Tess Porter
User Experience Strategist (she/her)
Smithsonian Office of Educational Technology
Smithsonian Staff
I'm the former User Experience Strategist at the Smithsonian Office of Educational Technology. Here, I focused on the use of digital museum resources to support teaching and learning. My work draws on my experience as a museum educator, digital analyst, usability researcher, and content designer. I hold a B.A. in Anthropology and a B.A. in Art History from University Colorado Boulder, and an M.S. in Museums and Digital Culture with an Advanced Certificate in User Experience from Pratt Institute.
Tess Porter's collections
Edgar Allan Poe: Examining Portraiture
<p>This teacher's guide provides portraits and analysis questions to enrich students' examination of Edgar Allan Poe, an American poet and author known for his stories of mystery, horror, and the macabre. Includes the video "Defining Portraiture: How are portraits both fact and fiction?" and the National Portrait Gallery's "<em>Reading" Portraiture Guide for Educators, </em>both of which provide suggestions and questions for analyzing portraiture. </p>
<p>Consider:</p>
<ul><li>What do these portraits have in common? How are they different?</li><li>How are these portraits both fact and fiction?</li><li>How do these portraits reflect how Edgar Allan Poe wanted to be seen, or how others wanted him to be seen? Consider for what purpose these portraits were created (such as the photograph, the stamp, the painting, etc.).</li><li>Having read one of his works, does the portrait capture your image of Edgar Allan Poe? Why, or why not?</li><li>If you were creating your own portrait of Edgar Allan Poe, what characteristics would you emphasize, and why?</li></ul><p>Keywords: boston, massachusetts, ma, baltimore, maryland, md, allen, gothic, raven, tell tale heart</p>
Tess Porter
7
Visual Connections between Buddhism and Ancient Greece
<p>Using the Project Zero Visible Thinking routine "See Think Wonder," this activity investigates the cultural connections between Ancient Greece, Rome, and Gandhara* as seen through a sculpture of the Buddha created in the 2nd century CE. Buddhist sculptures from Gandhara are significant not only because they show the extent of Alexander the Great's influence on Asia, but also because they are some of the first human depictions of the Buddha in the history of Buddhist art.</p>
<p>Even without a deep knowledge of the art of this period, students can make visual observations and comparisons that reveal the blending of Asian and Greco-Roman culture in this particular region.</p>
<p>*Gandhara is a region in what is now modern Afghanistan and Pakistan.</p>
<p>Keywords: greek, kushan, mathura, india, inquiry strategy, classical, roman, gautama, siddhārtha, siddhartha, shakyamuni, lakshanas, signs of the buddha</p>
<p><em>#visiblethinking</em><br></p>
Tess Porter
6
Perspectives in Portraiture: Wendy Red Star
<p>How can museum resources help your students consider multiple perspectives and find ways to uplift the voices of others? </p>
<p>This collection contains an activity and additional resources to help students build close looking skills, unveil stories, and explore diverse viewpoints—including their own. The first section of this collection is designed to use directly with students. The following sections are designed for teachers and include additional portraits, teaching ideas, and Smithsonian Learning Lab support to meet students' needs.</p>
<p>This collection was created with <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/profile/eveeaton">Eveleen Eaton</a> to support the 2023 Washington International School Summer Institute for Teachers (WISSIT). When used during this session, participants uploaded and annotated self-portraits with Google Slides. Consider using a digital or physical format to collect and display self-portraits created using this activity. <br><br>#WISSIT #WISSIT23</p>
<p></p>
Tess Porter
35
Identity, Community, and Fire Hats
<p>What can objects reveal about the values and beliefs of the people who created them? Explore fire hats, worn by volunteer fire fighters on the East Coast during the 1800s. Created for use during both fires and parades, these ornate hats contain symbols – historical figures, allegorical images, patriotic scenes, and more – that proclaim the wearers' cultural and political identity, as well as their positions on religion and immigration. What symbols do you see?</p>
<p>This collection contains a small selection of fire hats from the Smithsonian. To continue exploring, <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/search/?f%5B_types%5D%5B%5D=resource&st=fire%20hats&providers%5B%5D=National%20Museum%20of%20American%20History&s=&page=1">search for fire hats in the Smithsonian Learning Lab</a>. </p>
