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Tess Porter

User Experience Strategist (she/her)
Smithsonian Office of Educational Technology
Smithsonian Staff

I'm the User Experience Strategist at the Smithsonian Office of Educational Technology. Here, I focus 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 at Pratt Institute. 

learninglab@si.edutwitter.com/smithsonianlab

Tess Porter's collections

 

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
 

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
 

Investigating Tribal Sovereignty through Objects

<p>This collection was created to accompany the live session <em>Cultivating Learning: Investigating Tribal Sovereignty through Objects,</em> hosted with guest educator Renée Gokey from the <a href="https://americanindian.si.edu/" target="_blank">National Museum of the American Indian</a>, which focuses on transferrable, inquiry-based techniques to help students explore and understand tribal sovereignty through cultural objects. Tribal sovereignty is the authority of Native nations to self-govern, and it impacts how Native nations operate their own governmental systems, manage tribal lands, build economic strength, and facilitate complex relationships with local, state, and federal governments. This collection includes digital museum resources and standards-based approaches discussed during the session. </p> <p>This session aired live on June 13, 2022 at 4:00 PM ET; <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IX7k1_pWa00" target="_blank">click here to view on YouTube</a>. </p>
Tess Porter
30
 

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
 

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
 

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