The Blog is a great way for students to have conversations with their peers or answer specific teacher-provided prompts. Teachers also have the option to create the posts ahead of time and schedule them to publish for students to view at a later date.
Creating a Post
Step 1: Select the Blog module, then select Create Post.
Step 2: Select the class or classes you would like to publish the blog post to, then add a title for your post.
Step 3: Build the post in the Description field.
❗ Important: Text is required in both the Title and the Description (body) of the Blog post for it to successfully publish.
Adding Images
There are two options for adding images. You can add embed an image into the body of the post, or you can add one as an attachment.
Embed into Post  Image will appear in the post while viewing the Class Feed, and will appear when the individual post is selected.
Class Feed View:  Individual Post View:  | Add as Attachment  Will not appear in the post while viewing the Class Feed, but will appear when the individual post is selected.
Class Feed View:  Individual Post View:  |
Adding Attachments
You can add many types of attachments to blog posts.
Step 1: Select here:
Step 2: Choose the type of attachment you'd like to add.
For more information on how to add audio and video, check out the resource below:
Although attachments do not display with the post while on the Class Feed, they will appear on the individual post once clicked on.
Publishing a Post
1 : POST NOW vs. SCHEDULED: Choose if this blog post will be posted immediately or scheduled. If you choose to schedule the post, a date picker will appear for you to choose the date and time.
2 : Allow Comments: This toggle allows you to disable or enable the student's ability to comment on the blog post.
3 : Save as Draft vs. Publish: Save as a Draft will not publish the blog. It will save the blog for editing. Selecting Publish will publish the post immediately (or at the time it was scheduled to publish if a date and time were chosen).
Want more information on blog settings, such as sharing and commenting? Click the link below.
Private Communication
The Otus Blog tool can be used by students to privately message teachers and by teachers to respond to and privately message students.
Click to see a video showing this process.
Click to see a video showing this process.
Otus Live Video
Click to see a video from our Otus Live series on how to create and schedule a blog post.
Click to see a video from our Otus Live series on how to create and schedule a blog post.
FAQ and Troubleshooting
Click to see FAQ and troubleshooting details.
Click to see FAQ and troubleshooting details.
Can I edit a student's blog post?
Only the student is able to edit their own blog post.
Can I hide a student's blog post from the rest of the class?
Students can make their blog post private, which will hide it from the rest of the class and make it only visible to you (the teacher). This can only be done by the student; the teacher is not able to make a blog post private.
Can I delete comments left by a student?
Students can delete their own comments; teachers are unable to delete student comments
Why can't I publish my post?
Make sure that there is text in the title AND in the actual body of the post. If you have just an image of file in the body, it will not post. You will need to add text.