Tess Porter
12
National Portrait Gallery’s Asian Pacific American Portraiture (Artists & Sitters)
<p>This topical collection contains portraits and artwork that depict or were created by Asian Pacific Americans. Leslie Ureña, National Portrait Gallery Assistant Curator of Photographs, curated this group of resources from the National Portrait Gallery’s ever-expanding collections. A list of the museum’s collections on this topic is included as the second resource. <br /></p>
<p>Teachers and students may use this collection as a springboard for classroom discussion; for example, this collection may inspire students to conduct research about other Asian Pacific American artists and individuals. This collection is not comprehensive, but rather provides a launching point for further research and study. </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>Keywords: portraiture, photograph, sculpture, article, primary source, painting, poster, letter</p>
<p>#APA2018</p>
Tess Porter
122
Supporting Civic Investigations with the Smithsonian Learning Lab
<p>Created to support the 2022 <em>Smithsonian Summer Sessions</em> workshop, “Supporting Civic Investigations with the Smithsonian Learning Lab,” this collection gathers resources and pedagogical approaches to investigate "the people" as a political concept with students. This collection is inspired by Educating for American Democracy's content theme, <a href="https://www.educatingforamericandemocracy.org/the-roadmap/7themes/#we-the-people" target="_blank">We the People</a>.</p>
<p>The 2022 <em></em><em>Smithsonian Summer Sessions: Inspiring Civic Engagement </em>is a virtual professional development opportunity. Held synchronously in late June 2022, it will be made available as a free, asynchronous virtual course in Fall 2022. </p>
<p>#SummerSessions</p>
Tess Porter
26
Exploring Identity with Playful Art-Making: Shantell Martin
<p>This collection contains activities to explore personal identity and the identities of others using self-portraiture, contemporary art, discussion-provoking questions, playful art-making, and the works of Shantell Martin. The first half of this collection is designed for students to use directly, and includes artwork, videos, and Project Zero Thinking Routines to support explorations of how artists reveal parts of their identity through their work. The second half of the collection is designed for teachers and includes additional resources to support further exploration into Shantell Martin's work, portraiture, and ideas of identity.</p>
<p>This collection was created with <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/profile/eveeaton">Eveleen Eaton</a> to support the 2022 Washington International School Summer Institute for Teachers (WISSIT). When used during this session, participants uploaded their self-portraits to a digital exhibition created using Padlet. Consider using a digital or physical format to collect and display self-portraits created using this activity. <br><br>#WISSIT #WISSIT22<br></p>
Tess Porter
27
Tennessee Williams: Examining Portraiture
<p>This teacher's guide provides portraits and analysis questions to enrich students' examination of Tennessee Williams, an American playwright and Pulitzer Prize winner. Includes the video "Defining Portraiture: How are portraits both fact and fiction?" and the National Portrait Gallery's "<em>Reading" Portraiture Guide for Educators, </em>both of which provide suggestions and questions for analyzing portraiture. </p>
<p>Consider:</p>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<ul><li>What do these portraits have in common? How are they different?</li><li>How are these portraits both fact and fiction?</li><li>How do these portraits reflect how they wanted to be seen, or how others wanted them to be seen? Consider for what purpose these portraits were created (such as Time Magazine, stamp, etc.).</li><li>Having read one of his plays, does the portrait capture your image of Tennessee Williams? Why, or why not?</li><li>If you were creating your own portrait of Tennessee Williams, what characteristics would you emphasize, and why?</li></ul>
<p></p>
<p></p>
<p>Keywords: mississippi, ms, play, author, streetcar named desire, writer</p>
Tess Porter
7
Richard Wright: Examining Portraiture
<p>This teacher's guide provides portraits and analysis questions to enrich students' examination of Richard Wright, an American author whose works investigate the toll that racial prejudice exerted on society. Includes the video "Defining Portraiture: How are portraits both fact and fiction?" and the National Portrait Gallery's "<em>Reading" Portraiture Guide for Educators, </em>both of which provide suggestions and questions for analyzing portraiture. </p>
