Helen Chappel-Hayios

Employment/ Place of Work:

Ergastiri Journalism (Hayios), Athens & OU UK

Country of Residence:

Greece

How I fit the course work into my life

I don't replace chunks of my time with study, but interleave it in between other activities. This is not fragmenting or distracting, but wonderfully holistic, as all parts of my life and work, feed each other in an ongoing dialogue. This approach leads to intergration rather than the sort of separation of related thought which characterized the industrial age. I much prefer the digital age. Once you get used to it, the web and life long learning are a stimulating ongoing background to life as usual.

My most cherished interaction on the programme:

There were so many good moments of 'connectedness' , Hyde Park Corner in H801, the Hobby Horse Race, Superlurking in H802, the H802 MOO and many others, but 'cherished' I think belongs to the outstanding collegiate friendships which I formed on the course and which continue to enrich my life.

Which of the different course models suited me best?

H802 was the year that the web became part of my life, and also where I saw how constructivist learning can proceed in virtual space. Since I am committed to constructivist approaches to learning.. this represented an unbeatable high point in the whole H80X experience. Having said that though I gained a lot from all courses , H801 gave solid background (which I needed) in Distance Education and H804 had a very strong impact on my current professional practice.



Answers to the Vice Chancellor's questions:

In what ways am I putting into practice the ideas and understandings I developed on the programme:

'Openness" and what it takes to build it and maintain it, and the' trust', 'mutual respect' and ' inclusiveness on which it is founded, especially in the global classroom, are concerns which came to the forefront of my life as a result of these courses and which now guide everything from structure of my f2f classes ,my assessment practice, my choice & use of technology in education and the sort of collaborations I want to be part of. The Ergastiri is an innovative provider of open collaborative learning, and I have plenty of opportunity and support in implementing open pedagogies and methodologies there. With my tutoring with the OU I also have an exciting and valued chance to further my understanding of openness in the virtual global campus.

What did I find the most stimulating part of the programme:

It was very exciting to explore the possibilities of Open and Distance education with other practitioners interested in the same things. Although I work in an educational environment, I don't have colleagues who share this exact set of interests, web, open and distance learning, online community. A real high point of the course was simply having this sort of company.

What value was the global nature of the programme to me:

I think the value is very clearly that you see that educators face many different specific challenges in all their different locations., so you become very aware that there is no one solution, standard formulae or tech fix. The web does though give us a superb and very flexible new technology and we can do a lot with it, and one beauty of it is that we can share different things at different levels and in different ways...simultaneously. It's this multitasking aspect which enables us to share understanding without imposing it on others.. again the 'open' aspect of learning. I am currently tutoring on H802 , we are only 7weeks into the course and I see my current learners already discovering this for themselves.. and finding it exciting and empowering

Did I find it isolating or impersonal to study this programme?

No ! For those who get thoroughly involved, the virtual campus is a warm and friendly place and each cohort builds 'community' through it's conversations.

Did I find this relevant to my work:

Yes! Distance Education methodologies are increasingly part of my f2f practice and I think the opposite too. F2f informs distance learning in terms of interpersonal interactions.

Has it changed my life in any way:

Yes it gave me a sense of what the future might look like in educational provision, multicultural flexible and online. ..suits me :- ) .Another very central thing which I learnt as a learner on this course, is that online works best 24/7 , and when these time structures are implemented study becomes a relaxing and enriching backdrop to life as usual. Many people fear the 24/7 stuff, I think it it's great and much more relaxing. I also think that those who make this transition have really moved into life long learning...and then .it becomes something you don't want to ever give up or lose. I'm enjoying this relaxed style in my tutoring too. I work contracted hours but at whatever time of the day or week they fit into the rest of my life, could be late at night, in an airport or a rainy cold Sunday from my home office. It's a great way to work, I am actively setting up other parts of my instructional practice to work the same way.