Meet Otus – A Fun and Free ISTE Event
Disclosure: Otus is currently an advertiser on FreeTech4Teachers.com Otus is a learning management system that first popped onto my radar nearly a decade ago. Since then I’ve watched it evolve from an iPad app to a complete learning management platform for teachers, students, parents, and administrators to use on any device. Along the way they’ve […]
Schedule Assignment/ Assessment Windows in Otus LMS
Otus is a learning management system that continues to grow in popularity in part because of some of the tools they offer for free that other learning management systems don’t offer or charge extra to use. One of those features is an assignment/ assessment window. The assignment/ assessment window feature in Otus lets teachers set […]
Give Video Feedback in the Otus LMS
Otus is a learning management system that I’ve watched evolve from a relatively simple iPad app into a full-fledged LMS that can be used on any device. When I first wrote about Otus in 2014 I wrote, “the possibilities for teachers using Otus seem limitless.” This morning, thanks to an Otus Facebook post, I learned […]
Share Flipgrid Topics Through Otus
Last month Flipgrid made the huge announcement that all features were going to be made available to all users for free. That opened up a bunch of new possibilities for using Flipgrid in your classroom. Now that Flipgrid is free for everyone to use, I think we’ll see more people sharing creative ways to use […]
Otus Adds New Features Including a Lockdown Browser
Otus is a fantastic learning management system (LMS) that I’ve watched mature from its early iterations as an iPad-specific tool to a full-fledged LMS. This week, the folks at Otus announced a new round of updates to their LMS. Included in those update is a new lockdown browser mode that can be activated when students […]
A Conversation With Dr. Keith Westman from Otus
Last month I thought to myself that I didn’t have enough to do so I set about launching a podcast. I failed. It turns out that I don’t really have enough time to do all of the editing that a good podcast requires and still meet all of the other obligations that I have in […]
Three Alternatives to Google Classroom – Best of 2017
As I do during this week every year, I am taking some time off to relax and prepare for the new year. Every day this week I will be featuring the most popular blog posts of the year. Here is one from January. Last week I received an email from a reader who was looking […]
Grade Items in G Suite Side-by-Side With Otus Rubrics
Otus is a fantastic learning management system that is steadily growing in popularity in large part because of its easy of use and flexibility. Proof of that flexibility can be found in a forthcoming update that will let you view, comment, and grade any G Suite item (Docs, Slides, Sheets) on the same screen that […]
Three Alternatives to Google Classroom
Last week I received an email from a reader who was looking for an alternative to Google Classroom. This is not an uncommon request. A couple of times a week I get similar questions from folks who don’t have access to Google Classroom. Here are my three recommendations for a free alternative to Google Classroom. […]
Otus – A Good LMS Option for Small Schools
During the weekend I received an email from a teacher who was looking for an LMS recommendation for his small, private school. The school has less than 200 students and a limited budget. Otus was the first LMS that came to my mind. Otus is designed to be a complete LMS (learning management system) for […]
The Tricky Thing About Free Gradebooks – And Two Alternatives to Engrade
This afternoon I received an email from a reader who was looking for an alternative to Engrade. Engrade is a gradebook tool that has been free to teachers for a long time, but starting in September Engrade will no longer have a free option. I do have a couple of suggestions for free alternatives to […]
Apply for Complimentary Registration to the Practical Ed Tech BYOD Camp
A couple of weeks ago the folks at Otus approached me about sponsoring the Practical Ed Tech BYOD Camp. I wasn’t looking for direct sponsorship of the event so I proposed that they instead sponsor a few people to attend. They agreed and I’m happy to announce that Otus will sponsor three people to attend […]
Join Me at a Free PD & Networking Event in Chicago
A few months ago the folks at Otus reached out to me about speaking at a professional development and networking event in Chicago. I’m happy to announce that everything has come together nicely and on April 29th I’ll be speaking in Chicago at the Aloft hotel. I will be speaking about how we can help […]