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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

 

"Crossing the Delaware": Who is portrayed in American history?

<p>This collection highlights variations on a theme through works of art: George Washington Crossing the Delaware, George Washington Carver Crossing the Delaware and Shimomura Crossing the Delaware. Comparisons of these works could serve as springboards for discussions about identity, immigration, "master" or dominant narratives in history, and hero myths.</p> <p>#EthnicStudies</p>
Ashley Naranjo
8
 

Highlights Collection: Mystery Learning Resources

<p>This is a Smithsonian Learning Lab topical collection, which contains images, text, and other multimedia resources that may complement the Tween Tribune feature, <em><a href="https://www.tweentribune.com/article/teen/without-edgar-allan-poe-we-wouldnt-have-sherlock-holmes/" target="_blank">Without Edgar Allan Poe, We Wouldn’t Have Sherlock Holmes</a>.</em> Use these resources to introduce or augment your study of this topic.</p> <p><a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/create"></a></p>
Ashley Naranjo
36
 

"Water Matters" Online Conference Series: Archive and Illustration Summaries

<p>This online conference series invites educators and students to take an active role in global environmental issues around water. Learn from experts in the field, share ideas, and collaborate with people around the world who, like you, are committed to solving environmental challenges. Includes illustration summaries and the archive of each session, with interdisciplinary connections to water issues . Original Airdates: Spring 2012</p>
Ashley Naranjo
42
 

Getting to Know You: Icebreaker Ideas with the Smithsonian Learning Lab

<p>This collection includes ideas for using digital museum resources as a springboard for getting to know your students this school year. Three practical, teacher-tested activity ideas are shared within the archived webinar and an additional teacher-submitted idea is included. </p> <p><em>Tags</em>: ISTE standards, digital curation, icebreakers, ice breakers, object portraits, Burton Morris, Robert Weingarten, first day of school, CURIO, artifacts, introductions, knowledge constructor, creative communicator, My Smithsonian Closet, Nightstand Portraits, What makes you who you are?</p>
Ashley Naranjo
18
 

Athletes and Aviators: Women Who Shaped History

<p>This topical collection includes resources related to featured women athletes and aviators. This collection includes portraits of the athletes and aviators, related artifacts, articles, videos with experts, and related Smithsonian Learning Lab collections. Use this collection to launch lessons about the women's life stories, primary source analysis, and examination of the context in which these women lived and made their contributions. This collection is not comprehensive but rather provides a launching point for research and study.  <br /></p> <p>Keywords: Bessie Coleman, Pancho Barnes, Babe Zaharias, Billie Jean King, Florence Griffith Joyner ("Flo Jo"), Ibtihaj Muhammad, #BecauseOfHerStory<br /></p>
Ashley Naranjo
39
 

Go-go: The Heartbeat of Washington, D.C.

<p>This thematic collection includes videos of performances, oral histories and short articles to support opportunities for listening, evaluating and connecting to Go-go music. These resources could be integrated into lessons and activities, supporting a deeper understanding of historical and social context for a genre of music originating in Washington, D.C.</p> <p></p> <p>Keywords: DCPS, Chuck Brown, oral history, performance, concert, music, #DontMuteDC, Gogo, Go go</p>
Ashley Naranjo
8
 

Street Art: Local Washington, D.C. and Global Examples

<p>This thematic collection includes articles, interviews, images and online tours to support opportunities for exploring the relationship between visual art, attention seeking and attention getting. These resources could be integrated into lessons and activities, supporting a deeper understanding of street art both locally in Washington, D.C. and globally.  Featuring artists' response to COVID-19.</p> <p></p> <p>Keywords: DCPS "Somethin' Like a Phenomenon" visual arts unit, street art, stencil making, spray paint, graffiti, public art, mural</p>
Ashley Naranjo
6
 

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
 

Uncovering the Secrets of Queen Kapi’olani’s Canoe

<p>This collection explores the cultural and historical significance of two diplomatic missions by Hawaiian King Kalākaua and Queen Kapi'olani to the United States. These 19th-century diplomatic missions established the first state dinner hosted by U.S. President Grant and included the gifting of a canoe from Queen Kapi'olani to the Smithsonian. Students can watch a video interview about this history and answer guided questions, then look closely  and analyze portraits of the monarchs, read more about the history of U.S. state dinners, and learn about the contemporary collaborations curators have with community members to reveal the history of objects, as described in the film. </p> <p><em>This Smithsonian Learning Lab collection received Federal support from the Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.</em><br /></p><p>#APA2018<br /></p> <p>Tags: Hawaii, Kapiolani, Kalakaua, outrigger canoe, wa'a, diplomacy</p>
Ashley Naranjo
16
 

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
 

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
 

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