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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

 

Flashcard Activity: See, Think, Wonder with Science-Related Images

<p>This collection contains illustrations, sketches, paintings, sculpture and photographs representing a variety of science-related concepts, including animal adaptations, the invention process and climate change. </p> <p>They may be used for a variety of purposes; here, we use them as a catalyst for discussion.  In small groups or as a classroom, have students select one artwork they find meaningful or interesting and discuss the following:</p> <ol><li>Why did you pick this image?  </li><li>What do you see?  Name specific aspects of the image you notice.</li><li>What do you think about what you see?</li><li>What does this image make you wonder? </li></ol><p>This activity works equally well online or using printed flashcards (see <a href="http://learninglab.si.edu/q/ll-c/wCjeBXbgRgExR2Py#r/424391">the resource tile</a>).  You may also replace or pair the above activity with a Project Zero Thinking Routine found in the final section of the collection. </p> <p>Keywords: printable, flash card, project zero visible thinking routine, New Jersey Principals and Supervisors Association, NJPSA, arts integration, natural history, animals, invention, patent, portraits, weather</p>
Ashley Naranjo
47
 

"Words can lie or clarify" by Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga

<p>In 1981, Aiko Herzig-Yoshinaga submitted a memorandum on the subject “Use of term ‘concentration camps’” to the executive director of the Commission on Wartime Relocation and Internment of Civilians (CWRIC). Included in this collection is background information on the Japanese American Incarceration era and Executive Order 9066, alongside Herzig-Yoshinaga's own words. In response to reading through this memorandum, students can apply Project Zero Thinking Routines to what they already know about the Japanese American Incarceration era and what interests them for further research. Additionally, students can begin to connect ideas from Herzig-Yoshinaga's memorandum to artifacts, documents and photographs of the era, noting especially the nuances in the meaning of words used and interpret some of these <em>euphemisms </em>in context.</p> <p>#APA2018<br /></p> <p>Related collection of interest around language found within the Civilian Exclusion Order: <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/collections/document-analysis-civilian-exclusion-order-and-japanese-american-incarceration-during-wwii/XmKK2mgFoDRUju7N#r" target="_blank">Document Analysis: Civilian Exclusion Order and Japanese American Incarceration During WWII</a></p>
Ashley Naranjo
50
 

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
 

Exploring Simple Machines and the Complexities of Rube Goldberg Inventions

<p>This collection explores the concept of Rube Goldberg inventions and their use of multi-step processes to complete an action. Often Rube Goldberg inventions utilize a series of simple machines to cause a chain reaction for a task. Using an image of a comic that features one such invention, students can analyze the parts, purposes and complexities of the object and its processes. Additional resources are included to support the further exploration of these inventions and the identification of the simple machines (levers, pulleys, wedges, screws, wheels, axles and inclined planes). </p> <p>This collection complements an in-person visit to the <em>Rube Goldberg™: The World of Hilarious Invention! Exhibit</em> at the Children's Museum of Pittsburgh.</p> <p>#PZPGH</p>
Ashley Naranjo
15
 

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
 

Righting a Wrong: Japanese Americans and World War II

<p>On February 19, 1942, Executive Order 9066 (#EO9066) was signed by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, resulting in the imprisonment of Japanese Americans &amp; Japanese nationals in prison camps across the United States. In this short film, "Righting a Wrong", students can learn more about this history as they hear from a museum expert, who provides a behind-the-scenes look at personal objects from Japanese American youth who had lived in incarceration camps during World War II.  <a href="https://t.co/12ryShd7ap" dir="ltr" class="twitter-timeline-link" target="_blank" title="http://ow.ly/xbew30nD8tu"><span class="tco-ellipsis"></span><span class="invisible">http://</span></a></p> <p>The artifacts include a boy scout uniform that honors the 100th infantry battalion of Nisei soldiers, a thousand-stitch sash created by community members that served as an amulet for a soldier at war, and traditional Japanese geta sandals created for a son by his father that feature Mickey Mouse.<br /></p> <p>This Smithsonian Learning Lab collection received Federal support from the Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.<br /></p> <p>#APA2018</p> <p><br /></p>
Ashley Naranjo
9
 

Scientists, Inventors, and Entrepreneurs: Women Who Shaped History

<p>This topical collection includes resources related to featured women scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs. This collection includes portraits of the scientists, inventors and entrepreneurs, 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: Mae Carol Jemison, Grace Hopper, Ellena Ocha, Maria Sibylla Merian, Madam CJ Walker, Charlotta Bass, Dr. Nancy Grace Roman, Ursula Marvin, Valentina Tereshokova, #BecauseOfHerStory<br /></p>
Ashley Naranjo
62
 

