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External Tool Activities (LTI) for Lessons
External Tool Activities (LTI) for Lessons

How to add an external tool, such as Playposit, to an Otus Lesson as an activity.

Monica Burke avatar
Written by Monica Burke
Updated over a week ago

You can embed external tools into a lesson activity, which allows students to access them directly within the lesson, without needing to leave Otus. Examples of external tools are Playposit and Newsela.

❗ These tools must be enabled at the district level in order to be used in Otus Lessons. Private accounts are unable to be used in this way. If you are unsure of which tools may be available to you, reach out to your administration for clarification.

Example Student View:


How to Add the External Tool

  • Step 1: After you've created the lesson, add an Activity.

  • Step 2: Select Add External Tool. If you do not have this option available, that means your district has not enabled any External Tools.

  • Step 3: Select the tool you wish to add.The options here are based on the tools your district has enabled.

  • Step 4: Select Launch Tool.

  • Step 5: If you have selected a tool that requires deep linking, you will need to select the specific resource you'd like students to have access to. If you have selected a tool that is considered basic linking, move on to Step 6. See the clarification note below:

➡️ Step 5 Clarification

Based on the tool you've selected, there are two possible ways it will be linked:

  • Deep Linking: you are embedding a specific resource from within a website, for example, a video, article, or image.

    • Example: Playposit. With Playposit, you will need to choose the "bulb" (video) you wish the students to have access to.

  • Basic Linking: you are essentially embedding a website.

    • Example: Newsela. With Newsela, you do not have to select a specific resource; this tool simply provides the student access to the Newsela website.

  • Step 6: If your tool requires a deep link (ex. Playposit), you will need to navigate from within the window to select the specific source. If your tool does not require a deep link (ex. Newsela), you will skip this step and move on to Step 7.

  • Step 7: Give the activity a title.

  • Step 8: Provide instructions for the activity (optional)

  • Step 9: Upload a preview image (optional)

  • Step 10: Select Save.

Student View:

Below is an example of how an LTI activity will look within a student account when they complete the lesson.

❗ If you choose not to upload a preview image as mentioned in Step 8, the default preview image is shown above on the activity tile.

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