July 17. 2020 RCSD Educator Blog
Otus
An email went out from Brandon on Thusday 7/16 regarding our new Learning Management System, Otus. A reminder if you have questions about how to use Otus you can also use the chat feature in their system. Below are additional resources.
RCSD Training Guide with Videos
RCSD Otus Question Form
RCSD Otus Responses
We wanted to highlight 3 of the most commonly asked questions so far:
Can I log onto Otus through Clever?
The very first time you log on you need to follow these instructions or watch this video and log on through my.otus.com, that way Otus can access your Google docs. Once you do that then you are able to log on through Clever going forward.
Can I use my Google docs with Otus?
Yes, you can add Slides or Docs from your Google Drive in your Class Board message, Lessons, or Assessments. This article shows how to add something from Drive. If you want students to be able to make a copy, you would use the rubric assessment and have students make their own copy. Click here to learn more about how to do that. If you do not want the assessment graded, you would not attach a standard to the assessment.
Why do I see my students from last year in my classroom? Does this impact anything that I do now?
We had to stop student schedules from updating in Clever or else parents students would have been able to see them in any application they used in Clever. You can still create rubrics, assessments or lessons, but you would not want to assign them until your current students are in your class. You can also use the other features in Otus to try them out such as Class Board messages and then just delete them after you try it out. We will let all teachers know when schedules for this year have been updated but it will not be until we are ready for parents to see schedules.
iReady
iReady Instruction will be available for all students, K-8th grades for the 2020-2021 school year! Your students will have access to both reading and math instruction, upon completion of the diagnostic at the beginning of the school year.
As teachers, you will have access to many reports within iReady, to help you assign lessons, identify needs, and engage with your PLC to fine-tune lessons for students through data analysis. You will also be given access to TeacherToolbox, at the beginning of the school year.
As support for educators and for families, Carrie will be making several short videos to help teachers use iReady to its fullest and to help families understand the role of iReady in instruction, as well as how to support their students during assessments.
Currently, our data systems are incorporating Otus and turning over our data from last year to the new school year. Due to this rollover, your students from last year no longer have access to iReady until the new school year begins.
Screencastify
All RCSD staff will have access to the paid version of Screencastify to use next school year. The purchase has not been completed yet, but once it is we will let all teachers know. If a teacher already purchased it themselves, Screencastify will reimburse that teacher. The paid version allows teachers to go beyond the 5-minute time limit and also add text over clips or merge clips. We know most RCSD teachers know how to use it by now, but if you need additional resources you can find them here.
Interesting Articles We Read
9 Ways Online Teaching Should be Different from Face-to-Face: Cult of Pedagogy
An email went out from Brandon on Thusday 7/16 regarding our new Learning Management System, Otus. A reminder if you have questions about how to use Otus you can also use the chat feature in their system. Below are additional resources.
RCSD Training Guide with Videos
RCSD Otus Question Form
RCSD Otus Responses
We wanted to highlight 3 of the most commonly asked questions so far:
Can I log onto Otus through Clever?
The very first time you log on you need to follow these instructions or watch this video and log on through my.otus.com, that way Otus can access your Google docs. Once you do that then you are able to log on through Clever going forward.
Can I use my Google docs with Otus?
Yes, you can add Slides or Docs from your Google Drive in your Class Board message, Lessons, or Assessments. This article shows how to add something from Drive. If you want students to be able to make a copy, you would use the rubric assessment and have students make their own copy. Click here to learn more about how to do that. If you do not want the assessment graded, you would not attach a standard to the assessment.
Why do I see my students from last year in my classroom? Does this impact anything that I do now?
We had to stop student schedules from updating in Clever or else parents students would have been able to see them in any application they used in Clever. You can still create rubrics, assessments or lessons, but you would not want to assign them until your current students are in your class. You can also use the other features in Otus to try them out such as Class Board messages and then just delete them after you try it out. We will let all teachers know when schedules for this year have been updated but it will not be until we are ready for parents to see schedules.
iReady
iReady Instruction will be available for all students, K-8th grades for the 2020-2021 school year! Your students will have access to both reading and math instruction, upon completion of the diagnostic at the beginning of the school year.
As teachers, you will have access to many reports within iReady, to help you assign lessons, identify needs, and engage with your PLC to fine-tune lessons for students through data analysis. You will also be given access to TeacherToolbox, at the beginning of the school year.
As support for educators and for families, Carrie will be making several short videos to help teachers use iReady to its fullest and to help families understand the role of iReady in instruction, as well as how to support their students during assessments.
Currently, our data systems are incorporating Otus and turning over our data from last year to the new school year. Due to this rollover, your students from last year no longer have access to iReady until the new school year begins.
Screencastify
All RCSD staff will have access to the paid version of Screencastify to use next school year. The purchase has not been completed yet, but once it is we will let all teachers know. If a teacher already purchased it themselves, Screencastify will reimburse that teacher. The paid version allows teachers to go beyond the 5-minute time limit and also add text over clips or merge clips. We know most RCSD teachers know how to use it by now, but if you need additional resources you can find them here.
Interesting Articles We Read
9 Ways Online Teaching Should be Different from Face-to-Face: Cult of Pedagogy
Brandon - thanks for sharing this early! Will there be a way for teachers to view the Otis student interface so we can see what they see?
ReplyDeleteThe interface for students is very similar to what students see. You can always start an incognito tab and log in as a student to view what they see.
DeleteThen you, Brandon! Can't imagine the amount of work you all did this summer!
ReplyDeleteThanks Scott!
DeleteBy the way, loom.com is similar to screencastify and free for teachers.
ReplyDeleteSo....when we log into Otus using the recommended log in, it asks permission to access all of our files with the option to read/delete/change/change all of our docs and info. Is that okay? Not feeling very comfortable with that, so please help me understand.
ReplyDeleteYes that is completely fine, we have a data privacy agreement with them. Thanks!
Delete