Welcome to the OTC CAI Teacher Talk Resource Website

What is Teacher Talk? It is a community of instructors and staff at OTC dedicated to improving instruction by sharing and learning from each other. We want to break through silo-ing to put students first in our quest to better our craft: teaching.
Get started with the “Getting Connected” section below, or learn more by exploring the information tabs:

Getting Connected

Ready to join the community?

  1. Download, install, and log in to Microsoft Teams (Hint: OTC computers will already have it installed, it starts automatically when you start your computer)
  2. Once you have Microsoft Teams open, use the join code xama9y7 by clicking on “Teams” to the left, and then Join or create team (hint: if you are already in a team, you may need to click the teams button twice).
  3. Enter the code (xama9y7) to join the team!

Learn more about Teacher Talk

Teacher Talk is based on the emerging research and spreading trend of Communities of Practice. These is a space designed for like minded individuals across the college who share a passion for teaching and learning.
Communities of Practice have been described as:
“Groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as they interact regularly.”
– Lave & Wenger
We encourage you to pose questions, share resources and research-based practices, and engage in collaborative dialogue that is respectful and of mutual benefit to you and your peers.

You may learn more about communities of practice through text or the video below:

Using Microsoft Teams

NEW TO MS TEAMS? A WORD ABOUT NAVIGATING IN TEAMS:
For technical assistance with accessing or logging into MS Teams, please contact the IT Help Desk at 417-447-7548 or helpdesk@otc.edu.

Using Microsoft Teams can be easy and intuitive with a little help Check out the diagram and information below.

  1. The Teams Button: on the leftmost navigation Rubbon, you can access all of your teams from here.
  2. The Channel List: Teams are organized into communication “channels” separating topics or groups. Different channels may have different settings, and each channel will have its own tabs.
  3. Tabs: Each channel has its own set of tabs, starting with the Posts tab where communication can happen. You may find links to websites, files, and other applications here. If you want something added, ask one of the community leaders or email facdev@otc.edu
  4. Posts: Posts are the main form of communication in a team and work just like the posts in a Facebook group. The thumbtack icon indicates a pinned post that is kept accessible through other conversations – these often contain important information.
  5. The Reply Button: If you would like to respond to a post or comment, you may use the reply button.
  6. New Conversation: You can start a conversation about a new topic, idea, question, or comment here!

Hint: want to see if people have already been talking about something? Use the search bar at the top of Teams!

For additional information about navigating this Team, please contact the Center for Academic Innovation (CAI) at 417-447-4800 or facdev@otc.edu. Thanks and happy chatting!

Notifications: Staying in the loop

If you would like to receive channel notifications so you don’t miss out on activity, you may modify them. The default will not provide notifications. After you click on “Channel Notification, please select “All Activity” or “Custom” to receive the level of notifications you prefer. You will need to set this for each channel you want to receive notifications about.
If you have any questions regarding this team, please contact the Center for Academic Innovation at facdev@otc.edu or 417-447-4800.

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