User Image

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

 

Zora Neale Hurston: Author, Anthropologist and Folklore Researcher

<p>This teaching collection includes introductory resources to begin a study of Zora Neale Hurston, as an author, anthropologist and folklore researcher during the Harlem Renaissance.</p><p>#BecauseOfHerStory<br /></p>
Ashley Naranjo
11
 

World War I Stamps

<p>This topical collection features forty international stamps that were issued during the World War I era. These stamps will serve as inspiration and a starting point for teacher-created Smithsonian Learning Lab collections during the National Postal Museum's workshop, "<a href="https://postalmuseum.si.edu/education/professional-development/index.html" target="_blank">My Fellow Soldiers: Letters from World War I</a>" (July 2017) </p> <p>#NPMTeacherPrograms<br /></p>
Ashley Naranjo
41
 

World War II Homefront Posters

Using these wartime posters, students will identify the message of each poster. They will determine the effect of the posters on daily life and the way that average citizens were being called to action to help in the war effort. Finally, students should consider the following questions: Why was it important to have a united homefront during the war? What roles do these posters depict for Americans supporting the war? How did these posters affect opinions and actions during wartime?
Ashley Naranjo
11
 

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

This collection uses the Harvard Project Zero Visible Thinking routine, highlighting interpretation with justification. The strategy is paired with a poster from the Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum. Once you have examined the poster and answered the questions, view the original resource and the related blog post to check and see how your interpretation compares with the expert. How does viewing the poster 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
 

What Makes You Say That?: Interpretation with Justification Routine with an Artwork

<p>This collection uses the Harvard Project Zero Visible Thinking routine, highlighting interpretation with justification. The strategy is paired with an artwork from the Smithsonian American Art Museum. Once you have examined the artwork and answered the questions, view an archived webinar with a museum educator to compare your interpretation. How does viewing the artwork with the museum label change your interpretation? How did what you noticed in the artwork compare with what the educators shared?<br /><br />Suggestions for teachers regarding visual clues for this image are in the "Notes to Other Users" section.</p><p><em>#visiblethinking</em><br /></p>
Ashley Naranjo
3
 

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
 

Visual Art and Music

This collection includes a 10-minute podcast produced by the Smithsonian American Art Museum, as well as complementary images and video featured within the discussion highlighting connections between visual art and music. Thematic questions include: How can music inspire visual art? How can art be translated into music? Lesson ideas for connecting visual art design elements and musical elements for students follow. <br /> <br /> This collection was created for the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Arts Professional Development Day.
Ashley Naranjo
8
 

U.S. Presidential Inauguration Resources

This teaching collection includes resources, such as video interviews with expert historians, artworks, memorabilia and photographs of the American tradition of presidential inaugurations, including the Oath of Office, the Inaugural Address, the Inauguration Parade and the Inaugural Ball. Discussion Questions: -How does a U.S. presidential inauguration compare to a royal coronation? -How are these events populist (for ordinary citizens)? How are they elitist (for the high class elite)? -Where can inauguration traditions be traced? -What is required by the Constitution to occur at a presidential inauguration? -What events have become a tradition over time? -What objects help tell the story of inaugurations over time?
Ashley Naranjo
36
 

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
 

Thomas Paine's "Common Sense"

This teaching collection includes resources such as a dramatic reading, an online exhibition, a postage stamp, and an article related to Thomas Paine, a Founding Father of the United States, who famously authored the influential pamphlet, "Common Sense". Also includes excerpts of "Common Sense" and a Document Analysis Sheet with suggested questions for in-depth examination. Guiding Question: How did this document inspire change in the colonies? Use textual evidence to support your answer.
Ashley Naranjo
7
 

The Invention of Thanksgiving

<p>This collection explores the evolving history of how Americans celebrate Thanksgiving. The introductory video, podcast and lesson in the collection help provide context for the complicated portrayal and depiction of what actually happened at the first Thanksgiving and how it is celebrated today.</p> <p>The images in this collection are different portrayals of the holiday over time. They have been grouped in order of publication from 1863 to 1994. As you look through them and complete the activities, think about these three key questions:</p> <ul><li>How does the context in which an image was produced affect the result? Meaning, how does what was happening at the time affect what kind of picture of Thanksgiving we see?</li><li>What do the images say about our national identity: who is welcome in the United States? What do we celebrate and why? Whose version of the Thanksgiving story does each image tell?</li></ul><p>This collection was adapted from Kate Harris' collection, <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/thanksgiving-a-reflection-of-a-nation/b8W1UbCW2mhRrra5" target="_blank">Thanksgiving-- A Reflection of A Nation</a> and supplemented with the National Museum of the American Indian's<em> <a href="https://nmai.si.edu/americans/#stories/queen-of-america" target="_blank">Americans</a></em> online exhibition. <br /></p> <p><em>#historicalthinking</em></p> <p><br /></p>
Ashley Naranjo
19
 

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