<p>Consider:</p>
<ul><li>What do these portraits have in common? How are they different?</li><li>How are these portraits both fact and fiction?</li><li>How do these portraits reflect how they wanted to be seen, or how others wanted them to be seen? Consider for what purpose these portraits were created (such as the stamp, etc.).</li><li>Having read one of his stories, does the portrait capture your image of Richard Wright? Why, or why not?</li><li>If you were creating your own portrait of Richard Wright, what characteristics would you emphasize, and why?</li></ul><p>Keywords: mississippi, ms, writer, native son</p>
Tess Porter
6
Homo floresiensis: Teaching Resources
<p>This topical collection gathers resources related to Homo floresiensis, commonly known as the Flores “Hobbit." H. floresiensis, was discovered in 2003, making it the second most recently discovered early human species. Contains a video, websites, a 3D interactive tour, and articles.</p><p>Keywords: physical anthropology</p>
Tess Porter
7
William Faulkner: Examining Portraiture
<p>This teacher's guide provides portraits and analysis questions to enrich students' examination of William Faulkner, an American author and Nobel Prize laureate. Includes the video "Defining Portraiture: How are portraits both fact and fiction?" and the National Portrait Gallery's "<em>Reading" Portraiture Guide for Educators, </em>both of which provide suggestions and questions for analyzing portraiture. </p>
<p>Consider:</p>
<ul><li>What do these portraits have in common? How are they different?</li><li>How are these portraits both fact and fiction?</li><li>How do these portraits reflect how they wanted to be seen, or how others wanted them to be seen? Consider for what purpose these portraits were created (such as the caricature, stamp, etc.).</li><li>Having read one of his stories, does the portrait capture your image of William Faulkner? Why, or why not?</li><li>If you were creating your own portrait of William Faulkner, what characteristics would you emphasize, and why?</li></ul><p>Keywords: mississippi, ms, the sound and the fury, writer</p>
Tess Porter
6
Asian Pacific Americans in Sports
<p>This topical collection about important Asian Pacific American athletes and sports innovators includes portraits, artifacts, blog posts, and a video. <br /></p>
<p>Teachers and students may use this collection as a springboard for classroom discussions about Asian Pacific American representation in sports. This collection is not comprehensive but rather provides a launching point for research and study. </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></p>
<p>Keywords: Duke Kahanamoku, Hawaiian, Pedro Flores, Filipino American, Philippines, Apolo Ohno, Japanese American, Kristi Yamaguchi, Craig Beardsley, Chinese American, Darsh Singh, Indian American, Sikh, Olympics, surfing, surfer, swimmer, swimming, yo-yo, yo-yoing, speed skating, ice skating, 9-man volleyball, rowing, baseball, basketball</p>
<p>#APA2018<br /></p>
Tess Porter
20
American Ingenuity, Innovation, and Enterprise: Opening Seminar Resources
<p>This collection previews the opening panel of the 2016 Montgomery College / Smithsonian Institution Fellowship seminar series. Three Smithsonian staff members will speak at this event: Tricia Edwards of the National Museum of American History, Doug Herman of the National Museum of the American Indian, and Josh Bell of the National Museum of Natural History.</p>
<p>Included in this collection: presenter bios, presentation titles and descriptions, and resources chosen by presenters for attendees to explore before attending the session. These resources are not required readings - instead, they provide guiding questions and background information to help prepare for discussion the day of the seminar.</p><p>#MCteach</p>
Tess Porter
12
American Ingenuity, Innovation, and Enterprise: National Portrait Gallery Seminar Resources
<p>This collection previews the third seminar of the 2016 Montgomery College / Smithsonian Institution Fellowship seminar series. Fellows will visit the National Portrait Gallery, explore the exhibitions, and learn strategies for examining portraiture in the classroom. Two National Portrait Gallery staff members will lead this seminar: David C. Ward, Senior Historian, and Briana Zavadil White, Student and Teacher Program Manager.</p>
<p>Included in this collection: presenter bios, presentation description, and resources chosen by the presenters for attendees to explore before attending the session. Fellows will be asked to discuss their answer to the quiz question during the seminar. Other resources are not required, but will help fellows prepare for discussion the day of the seminar.</p><p>#MCteach<br /></p>
