Professional Development Webinars and Events

Recent Webinar

Cultivating Learning: Digital Museum Resources and the Smithsonian Learning Lab

In this professional development series, join educators as they model teaching techniques for using digital museum resources to support student learning in diverse learning environments. You’ll learn new methods to help learners recognize their own value, appreciate others’ perspectives, and gain confidence to be engaged, passionate citizens.

February 18, 2025 4–5 PM ET
Cultivating a Listening Practice | Cultivating Learning
Join Orlando Serrano of the National Museum of American History to think about how to practice generous and critical listening to engage your students in challenging conversations. Orlando will share techniques practiced, revised, and still in process during his time as a classroom teacher and across various programs and partnerships developed in his role as Head of PreK-12 Learning at NMAH. He will highlight resources to rehearse generous and critical listening, including Becoming US. You’ll leave with techniques and strategies to cultivate a listening practice with students needed for challenging conversations.

Archived Webinar Playlists

Past Events

2023

August 1 and 3, 2023
Washington International School Summer Institute for Teachers (WISSIT)
Pondering Perspectives with Portraiture
(collection)

July 20, 2023
Smithsonian National Education Summit
Inspiring Creative Changemakers
(video archive; collection)

July 19, 2023
Smithsonian National Education Summit
Breaking Barriers with Latinx Changemakers
(collection)

June 22, 2023
International Digital Storytelling Conference: Smithsonian Day
Radical Listening: Story Work for a Just Future
(collection)

June 20, 2023
MuseumNext Digital Learning Summit
How the Smithsonian is Using Market Research to Drive its Digital Learning Strategy

March–April 2023
Montgomery College-Smithsonian Faculty Fellowship Program
The Evolving Role of Museums: Preserving the Past, Portraying the Present, and Shaping the Future

2022

August 1 and 4, 2022
Washington International School Summer Institute for Teachers (WISSIT)
Exploring Identity with Playful Art-Making and Museums
(collection)

July 27, 2022
Smithsonian National Education Summit
Smithsonian Technology Café
(video archive)

July 27, 2022
Smithsonian National Education Summit
Students as Problem Solvers: Addressing Real World Challenges to Design a Better Future
(video archive)

June 26 – July 1, 2022
Smithsonian Teacher Institute
Smithsonian Summer Sessions: Inspiring Civic Engagement
(asynchronous course)

June 22, 2022
Rise Up! Reconnect. Rebuild. Recreate: International Digital Storytelling Conference
Looking forward to DST 2023: A conversation with representatives from the Smithsonian Institution, University of Maryland Baltimore County, and Montgomery College

April 21 – May 5, 2022
National Portrait Gallery and Fairfax County Public Schools Family Literacy Program
Interweaving: Connecting our lives to art/Entrelazar: conectando nuestras vidas con el arte

March–April 2022
Montgomery College-Smithsonian Faculty Fellowship Program
Social Justice in the Time of Pandemic

2021

August 2 and 5, 2021
Washington International School Summer Institute for Teachers (WISSIT)
Leveraging Museum Resources to Bolster Meaningful Learning Across the Disciplines
(collection)

July 26 and 30, 2021
Smithsonian Learning Lab Professional Development Program
MAS Digital Archives: Integrating Digital Cultural Resources in your Curriculum
(collection)

June 28–July 2 and July 12–16, 2021
Smithsonian Teacher Institute
Smithsonian Summer Sessions: Interrogating the Stories We Tell
(asynchronous course)

June 21–25, 2021
Smithsonian Learning Lab Professional Development Program
Civic Discourse in a Digital World

June 21–22, 2021
Storytelling Academy, Loughborough University
DST2021 Digital Storytelling Conference
(collection)

March 27 and April 17, 2021
Smithsonian Learning Lab Professional Development Program
Ethnic Studies Exploration: Resources and Strategies
(collection)

March 17, 2021
Mastery: Great Minds in Heritage & Historic Houses Lecture Series
The Smithsonian Learning Lab: Museum Digitization and Opportunities for Learning
(video archive)

March 5, 2021
National Art Education Association (NAEA) National Convention
Growing Global Citizenship with Digital Museum Collections

