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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

 

Portrait Analysis: Duke Kahanamoku

<p>In this activity, students will analyze a stamp depicting Duke Kahanamoku to explore his significance in American history and culture. Duke Kahanamoku (1890-1968) transformed the Polynesian pastime of surfing into a worldwide competitive sport.  He also won five Olympic medals in swimming, was an accomplished actor and businessman, and was re-elected sheriff of the city and county of Honolulu for thirteen consecutive terms.  Opportunities to learn more include a photograph of him with Amelia Earhart and her husband, a surfboard he carved, and a Google Doodle created for his 125th birthday.</p> <p>This activity can be used as an entry point into studying Duke Kahanamoku's life and achievements, Hawaiian history and culture, and more.  This activity opens with questions from the National Portrait Gallery's<em> "Reading" Portraiture Guide for Educators</em> and ends with a Project Zero Think / Puzzle / Explore routine; the full portraiture guide and routine instructions are located at the end of the collection.</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: surfer, pacific islander, athlete, hawaii, hawai'i</p> <p>#APA2018</p><p><em>#visiblethinking</em><br /></p>
Tess Porter
11
 

Object Analysis: Hawaiian Flag Quilt

<p>This student activity explores a "Hawaiian Flag" quilt, a type of decorative object that became popular in Hawaii after the Hawaiian monarchy was overthrown and the kingdom was annexed by the United States.  Symbols on this quilt, which include the Royal Coat of Arms, a quote from King Kamehameha III, and more, help reveal Hawaiian opinions about the state of their country during this tumultuous period in Hawaiian history.</p> <p>This collection can be used as an activity while studying the overthrowing of the Hawaiian monarchy, Hawaiian annexation, and United States foreign policy in the late 1800s.</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: Hawai'i, annexation, Lili'uokalani, Liliuokalani, 19th century, 1898</p> <p>#APA2018</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
 

Japanese American Incarceration: Images of Camp Life

<p>This topical collection includes photographs and inmate-created artwork of life in Japanese American Incarceration camps.  It is one in a series of collections, each containing different types of resources, about the Japanese American Incarceration; see also <a href="http://learninglab.si.edu/q/ll-c/yqzp7FXFJtCqPsik">Japanese Incarceration: Publications, Letters, and Other Documents</a>, <a href="http://learninglab.si.edu/q/ll-c/D1atcYAXArxq55uY">Japanese American Incarceration: Camp Objects</a>, and <a href="http://learninglab.si.edu/q/ll-c/219EPFjW3g1MKqND">Japanese American Incarceration: Articles and Videos about Inmate Experiences</a>.</p> <p>In February 1942, following the bombing of Pearl Harbor, President Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 and authorized the imprisonment of approximately 75,000 Americans of Japanese ancestry and 45,000 Japanese nationals in incarceration camps.  This order was not rescinded until 1945.</p> <p>Teachers and students may use this collection as a springboard for classroom discussion; for example, how these images may reveal experiences of children and teenagers growing up in the camps. 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: internment camp, Akio Ujihara, Yosh Kuromiya, world war ii, ww2, wwii, Jerome, Arkansas, Heart Mountain, Wyoming, Rohwer, Manzanar, California, Gila River, Arizona, Amache, Colorado, Tule Lake, Topaz, Utah, Minidoka, Idaho </p> <p>#APA2018 </p>
Tess Porter
53
 

Dong Kingman

<p>This collection focuses on Dong Kingman (1911-2000), an American watercolorist best known for his urban and landscape paintings, magazine covers, and scenery work for multiple films. Dong Kingman was born in Oakland, California, to Chinese immigrants and moved to Hong Kong when he was a child. There, he studied both Asian and European painting techniques before returning to the United States during the Great Depression. Artwork in this collection includes works created for the Works Progress Administration, the NASA Art Program, and Time magazine. Also included is a short documentary, directed by two-time Academy Award winner James Wong Howe, and Dong Kingman's obituary from the New York Times.</p> <p>This collection is not comprehensive but rather provides a launching point for research and study. <br /></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 american, china<br /></p> <p>#APA2018<br /></p>
Tess Porter
21
 

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
 

The Red Scare

<p>This collection features resources (photographs, portraits, documents, articles, and videos) about the Second Red Scare (1947-57), a period of anti-communist fear, also known as "McCarthyism," that spread through American life at the beginning of the Cold War.  Resources include key people, such as Joseph McCarthy, Edward R. Murrow, Alger Hiss, and Ethel and Julius Rosenberg, letters documenting a university's requirement that faculty affirm they were not members of the Communist Party, individuals targeted by House Un-American Activities Committee, and more.</p> <p>This collection provides a launching point for further research and should not be considered comprehensive.</p> <p>Keywords: communism, anti-communism, anticommunism, HUAC, HCUA, hollywood blacklist, ray cohn </p>
Tess Porter
45
 

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
 

Letter Writing and Censorship in World War I

<p>This activity has students investigate experiences of servicemen in World War I through primary sources - censored U.S. Army mail postcards and envelopes.  Students will compare and contrast these primary sources to examine how censorship affected communication between servicemen and their loved ones, while building an understanding of how U.S. Army mail censorship was implemented and why it was necessary.  Using two Project Zero Visible Thinking routines, this activity is designed to spark further inquiry into World War I and the experiences of servicemen. The activity ends with an opportunity to learn more by examining a parody of the form postcard written by a British serviceman in his diary.</p> <p>Information on how to use this collection in the classroom can by found by clicking <em>Read More »</em>. </p> <p>This collection was created in conjunction with the National Postal Museum's "My Fellow Soldiers: Letters from World War I" teacher workshop (July 19, 2017). It focuses on two of the many postcards from <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/my-fellow-soldiers-postcards-from-world-war-i/HPrCVWkR1wqjpK3k#r" target="_blank">this topical collection</a> to demonstrate its use in a secondary classroom. #NPMTeacherPrograms</p> <p>Keywords: WWI, WW1, the great war, army, military, soldiers, soldier, primary source, project zero, thinking routine</p>
Tess Porter
9
 

Social Justice: National Museum of the American Indian Resources

<p>This collection previews the second seminar of the 2017 Montgomery College / Smithsonian Institution Fellowship seminar series, <em>The Native American Struggle for Treaty Rights and Tribal Sovereignty.</em> Three National Museum of the American Indian staff members will lead this event: Mark Hirsch, David Penney, and Colleen Call Smith.</p> <p>Resources included in this collection have been chosen by the presenters for participants to explore before the seminar itself.</p> <p>#MCteach</p>
Tess Porter
7
 

Social Justice: National Museum of African American History and Culture Resources

<p>This collection previews the first seminar of the 2017 Montgomery College / Smithsonian Institution Fellowship seminar series, <em>A Journey Through the African American Lens</em>. Five National Museum of African American History and Culture staff members will lead this event: Kinshasha Holman Conwill, Dr. Rex Ellis, Dr. Jacquelyn Serwer, Dr. Michèle Gates Moresi, and Mary Elliott.</p> <p>Resources and reflection questions included in this collection have been chosen by the presenters for participants to explore, consider, and answer before the seminar itself. Fellows will be asked to discuss their answers to the reflection questions during the seminar. </p> <p>#MCteach</p>
Tess Porter
41
 

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