Taking a Virtual Journey When it is Needed the Most
Debbi Stone
Vice President of Learning
The Florida Aquarium
Tampa, Florida
At a time when so many of us can only imagine what it would be like to travel to a faraway destination, and teachers and caregivers seek innovative ways to continue their children’s education, an ideal partnership was strengthened to answer the call for both! The Florida Aquarium, in collaboration with the Tampa Bay STEM Network and Earth2Ocean, Inc., launched a new free online reading series in April with author and scientist Dr. Ellen Prager, virtually transporting us to the Galápagos Islands as she blended fact and fiction in an adventure like no other in her new book, Escape Galápagos. And so many of us needed an adventure, as we were facing so much uncertainty and change. What made the virtual escape to the Galápagos Islands possible, and what made the outcome all the more rewarding, were the relationships and people coming together to plan and execute an educational experience that was part journey, part STEM, and all fun.
A long-standing and rewarding relationship had existed between The Florida Aquarium and Dr. Ellen Prager, long before any of us knew we would be looking for even more innovative ways to support families at home adapting to new ways of learning together. “Pre-COVID,” whether she was reading underwater to students from Title 1 schools from within the Aquarium’s coral reef exhibit, or guest speaking at a Tampa Bay STEM Network family STEM Night to share exciting first-hand accounts of living underwater in the Aquarius Reef Base program in Key Largo, FL, Dr. Prager had brought science to life for so many. I have personally been inspired by her dedication to making science accessible to all ages through her dynamic communication style, and when Florida schools and sites such as The Florida Aquarium closed their doors in March, Dr. Prager was ready to work with us to reach audiences virtually with science, adventure, and inspiration…at a time when so many of us needed an escape more than ever. We knew our doors would open again, but we didn’t know when, and we wanted to do something together that could help us through this unprecedented time.
A packed house at The Florida Aquarium as Dr. Ellen Prager shares wonders of the Galapagos with Aquarium members
Dr. Ellen Prager reading underwater at The Florida Aquarium (May 2015)
Combining her skill as a storyteller, love of laughter, and experiences in the Galápagos Islands, Dr. Prager wanted to share her newest adventure, Escape Galápagos, with students and their families at home. And at The Florida Aquarium, we were building our virtual learning offerings and opportunities as requests for help with at-home learning and engagement came in from students, teachers, and caregivers. Our vision to protect and restore our blue planet motivates us to nurture a fascination for nature and a love for exploration, and few places offer the promise of discovery and wonder like the Galápagos Islands! The story unfolded live via the Aquarium’s Facebook page and was made available for free in its entirety at https://www.flaquarium.org/escape-galapagos. Several drawing tutorials were also added to highlight some of the Galápagos Islands’ charismatic animals, while also providing some added fun for budding artists.
Student at home watching Escape Galápagos reading live! (April 2020)
The Florida Aquarium and the Tampa Bay STEM Network shared the Escape Galápagos opportunity broadly to ensure it reached audiences of all ages, as the blend of science and storytelling provided the ideal platform for engaging students in STEM learning while fostering an appreciation for reading. As Dr. Prager has journeyed to the Galápagos Islands herself, as science advisor to Celebrity Cruises in the Galápagos Islands, she was able to incorporate stunning photos and videos from her time there as backdrops for the Escape Galápagos action. It was exhilarating to watch the story unfold, knowing that audiences of all ages were watching right along with us, and that new audiences will be able to continue to watch it on demand as well.
This has been a challenging time for so many of us. We are struggling with the changes happening around us, adapting to a new way of thinking about learning as we also adapt to many changes at home and in our communities. When we come together, we find new ways to work through these changes, and our friends can make all the difference. There are many things we can do in our own organizations and networks, but finding ways to collaborate and share brings about new and exciting opportunities. Dr. Ellen Prager is certainly a friend like no other! Her ability to connect with audiences through her amazing experiences enabled The Florida Aquarium to share a unique journey with audiences, and the Tampa Bay STEM Network helped spread the word to ensure that the journey was made available to diverse audiences. I hope that many of you reading this will also join the adventure, as you may find that you needed a trip to the Galápagos Islands more than you realized…but, then again, don’t we all need a trip to somewhere amazing right now?
In her role as Vice President of Learning, Debbi has the privilege of connecting audiences to our aquatic world via the unique platform of an aquarium. The aquarium’s living ocean ambassadors help connect people to dynamic systems and to our roles as stewards of the environment. From field trips to camps, outreach programs to family engagement, and so much in between, programming strives to inspire the aquarium’s audiences to take action to protect our blue planet. Debbi has served as President of the Florida Marine Science Educators Association (a chapter of NMEA) and is currently the Informal Learning Chair for the National Science Education Leadership Association and Vice-Chair for the Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ Conservation Education Committee, so she strives to collaborate with amazing colleagues to amplify their important work. Her favorite places to be are above or below the water, finding peace and joy whenever she is kayaking, diving or snorkeling, or standing on a shoreline...wondering what is happening beneath the waves.