March–May 2021
Montgomery College-Smithsonian Faculty Fellowship Program
Facing the Complex, Multiple Challenges of the 21st Century

January 25, 2021
Voronezh State University
Exploring Digital Storytelling within the Learning Lab: Personal Responses to COVID-19
(collection)

2020

October–November 2020
National Portrait Gallery and Fairfax County Public Schools Family Literacy Program
Encontrando luz entire las sombras: expressions de resiliencia / Finding Light in the Shadows: Expressions of Resilience

October 24–25, 2020
Smithsonian Learning Lab Professional Development Program
Exploration of Ethnic Studies
(collection)

August 25, 2020
William Paterson University, Rutgers University
Arts Integration and Cultural Competency Professional Support for NJ Educators

August 12, 2020
Arlington, TX, Independent School District (Arlington ISD)
Leveraging Digital Museum Resources for Meaningful Learning

August 3, 2020
Washington International School Summer Institute for Teachers
Leveraging Digital Museum Resources for Meaningful Learning

July 30, 2020
Smithsonian Science Education Center K–12 Education Action Planning Institute
Introduction to the Smithsonian Learning Lab

July 20-24, 2020
Harvard Graduate School of Education
Re-Imagining Migration Summer Institute

July 5–11 and July 19-25, 2020
Smithsonian Teacher Institute
Smithsonian Summer Sessions: Interdisciplinary Teaching with Museum Objects
(asynchronous course)

June 3, 2020
Research Data Management Forum (RDMF)
Digital Storytelling with Museum Objects in the Smithsonian Learning Lab
(collection)

May 14, 2020
UNESCO Webinar: Distance Education Resources For Museums In Eastern Africa
Smithsonian Learning Lab and COVID-19
(video archive)

March 25, 2020
National History Day (NHD) Webinar
Teaching History Virtually: Setting Expectations for Virtual Learning
(video archive)

March 23, 2020
National Air and Space Museum Webinar
Teacher Resources Live Chat
(video archive)

March–November 2020
Montgomery College-Smithsonian Faculty Fellowship Program
Humans and the Footprints We Leave: Climate Change and Other Critical Challenges

January 27, 2020
National Network of Schools in Partnership (NNSP) Annual Conference
Museums Go Global: Teachers Partnering with Museum Educators
(slides)

2019

December 11, 2019
National Art Education Association (NAEA) Webinar
Constructing Curriculum with the Smithsonian

November 23, 2019
American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) Annual Convention and World Languages Expo
People, Place, and Time: How Art Reflects Culture - Smithsonian Collections
(collection)

October 14, 2019
Project Zero Pittsburgh Presents a Creating a Culture of Thinking
Making Learning Visible with Digital Museum Resources

October 1, 2019
Smithsonian Digitization Conference
Digital Engagement with the Smithsonian Learning Lab

June 10–11, 2019
Texas Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD): ignite19
Curating Digital Museum Resources for the Classroom

May 15, 2019
Children’s Museum of Pittsburgh
Teacher Showcase: Curating Digital Museum Content with Visible Thinking Routines

February–May 2019
Montgomery College-Smithsonian Faculty Fellowship Program
The Search for an American Identity: Building a National Together

2018

November 14, 2018
Museum Computer Network (MCN) 2018
Cultivating Global Competency with Digital Access and International Collaboration

November 14, 2018
Museum Computer Network (MCN) 2018
Teaching Math with Art: Get Ready for the Educational Future of Digital Objects

November 14, 2018
Cleveland History Center
Smithsonian Learning Lab Teacher Workshop

October 20, 2018
Japanese American National Museum
Smithsonian Learning Lab Teacher Workshop

October 13, 2018
LA Plaza de Cultura y Artes
Unconstitutional Deportation of Mexicans and Mexican Americans during the 1930s

March–May 2018
Montgomery College-Smithsonian Faculty Fellowship Program
We the People: America's Grand and Radical Experiment with Democracy

February 21, 2018
Asian American Resource Center, City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department
Teacher Creativity Studios: Asian Pacific American (APA) Cultural Presence in the Classroom

2017

November 17, 2017
National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Annual Conference
Teaching World History with Authentic Digital Resources from the Smithsonian

October 3, 2017
National History Day (NHD) Webinar
Explore ‘Conflict and Compromise’ with the Smithsonian Learning Lab and EDSITEment
(video archive)

October 2, 2017
Smithsonian Affiliations National Conference
Workshop 1: Smithsonian Learning Lab

September 28, 2017
Senator John Heinz History Center
Educator Open House

May 16, 2017
National Humanities Center
Using Museum Objects to Drive Inquiry with the Smithsonian Learning Lab
(video archive)

May 4, 2017
InterpTech 2017
Your Park + Smithsonian = Digital Learning Collections for All!