Storytelling through Dance

<p>This collection explores the unique forms of storytelling found in choreography and portraiture. It demonstrates examples of artists that communicate universal narratives and express diverse perspectives without words. Photographs of war veterans by Louie Palu and the veterans’ experiences of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) inspired the featured dance. Students can watch a video interview with the choreographer, Dana Tai Soon Burgess, and answer guided questions from Project Zero's "Claim, Support, Question" thinking routine.</p> <p>This Smithsonian Learning Lab collection received Federal support from the Asian Pacific American Initiatives Pool, administered by the Smithsonian Asian Pacific American Center.</p> <p>#APA2018</p> <p>Tags: dance, dancing, choreography, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), narrative, interpretation, analysis</p>
Ashley Naranjo
11
 

Conflict, Identity, and Place in American Art (2019)

<p>This collection contains a selection of artworks related to the themes of conflict, identity, and place.  Teachers can use these artworks for a variety of purposes; here, we use them as a catalyst for discussion, with an extended version of <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/resources/view/1056333" target="_blank">Project Zero's See, Think, Wonder</a> thinking routine.  In small groups or as a classroom, have students select one artwork they find meaningful or interesting and discuss the following:</p> <ol><li>Why did you pick this artwork?  </li><li>What do you <em>see</em>?  Name specific aspects of the artwork you notice.</li><li>What do you <em>think </em>about what you see?</li><li>What does this artwork make you <em>wonder</em>? </li><li><em>Optional</em>: How might the artwork connect to the themes of conflict, identity, and place?</li></ol><p> </p> <p>This Smithsonian Learning Lab collection contains artwork selected by <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/profile/666" style="background-color:rgb(63,63,63);">Phoebe Hillemann</a>, Teacher Institutes Educator at the Smithsonian American Art Museum, featured in the 2019 Smithsonian American Art Museum Summer Institute for Teachers, "Teaching the Humanities through Art."  <br /></p> <p>These artworks serve as foundational museum resources in lesson concepts that are accessible by searching the Smithsonian Learning Lab with the hashtag: #SAAMTeach.</p>
Ashley Naranjo
40
 

Scientific Instrument Collection: Exploring Acoustics

<p>This collection includes videos demonstrating key principles of the science of sound, using some of the Smithsonian's scientific instrument collection. These videos are paired with the Visible Thinking Routine, "What's going on? What do you see (or hear) that makes you say that?" as a way to check for understanding. Learners can select one or more of the videos to watch and then provide their interpretation of what's happening and support it with a justification from the video. Learners can also explore additional short experiments, under the heading "Additional Resources" to further understand these principles in action.  #SmithsonianMusic</p>
Ashley Naranjo
21
 

Music Innovation: How Technology Has Helped to Change Music Over Time

<p>This topical collection provides examples of places, objects and people connecting music and STEM for a teacher professional development workshop hosted by the National Museum of African American History and Culture. During the workshop, teachers explored popular music, the creation of Hip-Hop and the technological advances needed for it to become what it is today. Teachers and students may use this collection as a springboard for the classroom. This collection is not comprehensive, but rather provides a launching point for research and study. #SmithsonianMusic</p>
Ashley Naranjo
67
 

Larry Itliong: Breaking Barriers in the Labor Movement

<p>Larry Itliong (October 25, 1913- February 8, 1977) was a Filipino American labor organizer. Itliong immigrated to the United States in 1929 at the age of fifteen. He worked throughout the country as a farm laborer and in the salmon canneries of Alaska. In response to oppressive treatment of Filipino farmworkers, Itliong organized labor strikes. He contacted Cesar Chavez and asked Mexican farmworkers to join the strike with Filipino farmworkers. He believed that all workers had to stand together in their fight for justice. The National Farm Workers Association (NFWA) voted unanimously and Mexican farmworkers joined Filipino farmworkers in the Great Delano Grape Strike. A year later, AWOC and NFWA merged to become the United Farm Workers (UFW). The Delano Grape Strike lasted for five years. As director of the UFW, Chavez took the limelight, but co-founder and former assistant director Larry Itliong has been cast in the historical shadows.</p> <p>The media and sources in this collection can be used alongside the <em>National History Day SEARCH Historical Context Graphic Organizer</em> and the <em>Ethnic Studies Praxis Story Plot </em>from the Journey for Justice Teachers' Guide. Both resources help students think critically about Larry Itliong's life, accomplishments and activism and help provide context for the labor movement more broadly.</p> <p>#NHD #NHD2020 #EthnicStudies *This collection was created to support Unit 2: What is the history?, <em>Civil Rights Movements </em>of the Austin ISD Ethnic Studies Part A course.</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>
Ashley Naranjo
11