Jordan Epp, M.Ed | University of Saskatchewan (original) (raw)
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Books by Jordan Epp, M.Ed
Handbook of Research on Transformative Digital Content and Learning Technologies, Apr 2017
The emergence of the makerspace movement offers tremendous potential to transform learning. Learn... more The emergence of the makerspace movement offers tremendous potential to transform learning. Learning by making, while ancient in practice, has evolved due to the development and confluence of developments in computing, communications technologies, pedagogy, and library science. In particular, online networking has enabled learners to share and engage with ideas and materials in a uniquely 21st century fashion. The makerspace activity process (MAP) framework illustrates how makerspace activities—curating, relating, and creating—are intertwined through networking practices. Makerspaces are highly contingent and transformative; both the nature of the makerspace and the participants transform each other through interaction. For those educators who find it difficult to integrate within formal curricula and assessment practices, the MAP framework provides a guide for facilitating and assessing learner activity in educational makerspaces. The framework is useful for educators at all levels from kindergarten to post-secondary
Papers by Jordan Epp, M.Ed
EasyChair Preprints
Geomatics is uniquely suited to the development, publication, and use of open textbooks. Here the... more Geomatics is uniquely suited to the development, publication, and use of open textbooks. Here the concept of open textbooks will be introduced and the suitability of Geomatics will be examined. Geomatics (and GIS, GIScience, Cartography, Geodesy, etc.) have historic and archeological tendrils that stretch to some of the earliest artifacts related to human settlement. Furthermore, geomatics has been ever-present as humanity strove to improve, development, conquer, and acquire knowledge. This history and the dependence of modern geomatics on national interests means that the knowledge associated with teaching geomatics and related disciplines in primarily in the public domain and authors have relinquished restrictions related to copyright, intellectual property rules and laws, or other aspects of its use.
Handbook of Research on Transformative Digital Content and Learning Technologies, 2000
Many educators view makerspaces as a means of increasing student engagement in K-12 classrooms. A... more Many educators view makerspaces as a means of increasing student engagement in K-12 classrooms. As faculty and staff of the College of Education at the University of Saskatchewan, we have noted low comfort levels in using and experimenting with technology. For this reason, we decided to create a place in which pre-service teachers could test and discuss technologies that they could eventually use in their teaching practice. Our endeavor eventually morphed into a space for current teachers, student teachers, technical support staff, faculty members, and interested community members. Having piloted workshops for six months, we are now evaluating our decisions and shaping new approaches for the current academic year. Our main challenges include ensuring inclusivity across age, gender, and culture; adopting suitable facilitation styles; and ensuring the workshops lead to useful discussions of technology and teaching practice.
The essence of our work in clay is the draw of the material and its endless possibilities. Our se... more The essence of our work in clay is the draw of the material and its endless possibilities. Our sensibility for manipulating clay through various techniques towards creative individualistic ends (however utopic that quest for individuality may be) is influenced at all stages by the historic and contemporary tools of our discipline. We crave the feel of clay between our fingers. We have a familiarity with the form and dimension of the wood or metal of a tool in our hands and the influence it has on the material's surface. We unconsciously work with each tool as though it is simply an extension of ourselves. The tool in hand is the intermediary between emotive and intellectual forces driven by the artist, derived from their history of making, their particular methodology and the traditions of making that preceded and continue to influence the artist maker today. The maker and their particular tools dance in an intimate relationship of material knowledge, process and exploration. We develop, build, hunt for, purchase and covet tools. There is an established history and often a story to accompany each particular tool, where it came from and how it changed the way we work. They are personal and define our work: its aesthetic, the physical construction process and how unique identity is interwoven into each object. As media theorist Marshall McLuhan once stated, "We shape our tools. And then our tools shape us." 1 What follows is an attempt to scratch the surface of the dialogues that are happening within our discipline regarding the use of new media as a tool, a tool which inevitably like other tools shapes us and our studio practices. We are all witness to an evolution in the approach to studio production that sees the computer, with its multiple programs, design software, and Internet access, becoming a prominent tool. While not the tools of traditional practice or the tools that have shaped the scope of our discipline in previous centuries, they are the tools of our particular context and time. They are collaborative tools, shaped by users and evolving as quickly as the technology develops. Our generation is one of the last that will remember a time without email, YouTube, digital cameras, Photoshop, podcasting, blogs, microblogs, online shopping and personal websites. What has emerged is a shift in society wherein our interaction with new media and technology is a ubiquitous part of daily life, communication and education. An entirely new generation has emerged, described by Prensky as Digital Natives. 2 They have grown and created an awareness of self through technology; through viewing themselves digitally, and without conscious knowledge, are participating in a revolution in the methodology of learning. How will the next generation of ceramic practitioners seamlessly incorporate this 1 Marshall McLuhan Understanding Media: the extensions of man,
Canadian Journal of University Continuing Education, 2016
This report of practice describes a five-year process to establish and implement quality standard... more This report of practice describes a five-year process to establish and implement quality standards for a substantial portfolio of distance-delivered courses at the Centre for Continuing and Distance Education, University of Saskatchewan. The report describes an analysis of the issues and the solutions found that led to our current curriculum design standards and procedures, the implementation of learning technologies, and the identification of issues and solutions regarding copyright law. Lastly, the future prospects of these distance-delivered postsecondary courses are considered. Focusing on the issues and solutions for each category of challenges, this report describes the five-year journey of a small instructional-design team that faced roadblocks and barriers common to many postsecondary continuing and distance education units.