Tess Porter
6
American Ingenuity, Innovation, and Enterprise: Renwick Gallery Seminar Resources
<p>This collection previews the first seminar of the 2016 Montgomery College / Smithsonian Institution Fellowship seminar series. Fellows will visit the Renwick Gallery, the Smithsonian American Art Museum’s branch for contemporary craft and decorative art, which recently re-opened in November 2015 after an extensive two-year renovation. Two Renwick Gallery staff members will speak at this event: Nicholas Bell, Fleur and Charles Bresler Curator-In-Charge, and Nora Atkinson, Lloyd Herman Curator of Craft. </p>
<p>Included in this collection: presenter bios, presentation descriptions, and resources chosen by presenters for attendees to explore before attending the session. These resources are not required, but will help fellows prepare for discussion the day of the seminar.</p><p>#MCteach<br /></p>
Tess Porter
8
American Ingenuity, Innovation, and Enterprise: National Museum of American Indian Seminar Resources
<p>This collection previews the second seminar of the 2016 Montgomery College / Smithsonian Institution Fellowship seminar series. Fellows will visit the National Museum of the American Indian, tour the exhibition "The Great Inka Road: Engineering an Empire," and watch the documentary "Caravan of Memory." Dr. José Barreiro, Assistant Director for Research, Director of the Office for Latin America, and co-curator of "The Great Inka Road," will lead the seminar.</p>
<p>Included in this collection: bio of presenter, presentation description, and resources chosen by the presenter for attendees to explore before attending the session. These resources are not required, but will help fellows prepare for discussion the day of the seminar.</p><p>#MCteach<br /></p>
Tess Porter
6
Eudora Welty: Examining Portraiture
<p>This teacher's guide provides a portrait and analysis questions to enrich students' examination of Eudora Welty, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author known for her evocative novels and short stories set in the American South. Includes the video "Defining Portraiture: How are portraits both fact and fiction?" and the National Portrait Gallery's "<em>Reading" Portraiture Guide for Educators, </em>both of which provide suggestions and questions for analyzing portraiture. Also includes a video and blog post that look closely at this portrait, as well as a related article about Mississippi's new writers trail that may be used as a lesson extension.</p>
<p>Consider:</p>
<ul><li>How is this portrait both fact and fiction?</li><li>How does this portrait reflect how Eudora Welty wanted to be seen, or how others wanted her to be seen? Consider for what purpose this portrait was created.</li><li>Having read one of her stories, does the portrait capture your image of Eudora Welty? Why, or why not?</li><li>If you were creating your own portrait of Eudora Welty, what characteristics would you emphasize, and why?<em></em></li></ul><p>Keywords: mississippi, ms, story, optimist's daughter, writer, #BecauseOfHerStory</p>
Tess Porter
6
Hawaiian Monarchs
<p>This topical collection includes resources related to the eight monarchs of the Kingdom of Hawaii. In order of succession, the monarchs are: Kamehameha I (r. 1810 - 1819); Kamehameha II (r. 1819 - 1824); Kamehameha III (r. 1825 - 1854); Kamehameha IV (r. 1855 - 1863); Kamehameha V (r. 1863 - 1872); Lunalilo (r. 1873 - 1874); Kalākaua (r. 1874 - 1891); and Liliʻuokalani (r. 1891 - 1893). </p>
<p>The Kingdom of Hawaii was established as a constitutional monarchy in 1810 by King Kamehameha I. In 1893, a coup led by American businessmen driven by sugar and pineapple business interests in the Hawaiian islands overthrew Queen Lili'uokalani. Despite native protests and Lili'uokalani's efforts to reclaim the throne, the United States annexed Hawaii as a territory in 1898. Hawaii became an American state in 1959.</p>
<p>This collection is not comprehensive but rather provides a launching point for further research and study.</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></p>
<p>Keywords: Kamamalu, Emma, Kapi'olani, Kapiolani, Kalakaua, Liliuokalani, Hawaiian, royals, royalty</p>
<p>#APA2018</p>
Tess Porter
37
Lalibela, Ethiopia: Teaching Resources
<p>This topical collection gathers teaching resources on Lalibela, a UNESCO site in Ethiopia famous for its rock-hewn churches built in the 12th and 13th centuries CE. Christianity was established early in Ethiopia, and orthodox Christianity became the official religion of the Axumite Kingdom in the 4th century CE. Includes a video, a website, objects, and a contemporary painting from the National Museum of African Art.</p>
