Getting Started with Technology

Or see the Video

Xnumber and ID card. It is essential that you have an ID card which contains your Xnumber. You'll need it for everything!

Get your ID card at Student Affairs. Xnumbers and passwords are snail mailed to everyone. If you registered late or if you forget your password, you must go to in person to the Registration Office.

Otis ID cards are made every day at lunch by the Office of Student Affairs. (Faculty may make appointments as necessary.)

Email. All students and faculty are automatically issued an Otis email account. There is a link to Webmail in the sidebar of many Otis web pages.

The school uses your official Otis email address for all official school communication. Here is info on how to use the Otis Webmail system.

Life@Otis. This section contains a lot of material, from how to register for classes to clubs activities. The Current Students link on the top of every page includes quick links to items that may interest you. Finally, there is a SEARCH box on every page.

Buying Books and Readers. The Books and Readers area provides estimated prices and links to an online bookstore. The bookstore uses your Otis email address!

Course Support Materials. To give students 24/7 access, many professors upload their syllabus and course readings to the web. If this is the case, Faculty will tell students in class where the materials are located. The 4 most popular sites are:

O-Space	Full Learning Management System which includes instructional technologies for online discussions, assignments, announcements, etc. E-Portfolios are integrated into this software.
Pathfinders	Research guides for specific departments and projects.
Otis DID	Over 20,000 images and growing. Used for classroom lectures and study.
Course Reserves	Because of copyright issues, sometimes instructors put articles on hold at the Circulation Desk for use only within the Library. You can see what's there by searching that link on the Library website.
iTunes U	Sometimes podcasts and recorded lectures are available directly through the iTunesU now accessible from the iTunes Music Store!

Library Website. Your gateway to essential resources...

Research Gateway	The Library is here to support learning! Search the online catalog for books and DVDs, renew books, check your account, and more...
Research Help	Help sheets for research, web searching, citing sources, study skills, and other useful things.
Information Literacy	Everyone needs to become information literate. There are recommended Tutorials created by the Otis Library.

Academic Databases with 24/7 Access. Information found through subscription databases is often more reliable than what's available on the free web. Through the links below, you will find millions of articles. Maybe even billions! From off-campus, you will be directed through a proxy server where you will need to enter your Xnumber and password.

Ebrary	24,000 searchable books for college research. With citation assistance. Available also through the Library Catalog.
Wilson Art Index	An invaluable resource: millions of full-text articles in hundreds of art and design publications.
Proquest	An excellent general research database. We have others as well.
Databases	Links to the many Otis subscription databases
Images	Links to images databases created and offered by Otis + others.

Digital Portfolios are an excellent way to track the development of your work over your four years at Otis. Students and Faculty may easily create template-based Portfolios with a unique URL. A portfolio can be made available to potential employers or kept private. Access to the software is available to anyone in the Otis Community and students may continue using the software to display their work even as alumni.

Where to Go for Help. The staff of the Library and the SRC are available and ready to assist you with any of these technologies. They'll even answer basic computer questions. They are open until late into the evenings.

Just ask. You're not bothering them. Really!

For information on wireless, proxy server, copiers, etc. see also: Technology FAQs