| Megan Trow Garcia |
Biography |
Abstract |
- Distance Learning Specialist
- Downtown Learning Center
- Roberts High School, Salem-Keizer School District
- United States
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Ms. Garcia is an online curricula developer and instructor for Salem-Keizer School District in Salem, Oregon, as well as for the College Credit Now program at Chemeketa Community College. She has created, developed and taught numerous online courses, including college level writing courses, a multi-media communications and technology course for the Siletz Indian tribe through Oregon State University, and health and wellness courses for migrant students in collaboration with a nationally recognized health educator. She was selected in 2008 as one of 50 educators world wide for participation in Google Teachers Academy and is a Google Certified Teacher. A Graduate Fellow of the Oregon Writing Project at Willamette University, she has been selected to participate in projects on a regional and international level for her innovative teaching. With a background in ESL, she taught in Mexico and Guatemala. Most recently, she has worked extensively to provide equity in education for Latino and other minority students; her interest in using technology for English Language Learners has extended to teaching and fieldwork in Galápagos, Ecuador. In addition to teaching, she is the founder of a private tutoring academy and has received national recognition for her work with field trial Labrador retrievers. She received her MA in Linguistics from the University of Pittsburgh.
Despite numerous research studies by scientists on the endangered flora and fauna
of the Galápagos islands, few studies have been done from the perspective of the
islands' human inhabitants, found mainly on Santa Cruz, San Cristóbal and Isabel.
Over 97% of the land area of Galápagos, Ecuador is a National Park and designated
by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site; for that reason, it is important to the world
community. However, the overall image that emerges from published research and
popular National Geographic programs is misleading: many people outside of
Ecuador think only of Darwin, the mammals, and fish found there and do not know
that the islands are indeed inhabited. Five islands have a total population of around
20,000 people with a projected population of 40,000 people by 2014 due to
immigration and birth rate increase. In one of the few studies done concerning the
quality of education, Dr. Carl M. Stepath (Oceanography lecturer, Kauai Community
College; Adjunct lecturer, School of Education, James Cook University), noted in
2007 that "The educational system does not appear to have contributed substantially
to improve the quality of life of the population, nor to provide training for
employment and careers needed in the special island situation (e.g. tourism
industry), nor to informal education of the family." (cited in bibliography) The
confluence of population growth, over-fishing, over-tourism, unemployment and
geographic isolation points to the need for multidisciplinary research, technological
innovation and global collaboration to find solutions. Currently, one
university, Universidad San Francisco de Quito, located on San Cristóbal, has the
potential and intention to create partnerships for expanded education throughout the
islands. To enhance the lives of the people living in Galápagos, this project presents
some of the economic, education, and environmental perspectives for further
consideration for Fulbright New Century Scholars. Using the methodologies of action
research and concurrent ethnography with representatives of institutions and with
stakeholders now living the islands, it will 1) articulate, develop, and share a
comprehensive model for Universidad San Francisco de Quito to serve as
a "Knowledge Center and Innovation Driver" for institutions and inhabitants of the
islands in the Galápagos through action research of data sources and concurrent
ethnographic interviews; 2) using information gathered in Actions for Goal #1, create
a model to establish partnerships and to develop programs using technology for
Universidad San Francisco de Quito and branch campuses to best serve the
education, economic, and environmental needs of the stakeholders. and 3) using
appropriate technologies, communicate and share with the Fulbright New Century
Scholars Program and others the products of the project, their benefits to Galapagos
stakeholders, and the potential for replication world wide. The research will add
nuance to our understanding of the role of the university as Knowledge Center and
Innovation Driver and its potential to enhance economic development in Galápagos.
This study is part of a growing body of research on the human population
perspectives of Galápagos. By researching and by conducting an ethnographic study
with Galápagos natives and immigrants, this project will contribute to future research
on similar topics to help fulfill the university's role in Galápagos to "underpin market
productivity and economic growth, sustain civil society, and contribute to an
improving quality of life" (NCS Background).
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