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Ashley Naranjo

Education and Outreach Strategist
Smithsonian Institution
Smithsonian Staff

Ashley Naranjo, M.Ed. is a museum educator, specializing in the use of digital resources for teaching and learning. She currently manages distance learning initiatives and education partnerships for the Smithsonian. Portfolio highlights have included: the Smithsonian Quests digital badging program, Smithsonian Online Education Conferences, Smithsonian Learning Lab nationwide teacher professional development, Teachers of the Year programming at the Smithsonian, “Explore with Smithsonian Experts” video series, and Smithsonian print publication guides.

Before coming to the Smithsonian, she has had experiences in education in both formal and informal learning spaces: as an ESOL instructor for adults, a middle school teacher in the humanities and a summer programs administrator. She holds a B.A. in Human Development (Developmental Psychology) from the Lynch School of Education at Boston College, where she was a research assistant and independent study student in the Laboratory of Thinking, Learning & Cognition in the Arts. She completed a M.Ed. in Learning Design and Technology from the Rossier School of Education at the University of Southern California, with a thesis entitled, “Using Digital Museum Resources in the Classroom”. She is a 2019 graduate of the Getty Leadership Institute’s NextGen of Museum Leaders program.

Ashley Naranjo's collections

 

Teaching Resources: Blues Music

<p>This teaching collection includes a variety of resources to complement a study of 12-bar blues and ‘melodic improvisation’. Through these lesson plans, sheet music, video performances and podcasts, teachers can introduce key elements of the blues sound, as well as writing with the historical context of the development of the blues. </p> <p>This collection was created for the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Arts Professional Development Day.</p><p>#SmithsonianMusic<br /></p>
Ashley Naranjo
29
 

Teaching Resources: Creating a Classroom Exhibition

In a museum, it is the job of curators to select objects for display. Curators also study the objects in the museum’s collection. They learn as much as they can about each object so that they can share the story with the museum’s visitors. This collection of teaching resources includes lesson plan ideas for creating a classroom exhibition, a video detailing the Cooper Hewitt's "Digital Curator Project" with teens, as well as a small sample of videos of curators from around the Smithsonian discussing their jobs and research interests. Also included are suggested guidelines for a peer review of student exhibitions.
Ashley Naranjo
15
 

Teaching Resources: Drama

This teaching collection includes a variety of resources including video performances, lesson plans and blogs with teaching ideas for bringing role playing to the classroom, as a means of making connections of the past to the present. Includes program ideas from the History Alive theater program at the National Museum of American History and the Portraits Alive program at the National Portrait Gallery. <br /><br /> This collection was created for the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Arts Professional Development Day.
Ashley Naranjo
23
 

The Civil Rights Movement and Persuasive Messages

In this learning resource collection, take a look at six persuasive messages that addressed civil rights issues in very different forms: a speech, a song, a button, a protest sign, a poster, and an artwork.
Ashley Naranjo
9
 

The Four Freedoms

The "Four Freedoms" speech, as the 1941 State of the Union address came to be known, were goals outlined by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt on January 6, 1941 to Congress and the American people. He proposed four fundamental freedoms that people everywhere in the world should enjoy and described the "unprecedented" threat that Nazi domination of Europe presented to the security of the United States. This Learning Lab collection includes four Norman Rockwell paintings, alongside a portrait of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and a stamp with this iconic phrase. An audio excerpt of the speech is available via the National Archives and included here.
Ashley Naranjo
11
 

The Gunboat Philadelphia

<p>Through photographs, text, videos, interviews, a map &amp; a 3D model, students can explore the history of the oldest surviving American naval vessel, the <em>Gunboat Philadelphia, </em><em></em>which is in the permanent collections of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History. The <em>Philadelphia </em>(1776) played an important role during the Revolutionary War. The first five resources in this collection show the discovery and preservation of the sunken boat, while the last three offer more information on its historical significance. <span></span></p><p>This could be used by students to consider what each type of media reveals. What information can you learn from the single resource? From the collection of media combined? What more context is needed? </p>
Ashley Naranjo
8
 

Understanding Intersectionality

<p>This topical collection includes videos and articles to support teachers in learning and teaching about the concept of <em>intersectionality</em> and being more mindful of <em>intersectionality</em> in their own teaching.  As defined by Teaching Tolerance,  <em>Intersectionality</em> refers to the social, economic and political ways in which identity-based systems of oppression and privilege connect, overlap, and influence one another. </p> <p>This collection begins with a video from the National Museum of African American History and Culture that serves as a  primer on the subject and also includes a TED Talk by Kimberlé Crenshaw, Washington Post articles on the subject, a Teaching Tolerance magazine article, and Crenshaw's 1989 research article, "Demarginalizing the Intersection of Race and Sex: A Black Feminist Critique of Antidiscrimination Doctrine, Feminist Theory and Antiracist Politics." Teachers and students may use this collection as a springboard for classroom discussions.</p> <p>#APA2018 #EthnicStudies</p>
Ashley Naranjo
7
 