Handbook of Research on Transformative Digital Content and Learning Technologies, Apr 2017
The emergence of the makerspace movement offers tremendous potential to transform learning. Learn... more The emergence of the makerspace movement offers tremendous potential to transform learning. Learning by making, while ancient in practice, has evolved due to the development and confluence of developments in computing, communications technologies, pedagogy, and library science. In particular, online networking has enabled learners to share and engage with ideas and materials in a uniquely 21st century fashion. The makerspace activity process (MAP) framework illustrates how makerspace activities—curating, relating, and creating—are intertwined through networking practices. Makerspaces are highly contingent and transformative; both the nature of the makerspace and the participants transform each other through interaction. For those educators who find it difficult to integrate within formal curricula and assessment practices, the MAP framework provides a guide for facilitating and assessing learner activity in educational makerspaces. The framework is useful for educators at all levels from kindergarten to post-secondary
EasyChair Preprints
Geomatics is uniquely suited to the development, publication, and use of open textbooks. Here the... more Geomatics is uniquely suited to the development, publication, and use of open textbooks. Here the concept of open textbooks will be introduced and the suitability of Geomatics will be examined. Geomatics (and GIS, GIScience, Cartography, Geodesy, etc.) have historic and archeological tendrils that stretch to some of the earliest artifacts related to human settlement. Furthermore, geomatics has been ever-present as humanity strove to improve, development, conquer, and acquire knowledge. This history and the dependence of modern geomatics on national interests means that the knowledge associated with teaching geomatics and related disciplines in primarily in the public domain and authors have relinquished restrictions related to copyright, intellectual property rules and laws, or other aspects of its use.
Handbook of Research on Transformative Digital Content and Learning Technologies, 2000
Many educators view makerspaces as a means of increasing student engagement in K-12 classrooms. A... more Many educators view makerspaces as a means of increasing student engagement in K-12 classrooms. As faculty and staff of the College of Education at the University of Saskatchewan, we have noted low comfort levels in using and experimenting with technology. For this reason, we decided to create a place in which pre-service teachers could test and discuss technologies that they could eventually use in their teaching practice. Our endeavor eventually morphed into a space for current teachers, student teachers, technical support staff, faculty members, and interested community members. Having piloted workshops for six months, we are now evaluating our decisions and shaping new approaches for the current academic year. Our main challenges include ensuring inclusivity across age, gender, and culture; adopting suitable facilitation styles; and ensuring the workshops lead to useful discussions of technology and teaching practice.
The essence of our work in clay is the draw of the material and its endless possibilities. Our se... more The essence of our work in clay is the draw of the material and its endless possibilities. Our sensibility for manipulating clay through various techniques towards creative individualistic ends (however utopic that quest for individuality may be) is influenced at all stages by the historic and contemporary tools of our discipline. We crave the feel of clay between our fingers. We have a familiarity with the form and dimension of the wood or metal of a tool in our hands and the influence it has on the material's surface. We unconsciously work with each tool as though it is simply an extension of ourselves. The tool in hand is the intermediary between emotive and intellectual forces driven by the artist, derived from their history of making, their particular methodology and the traditions of making that preceded and continue to influence the artist maker today. The maker and their particular tools dance in an intimate relationship of material knowledge, process and exploration. We develop, build, hunt for, purchase and covet tools. There is an established history and often a story to accompany each particular tool, where it came from and how it changed the way we work. They are personal and define our work: its aesthetic, the physical construction process and how unique identity is interwoven into each object. As media theorist Marshall McLuhan once stated, "We shape our tools. And then our tools shape us." 1 What follows is an attempt to scratch the surface of the dialogues that are happening within our discipline regarding the use of new media as a tool, a tool which inevitably like other tools shapes us and our studio practices. We are all witness to an evolution in the approach to studio production that sees the computer, with its multiple programs, design software, and Internet access, becoming a prominent tool. While not the tools of traditional practice or the tools that have shaped the scope of our discipline in previous centuries, they are the tools of our particular context and time. They are collaborative tools, shaped by users and evolving as quickly as the technology develops. Our generation is one of the last that will remember a time without email, YouTube, digital cameras, Photoshop, podcasting, blogs, microblogs, online shopping and personal websites. What has emerged is a shift in society wherein our interaction with new media and technology is a ubiquitous part of daily life, communication and education. An entirely new generation has emerged, described by Prensky as Digital Natives. 2 They have grown and created an awareness of self through technology; through viewing themselves digitally, and without conscious knowledge, are participating in a revolution in the methodology of learning. How will the next generation of ceramic practitioners seamlessly incorporate this 1 Marshall McLuhan Understanding Media: the extensions of man,
Canadian Journal of University Continuing Education, 2016
This report of practice describes a five-year process to establish and implement quality standard... more This report of practice describes a five-year process to establish and implement quality standards for a substantial portfolio of distance-delivered courses at the Centre for Continuing and Distance Education, University of Saskatchewan. The report describes an analysis of the issues and the solutions found that led to our current curriculum design standards and procedures, the implementation of learning technologies, and the identification of issues and solutions regarding copyright law. Lastly, the future prospects of these distance-delivered postsecondary courses are considered. Focusing on the issues and solutions for each category of challenges, this report describes the five-year journey of a small instructional-design team that faced roadblocks and barriers common to many postsecondary continuing and distance education units.