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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

 

Student Activity: Investigating Invasive Species

An invasive species is a plant or animal that has been introduced to an ecosystem and does great damage to its new home. In this activity, students will look at the impact of invasive species on marine ecosystems. Using a global database, students will identify the spread of invasive species. Students will go on to create a  public-service announcement to tell others what they can do to help solve the problem in their local water sources.
Ashley Naranjo
16
 

Student Activity: Music as an Environmental Advocacy Approach

<p>In this student activity, explore five musical artists and their connections to environmental advocacy as shared by a Smithsonian Folkways archivist. Inspired by these songs about water issues, you will write lyrics for a song on an environmental theme, incorporating relevant words and imagery.</p><p>#SmithsonianMusic<br /></p>
Ashley Naranjo
9
 

Climate Change Online Conference Series: Archive and Related Teaching Resources

This online conference series invites educators and students to explore Smithsonian research and collections related to the evidence, impact, and response to climate change. Smithsonian curators and researchers explore the evidence of climate change, as well as the impact of climate change on the environment, wildlife, biodiversity, and human populations. Smithsonian experts also lead discussions on how people are responding to the threats posed by climate change. Includes the archive of each session, with teacher-created suggested lessons that utilize Visual Thinking Strategies. Original Airdates: Fall 2009 <br /><br />
Ashley Naranjo
25
 

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
 

Teaching Resources: Jazz Music

<p>This teaching collection includes a variety of resources to complement a study of Jazz compositions and performers. Through these lesson plans, sheet music, artworks, and video performances, teachers can introduce the musical evolution of jazz styles and contributions of key performers. Teachers might also introduce musical techniques involved in the creation and performance of jazz.<br /><br /><br />This collection was created for the District of Columbia Public Schools (DCPS) Arts Professional Development Day.</p><p>#SmithsonianMusic<br /></p>
Ashley Naranjo
36
 

An Introduction to Origami Paper Folding

In this activity, students will be introduced to the art of origami paper folding by learning how this tradition has been passed down through generations from an interview with an artisan and how to make an origami paper crane from a fellow student.
Ashley Naranjo
4
 

Teaching Resources: Creating a Classroom Exhibition

In a museum, it is the job of curators to select objects for display. Curators also study the objects in the museum’s collection. They learn as much as they can about each object so that they can share the story with the museum’s visitors. This collection of teaching resources includes lesson plan ideas for creating a classroom exhibition, a video detailing the Cooper Hewitt's "Digital Curator Project" with teens, as well as a small sample of videos of curators from around the Smithsonian discussing their jobs and research interests. Also included are suggested guidelines for a peer review of student exhibitions.
Ashley Naranjo
15
 

Student Activity: Curious Curator

In this student activity, you’ll pick an object to represent your family history, the history of your community, or your own personal history. You will study the object as a museum curator would study it—as an artifact, an object with historical importance. You will first document the object in photographs, as museum curators usually do. Then you will write a label for the object, as if it were a piece on display in a museum. Finally, you will try to “think” like your object. You will write a story from the object’s point of view—as if the object itself were speaking. You might be surprised by what it says!
Ashley Naranjo
7
 

The Brown Sisters: Forty Years in Forty Portraits

This collection includes a unique series of portraits of four sisters. Every year, for forty years, one of the sisters' husbands captured the four women in a black and white photograph. A New York Times article introduces the project, paired with the forty photographs and some discussion questions considering elements of portraiture that are captured in these images.
Ashley Naranjo
43
 

Objects that Changed the Way We Live

In this collection, we'll explore everyday objects and their impacts on society. Students can begin by reading an illustrated essay from the National Museum of American History highlighting objects that capture several pivotal moments in innovation. Included in this collection are the clock, the iPod, the bicycle and the cellular phone. What other objects have changed the way we lived?
Ashley Naranjo
11
 

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
 

Smithsonian Video Resources in American Sign Language

This collection includes a growing number of educational video resources in American Sign Language, including the ArtSigns series from the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the story behind an unusual object at the National Museum of American History, the Two Inch Universe from the Chandra X-Ray Observatory, as well as a performance from the National Museum of American Indian, and storytelling at the Smithsonian's Folklife Festival.
Ashley Naranjo
39