Unveiling Stories: Marian Anderson in Concert at the Lincoln Memorial

This collection uses the Harvard Project Zero Global Thinking routine to reveal multiple layers of meaning in a set of photographs and artworks. The strategy is paired with photographs and artworks from the National Portrait Gallery, the National Museum of American History and the Smithsonian American Art Museum, as well as a Smithsonian Channel video and two essays recounting the day's events. Using the "Unveiling Stories" routine, along with some guided questions, students will look at a single story from multiple dimensions. Questions for the first two artworks by William H. Johnson are suggested to be answered in a Think, Pair, Share discussion format. Tags: William H. Johnson, Marian Anderson, Easter 1939 concert, Lincoln Memorial
Ashley Naranjo
14
 

Using Digital Resources to Integrate Asian Pacific American Experiences in the Classroom

<p>In this collection, Smithsonian Affiliate museums and the Smithsonian Learning Lab team share free digital resources and strategies to integrate Asian Pacific American history, culture, and the arts into your K-12 classroom, via a Google Hangout. Presenters highlight a set of Smithsonian Learning Lab collections that teachers can adapt and use to examine a breadth of topics, from the 1800's to the present and on both local and national scales, in ways that best suit their students’ needs.</p> <p> Find <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/search?st=apa2018&st_op=and&item_type=collections" class="yt-simple-endpoint style-scope yt-formatted-string" style="background-color:rgb(63,63,63);">#APA2018</a> Smithsonian Learning Lab collections at: <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/search?st=apa2018&st_op=and&item_type=collections" class="yt-simple-endpoint style-scope yt-formatted-string" style="background-color:rgb(63,63,63);">https://learninglab.si.edu/search?st=...</a></p> <p>This online session received Federal support from the Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.</p> <p><u>Presenters:</u></p> <ul><li>Kristin Gallas – Program Manager for Education Development, <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/profile/tsongas_industrial_history_center" target="_blank">Tsongas Industrial History Center</a> (Lowell, MA) </li><li><a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/profile/18894" target="_blank">Rahul Gupta</a> – Education and Tours Director, Wing Luke Museum of the Asian Pacific American Experience (Seattle, WA) </li><li><a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/profile/austinaarc" target="_blank">Hanna Huang</a> – Culture and Arts Education Coordinator, Asian American Resource Center (Austin, TX) </li><li><a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/profile/8">Ashley Naranjo</a> – Manager of Educator Engagement, Smithsonian Office of Educational Technology</li><li><a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/profile/26844" target="_blank" style="background-color: rgb(63, 63, 63);">John Plunkett</a> – Reading-Language Arts Teacher, Lowell Public School District (Lowell, MA) </li><li><a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/profile/9" target="_blank">Tess Porter</a> – Education Support Specialist, Smithsonian Office of Educational Technology</li></ul> <p></p>
Ashley Naranjo
7
 

Water-Related Hazards: Flooding

This topical collection includes resources about a water-related hazard, namely flooding. Includes global examples in images and video, including Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates; Al Uqsur, Egypt; Herkimer, NY; Manila; and Venice, Italy. The effects of the Great Flood of 1927 and the US Army Corps of Engineers' response with the Mississippi River are also included.
Ashley Naranjo
11
 

Water-Related Hazards: Hurricanes

This topical collection includes resources about water-related hazards and natural disasters, namely hurricanes. Includes examples from around the world and over time, including Hurricane Ike in Texas and the Greater Antilles, Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast, and Hurricane Sandy in the Northeastern region of the United States. Finally, a lesson plan asking students to design a post-hurricane revitalization plan is included.
Ashley Naranjo
11
 

What Makes You Say That?: Interpretation with Justification Routine with a Historical Photograph

This collection uses the Harvard Project Zero Visible Thinking routine, highlighting interpretation with justification. The strategy is paired with a photograph from the National Portrait Gallery. Once you have examined the photograph and answered the questions, view the original resource and the short video with a curator to check and see if your interpretation was correct. How does viewing the photograph with the museum label change your interpretation? Suggestions for teachers regarding visual clues for this image are in the "Notes to Other Users" section.
Ashley Naranjo
3