May 2, 2017
Adobe Digital Government Symposium 2017
Discover, Create, Share with the Smithsonian Learning Lab

April 30, 2017
American Educational Research Association (AERA) Conference
A Design Based Research Approach to Improving Professional Development and Teacher Knowledge: The Case of the Smithsonian Learning Lab

April 28, 2017
American Educational Research Association (AERA) Conference
Promoting Historical Thinking: Lessons from Teachers' Use of the Smithsonian Learning Lab

April 20, 2017
Museums and the Web (MuseWeb) Conference
Discovering, Creating, and Sharing Digital Museum Resources: Understanding the Needs and Behaviors of Youth Users

April 4, 2017
Northeast Regional Conference (NERC) on the Social Studies
Inquiring Minds: Gathering and Evaluating Sources with the Smithsonian

April 1, 2017
National Science Teachers Association (NSTA) Conference
A New Tool for Using Smithsonian Resources to Support Science in the Classroom

February–May 2017
Montgomery College-Smithsonian Faculty Fellowship Program
Social Justice: America's Unfinished Story of Struggle, Strife, and Sacrifice

January 24, 2017
National Art Education Association (NAEA) Webinar
Discover Digital Museum Resources through the Smithsonian Learning Lab

2016

December 3, 2016
National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Conference
Inquiring Minds: Gathering and Evaluating Sources with the Smithsonian

November 8, 2016
Three Rivers Educational Technology Conference
Bring the Smithsonian to your Classroom

November 3, 2016
Museum Computer Network (MCN) 2016
Primary Source Platforms Specifically for Teachers and Students?

September 21, 2016
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) Webinar
Facebook Live Q&A with ASCD & the Smithsonian
(video archive)

June 28, 2016
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Conference
Bring Your Own Device Workshop: Digital Creation with Real Substance: Smithsonian Learning Lab

June 27, 2016
International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE) Conference
Make and take your own digital collection with Smithsonian Learning Lab

June 11, 2016
Classroom 2.0 LIVE! Webinar
Discover, Create, and Share with Smithsonian Resources
(video archive)

May 26–27, 2016
American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Annual Meeting
Introduction to the Smithsonian Learning Lab

April 14, 2016
DPLAFest
Digital Collections in the K–12 Classroom: Connecting with Teachers and Students

April 7, 2016
Museums and the Web (MuseWeb) Conference
Moving from Downloads to Uploads: Towards an understanding of the curricular implications of access to large scale digitized museum collections on the professional practice of K–12 classroom educators

April 5, 2016
Consortium for School Network (CoSN) Conference
Smithsonian Learning Lab: Towards Achieving Interoperability

April 5, 2016
Consortium for School Network (CoSN) Conference
Privacy, Transparency and Safeguards: Legal Aspects of a Personalized Learning Platform

April 2, 2016
Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD) Annual Conference
Making Teacher-Curated Collections in the Smithsonian Learning Lab

April 2, 2016
Smithsonian People, Passion, Purpose
Discover. Create. Share.

March 9, 2016
SXSWedu
Museums Give Teachers Control to Create
(slides)

March–May 2016
Montgomery College-Smithsonian Faculty Fellowship Program
American Ingenuity, Innovation, and Enterprise

2015

November 21, 2015
National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) Conference
Exhibit Your Creativity: Make New Resources with the Smithsonian
(slides)

November 14, 2015
National Council for the Social Studies (NCSS) Conference
Creating Teaching Collections with Museum Resources
(slides)

November 6, 2015
Museum Computer Network (MCN) 2016
Museum Collections and the Personalization of Education