Dear IOCS friends and students

Some of you have asked for some kind of advertising material that can be audio-visual based and can be embedded at your websites/ blogs/ wikis.Please use the following info and links to help us reach more people.

Many thanks

In Christ

Costas

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Video presentation of IOCS Distance Learning Programme: "Our Students, Our Future"

Here you can find the IOCS DL Video presentation details with the title "Our Students, Our Future" in 4 Versions (please note that I have uploaded the videos in Vimeo for embedding purposes; if you wish to embed the videos in your Blogs and/or websites please feel free to embed them from the Vimeo versions; the videos will also be uploaded as .flv files in the free and public access IOCS Video Streaming Website: http://distancelearning.iocs.cam.ac.uk/videos/ ) :

a) Long Version (with all three of the IOCS DL student interviews); duration: 29:32 min.
Vimeo link: http://vimeo.com/13416144

b) Short Version with the first interview (with IOCS DL Student Pam from Texas); duration: 16:49 min
(Pam is a recent convert and an Orthodox parish organiser in deep East Texas).
Vimeo Link: http://vimeo.com/13416958

c) Short Version with the second interview (with IOCS DL Student Johannes from Switzerland); duration: 07:07 min.
(Johannes is a recent convert, a Theology graduate from a German University and works for a Bible Society in Switzerland).
Vimeo link: http://vimeo.com/13417588

d) Short Version with the third interview (with IOCS DL Student Michael from Colorado); duration: 15:01 min.
(Michael is a recent convert, a Distance Learning American University retired Professor of Education and ex-President).
Vimeo link: http://vimeo.com/13418166

Dear friends
You can follow our proceedings in the Summer Course at the Blog of one of our students here. The Rev. Patrick Comerford' Blog (with pictures from our Summer Course) is a good place to read about some of the discussions in Cambridge.
Please click here to access the Blog or copy-paste the address: http://revpatrickcomerford.blogspot.com/
In Christ
Costas

Dear friends

Some of you have contacted me about ways to contribute to the success and further development of our DL programme. Here are some ideas:

a) You can become one of our student ambassadors (you can bring the news about our programme to your parish or the parishes in your area).

b) You can support with a student's fees (a scholarship fund for future DL students).

c) You can pay for the expenses to make a text version of an important video/audio lecture that you liked in our Programme (or you can send us your transcript of the lecture).

d) You can donate computers, webservers and other important and vital computing or audio-visual equipment (cameras, mics, speakers, projectors, cables etc.).

e) You can pay for or secure the acquisition of a live broadcasting platform for our courses, so that we can have parts of our summer courses or other important events live (real-time) broadcasted via the web.

There are many ways with which you can help us. Please contact Costas via e-mail (ca356@cam.ac.uk) and/or Skype to discuss the possibilities.

Thank you for thinking about supporting us in our work.

In Christ
Costas

Dear friends

Professor David Frost (our Principal) recently was interviewed by Ancient Faith Radio (John Maddex) about IOCS and the educational programmes in Orthodox Christian Studies that it now operates. You can listen to this broadcast here.

Another recent interview in Ancient Faith Radio was from our Academic Director, Dr Marcus Plested, about the IOCS Summer Course (that is going to take place this July in Cambridge). You can listen this broadcast here.

(Further down in our news items list you can see the links to the interviews Costas gave about the IOCS DL Programme in Ancient Faith Radio and at LGR- the London Greek Radio).

We hope you enjoy the broadcasts.

In Christ

Costas

Dear IOCS Distance Learners

In order to improve our service to you, please add Costas to your Skype contacts. His name is "Constantinos Athanasopoulos"; just install Skype in your computer (if you have not already done so) and search his name. Then send an invite. He will accept it and then you will be able to contact him instantly whenever you have any questions or problems in your studies. In this way, there will be a minimum delay in our response to your worries and questions (he is "in" and "connected" most of the day, afternoon and evening, and he will be so, for most of the Summer -except for a short break in late July and first two weeks in August).

Please have in mind that Costas is your best source for accurate and informative support in your questions and problems reagrding the IOCS Distance Learning Programme.

We hope you enjoy the improved service conditions we have due to our new webserver (which is more reliable and more secure) and the new interface of our Video site (with major improvements in the interface). For any worries or problems about this or help in locating and using the new features, please contact Costas.

Thank you for your on-going support

In Christ

Costas 

Dear friends

Fr Alexander, one of our Tutors in our DL Programme and our Chaplain, has composed a Prayer for the Institute.

We cite it below and we hope that you will find this useful for your studies with us and for your own spiritual edification as part of our family.

In Christ

Costas

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PRAYER FOR THE INSTITUTE FOR ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN STUDIES
Reverend Father Alexander Tefft, Chaplain

Lord our God,
true light who enlightens everyone that
comes into the world:
look with mercy upon
the Institute for Orthodox Christian Studies.
Guide those who teach in wisdom and humility.
Impart to those who learn the knowledge that comes from you.
Grant the members and directors to seek your will,
for the well-being of our holy Orthodox Church.
Support our benefactors,
filling their treasuries with good
and inclining their hearts to your glory.
Keep us all in harmony and oneness of mind,
so that all who teach, research, and learn may come to know you,
the one true God,
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,
through the prayers of Saint Catherine the Great-Martyr,
always, now and for ever, and to the ages of ages.
Amen.

Dear IOCS Distance Learners

Please make sure on Tuesday 21st of July you finalise choice of next Module and payment for the August 1st intake (the students already taking the Module "Ascent to Holiness" need not to worry about registration till ends of September).

Please also bear in mind that you will no longer be allowed access to the Module you are currently studying after Thursday 29th of July (except for the students taking the Module "Ascent to Holiness"- they can keep having access as before till ends of September). If you have a two week extension to do the essay you need to download what you need to your computer by this date late night (UK time).

During the Summer I will be able to support you via Skype (except for a week or two in August). I will also be able to respond to your questions and comments in Moodle and e-mail, but with a bit of delay (I anticipate not more than two-three days). My mobile is also an option, but try Skype at the first instance, then e-mail and only then a message to my mobile.

Thanks

In Christ

Costas

Dear friends

Christ is Risen! Χριστός Ανέστη!

We have recently acquired a new domain name for all our distance learning services (Moodle and Video Streaming). It is:

http://distancelearning.iocs.cam.ac.uk/

Please add this webpage to your Favourites and access our distance learning services from this address. Both our previous addresses (the one for Moodle and the one for the Video Streaming website) will be active for the next year or so. But we strongly recommend that you change your access point, so that you access our services from this new domain name as soon as you can.

In the next month or so, the Video Streaming website will also be changed to increase its accessibility and usability. New features will include a search functionality and tags.

We hope you will enjoy the new look and the new feel of our services.

Please direct all enquiries and problems to Dr. C. Athanasopoulos, Director of Distance Learning, IOCS at ca356@cam.ac.uk

A technical note: the software of the Moodle and the Video Streaming websites will be updated during Mondays 4pm-8pm (UK time). We apologise for the inconvenience.