hosting students from 40 countries!  ~janH

Thanks Marcy, GLOBE wouldn't be where it is today without energetic teachers like you. You are right about the great wealth of resources that GLOBE has to share, from the free and downloadable Teachers Guide <https://www.globe.gov/web/elementary-globe/over...
and story books to the many opportunities to meet face to face in professional development workshops, the annual meetings and the once-every three-or-four-years global gathering, the GLOBE Learning Expedition. The meetings really seem to cement the community and inspire people to work collaboratively on inventive US and international projects. Everyone thrives on collaboration.. and teachers really appreciate the support of other teachers.

hi Kevin, I like your video too! you included some really nice footage of your students speaking up. It's so great to see how the GLOBE community is growing like crazy right now. 

Julianne... for teachers here's a good place to start. Learn the benefits, get trained:
https://www.globe.gov/get-trained at workshop near you. OR take online etraining.. the links ishere: https://www.globe.gov/get-trained/protocol-etra...
subscribe to our newsetter: https://www.globe.gov/join/opt-in
Pair up with a project collaborator: https://www.globe.gov/globe-community/find-a-co...
Learn about our special meetings and events, in the US and internationally: https://www.globe.gov/news-events/meetings_symp...
Just do it! learn how to become involved: https://www.globe.gov/do-globe
for STUDENTS..
We have an online international Virtual Science Symposium every year in the spring. Read about it here: https://www.globe.gov/news-events/globe-events/...
Just cruise the website. You'll get a lot of ideas at www.globe.gov

Thank you Claire. I've noticed, in this showcase, that the videos I like best are the ones that tell the story of impactful projects or programs through the words of the students themselves. It's more powerful to hear students tell their own stories, rather than to be told about students. At GLOBE we impart the tools to explore the natural world, through keen observation and data collection, but we are coming to see too that the ability to talk about the research, to share it and to convincingly convey the value of it, is every bit as important as the research itself. That's why this year, at our GLOBE Learning Expedition in Ireland, we are bringing in a team of professional storytellers from Dublin, who will help students discover the art of storytelling. We're excited to introduce this element into our event (with hundreds of students from approximately 40 countries!) in July. We have reached capacity.. all sold out!.. but you might want to learn more about what is in store ...to be alert to the next one, by reading about it here: https://www.globe.gov/news-events/meetings_symp...

Hi William thanks for your supportive comments! The students pay their own ways to these events... but schools often find ways to fundraise to help support a team. No the plane tickets are not cheap but registrations which include all activities and a majority of meals, are very reasonable. We may reserve a few spots for students, teachers, scientists, and partners so to get a good diversity of participants but overall the opportunity to attend the annual meeting, which includes the Student Research Experience and field experiences (like the one in this film) or the GLOBE Learning Expedition (like the one in Ireland this summer) are just first come first served. Often it is at these events that students find like-minded students to collaborate with over the next school year. We also have an online International Virtual Science Symposium every year and, in the US, regional science symposia across the country. (https://www.globe.gov/web/united-states-of-amer...).
Some schools have created GLOBE Clubs, for after-school activities like taking care of weather stations they have built on their school yards. There are always new and exciting things happening in the GLOBE community.

Thanks William, I work with Jan at the GLOBE Implementation Office.  The GLOBE students that attend our annual meeting are selected by the country coordinators of GLOBE in specific countries.  We don't select the students for meetings.  However we have created an experience for students during our annual meeting, during which they use GLOBE protocols and learn from each other as well.  The students may end up working with each other on GLOBE research projects in the future.  In fact, after the a GLOBE Learning Expedition in India in 2014, a group of students created a video about students doing community service and was entered into a White House STEM Video competition.  Students can remain friends and do research for a number of years. 

Thank you for your comments and your great interest in the program  If you have any other questions, feel free to connect with us.   

Hi William, another aspect of GLOBE is that there is an entire network of GLOBE Coordinators and facilitators in addition to the Scientists, Implementation Office, Teachers and Students.  Coordinators may serve an entire country, a state, or a smaller region.  I served as the GLOBE Coordinator for the Iowa Academy of Science for 15 years.  Our partnership worked to provide additional opportunities for our teachers and students.  Here is a list of some of the opportunities our partnership offered to Iowa teachers and students:

• 1-2 week basic GLOBE workshops
• 1-3 day advanced workshops limited to a specific GLOBE protocol area
• refresher workshops on data entry and site selection,
• school visits to set up sites
• school visits so that students could present their research to members of our team.
• invited GLOBE teachers to present their GLOBE experiences to their peers at the Iowa Science Teaching Annual Conference. 
• invited students  and student/teacher teams to present at our Iowa Academy of Science Annual Meeting. 
• in partnership with the University of Northern Iowa, we invited GLOBE schools to present at the UNI Showcase on Technology (later Showcase on STEM), where 1 teacher and 5 students presented an exhibit and a 10-20 min presentation to the Universities preservice educators.
• invited schools to present projects to our training team from their classroom through the Iowa Communication network and later Adobe Connect and Zoom.

Of course not all of these opportunities happened every year.  Each partnership has different resources at different times.  Some work within their state departments of education, others at Universities or non-profits.

Some teachers and schools take on the communication role on their own and partner with a sister school (maybe in the same city or maybe in two different countries) to communicate back and forth.

GLOBE is more than a program, it is a community!

That's great, Tony. How does the "virtual" component work? Are they the same students who ultimately meet each other in person, or do some students work together virtually without ever traveling?

The virtual component for the program is open to all students across the program.  The face-to-face meetings are also open to all students but all costs are generally covered by them to attend.  We do however, offer a small stipend to some students who have submitted projects to the International Virtual Science Symposium.  

So students may never meet each other in person but can communicate with each other in numerous ways.

Thanks for sharing the link Leah. Glad to know about this now. The student experience that our video portrays, held in Rocky Mt National Park, was special because it took place during the 100th anniversary year of the National Parks and there were a lot of special resources around that that we could point our students to. The theme of our big event in Ireland this year has, for its theme, Developing a Sense of Place: Mountains, Woods and Wate . We value helping students to develop that sense of place by imparting some knowledge of the geoplogy, geography and history of the area, its flora and fauna, history and legends because in doing so we enhance environmental literacy and stewardship. It's an important part of our mission!

Thanks for your comments Ylliass. Great to hear from you.

Thanks Ylliass for your words.  It is wonderful to see the impact that the program has had on you as a student and now the impact you are having on it as an alum, assistant Country Coordinator for Benin, and now a Working Group member.