<p>Keywords: ethiopian, africa, african, christian</p>
Tess Porter
11
Social Justice: Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage Resources
<p>This collection previews the fourth seminar of the 2017 Montgomery College / Smithsonian Institution Fellowship seminar series, <em>The Social Power of Music</em>. Two staff members from the Smithsonian Center for Folklife and Cultural Heritage will lead this event: James Deutsch and Atesh Sonneborn.</p>
<p>Resources and questions included in this collection have been chosen by the presenters for participants to explore and consider before the seminar itself. Two resources, included at the end of the collection, are optional materials for those interested in addtional background information on Smithsonian Folkways.</p>
<p>#MCteach</p>
Tess Porter
7
Social Justice: Opening Panel Resources
<p>This collection previews the opening panel of the 2017 Montgomery College / Smithsonian Institution Fellowship seminar series, <em>Social Justice: America's Unfinished Story of Struggle, Strife, and Sacrifice</em>. Four Smithsonian staff members will speak at this event: Igor Krupnik (Arctic Studies Center, Department of Anthropology, National Museum of Natural History), Lanae Spruce (National Museum of African American History and Culture), Ranald Woodaman (Smithsonian Latino Center), and E. Carmen Ramos (Smithsonian American Art Museum).</p>
<p>Each text annotation in this collection contains each speaker's presentation title, description, and bio. Following each text annotation are resources and questions chosen by the presenters for participants to consider before the panel itself.</p>
<p>#MCteach<br /></p>
Tess Porter
17
American Ingenuity, Innovation, and Enterprise: National Museum of American History Seminar Resources
<p>This collection previews the fifth and final seminar of the 2016 Montgomery College / Smithsonian Institution Fellowship seminar series. Fellows will visit the National Museum of American History to explore the issues and topics surrounding the upcoming exhibition, "American Democracy: A Great Leap of Faith." Harry Rubenstein, Curator and Chair of the Division of Political History, will lead the seminar.</p>
<p>Included in this collection: bio of presenter, presentation description, and resources for attendees to explore before attending the session. The first two resources in this collection - the video "Bill Geist with curators Harry Rubenstein and Larry Bird on the campaign trail, 1996" and image "Where is Democracy" with attached quiz question - are required. The others are not, but will help fellows prepare for discussion the day of the seminar.</p><p>#MCteach<br /></p>
Tess Porter
7
Flashcard Activity: Tools and Innovation
<p>This collection traces innovation in various types of tools over time. Approach in small groups or as a classroom to have students explore the essential questions: What makes something innovative? How do you define innovation? </p>
<p>Supporting questions and activity implementation ideas are located under this collection's Information (i) button. This activity works equally well online or using printed flashcards (see <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/flashcard-activity-tools-and-innovation/R998xYb5Lbjw4bHE#r/860422">the resource tile</a> at the end of this collection). <br></p>
<p>Keywords: invention, flash cards, conceptual understanding</p>
Tess Porter
37
Immigration Policies and Legislation Affecting Asian Pacific Americans
<p>This topical collection includes resources about immigration policies and legislation that affected, or specifically targeted, immigrants and those with ancestry from Asia and the Pacific Islands. The policies and legislation profiled in this collection are not the only ones that did so by any means, however, they are some of the most significant. Collection includes newspapers, objects, portraits, articles, and more.</p>
<p>Teachers and students may use this collection as a springboard for classroom discussions, such as those about immigration policy and/or discrimination. This collection is not comprehensive but rather provides a launching point for research and study.
</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></p>
<p>Keywords: chinese exclusion act, 1882, wong chin foo, immigration act of 1917, literacy act, asiatic barred zone act, angel island, japanese incarceration, japanese internment, executive order 9088, 1942, world war ii, world war 2, immigration and nationality act of 1965, hart-celler act, immigration act of 1990, h-1b visa</p>
<p>#APA2018 #EthnicStudies</p>
<p><br /></p>
Tess Porter
53
