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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

 

Women's Roles During the Civil War

Learning resource collection, in which students identify women's homefront and battlefront roles during the American Civil War, as depicted in Harper's Weekly and a short video from the Smithsonian Channel.
Ashley Naranjo
11
 

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
 

Statue of Liberty and Symbolism

<p>This collection includes a variety of representations of the Statue of Liberty--as a protest object, on an environmental campaign poster, on a postage stamp, and as a symbol used on patterned clothing. In small groups, learners will apply three scaffolded Visible Thinking Routines to a resource of their choice. First, they will use a "See, Think, Wonder" thinking routine to note their observations and interpretations as well as anything about which they are curious. Next, they will analyze the resource using the "Layers" thinking routine. As an optional step, they could also consider the artist or creator of the object's point of view/perspective in creating the resource, with the "Step Inside" thinking routine. Finally, they will create an artwork or representation that depicts a cause that is important to a community of which they are a member.</p> <p>A final item from the American Jewish Historical Society includes information on a student contest running from September 2019 until May 2020, where students create a new poem based on Emma Lazarus' s"New Colossus" on the Statue of Liberty.</p> <p>#visiblethinking</p>
Ashley Naranjo
27
 

Creating a Virtual Gallery using Smithsonian Digital Assets

<p>In spring of 2018, Stuart Richardson, a graduating senior at William J. Palmer High School in Colorado Springs, CO created a virtual reality experience, based on freely accessible digital assets from the Smithsonian. Read more about Richardson's experience via the Smithsonian Learning Lab blog: <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/news/step-inside-a-student-curated-gallery">https://learninglab.si.edu/news/step-inside-a-student-curated-gallery</a></p> <p>The gallery includes 3D and 2D assets, including: </p> <ul><li><a href="https://3d.si.edu/explorer/abraham-lincoln-mills-life-mask">https://3d.si.edu/explorer/abraham-lincoln-mills-life-mask</a> </li><li><a href="https://3d.si.edu/explorer/andrew-jackson-zinc-sculpture">https://3d.si.edu/explorer/andrew-jackson-zinc-sculpture</a> </li><li><a href="https://3d.si.edu/explorer/rutherford-b-hayes-plaster-bust">https://3d.si.edu/explorer/rutherford-b-hayes-plaster-bust</a> </li></ul><p><strong>Keywords:</strong> presidents, Abraham Lincoln, Andrew Jackson, Rutherford B. Hayes, sculpture, plaster bust, life mask, Civil War, student work</p>
Ashley Naranjo
14
 

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
 

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
 

"Shimomura Crossing the Delaware" by Roger Shimomura

<p>This topical collection includes a painting, "Shimomura Crossing the Delaware," by Roger Shimomura, an American artist of Japanese descent, with a National Portrait Gallery "Portrait Spotlight" containing background information and suggested questions for the classroom. Also included are a blog post and video interview of the artist about themes of identity in his work.  </p> <p>Teachers and students may use this collection as a springboard for classroom discussions about Shimomura and his artworks and for further research.  Also included are <em>Smithsonian Learning Lab</em> collections with teaching strategies from National Portrait Gallery educator, <a href="https://learninglab.si.edu/profile/436" target="_blank" style="background-color:rgb(63,63,63);">Briana White</a>. </p> <p>Keywords: Asian American, painter, <em>Washington Crossing the Delaware</em>, Claim, Support, Question, Compare and Contrast, Seattle </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 #EthnicStudies<br /></p>
Ashley Naranjo
17
 

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
 

Street Art: Local Washington, D.C. and Global Examples

<p>This thematic collection includes articles, interviews, images and online tours to support opportunities for exploring the relationship between visual art, attention seeking and attention getting. These resources could be integrated into lessons and activities, supporting a deeper understanding of street art both locally in Washington, D.C. and globally.  Featuring artists' response to COVID-19.</p> <p></p> <p>Keywords: DCPS "Somethin' Like a Phenomenon" visual arts unit, street art, stencil making, spray paint, graffiti, public art, mural</p>
Ashley Naranjo
6
 

Thomas Paine's "Common Sense"

This teaching collection includes resources such as a dramatic reading, an online exhibition, a postage stamp, and an article related to Thomas Paine, a Founding Father of the United States, who famously authored the influential pamphlet, "Common Sense". Also includes excerpts of "Common Sense" and a Document Analysis Sheet with suggested questions for in-depth examination. Guiding Question: How did this document inspire change in the colonies? Use textual evidence to support your answer.
Ashley Naranjo
7
 

Go-go: The Heartbeat of Washington, D.C.

<p>This thematic collection includes videos of performances, oral histories and short articles to support opportunities for listening, evaluating and connecting to Go-go music. These resources could be integrated into lessons and activities, supporting a deeper understanding of historical and social context for a genre of music originating in Washington, D.C.</p> <p></p> <p>Keywords: DCPS, Chuck Brown, oral history, performance, concert, music, #DontMuteDC, Gogo, Go go</p>
Ashley Naranjo
8
 

Athletes and Aviators: Women Who Shaped History

<p>This topical collection includes resources related to featured women athletes and aviators. This collection includes portraits of the athletes and aviators, 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: Bessie Coleman, Pancho Barnes, Babe Zaharias, Billie Jean King, Florence Griffith Joyner ("Flo Jo"), Ibtihaj Muhammad, #BecauseOfHerStory<br /></p>
Ashley Naranjo
39