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LRC headset tests

2014/01/10 Leave a comment

image

  1. To improve LRC readiness – given that headsets are the most prominent component of the language center,  as well as a wear and tear part –,
  2. every Friday during the term (see column),
  3. a group of expert LRC assistants, armed with the above checklist on a clip board on the reception desk, 
  4. tests  each headset (see rows) in the LRC for functionality (play, record), using the procedure outlined in step-by-step instructions linked in the 2nd column from the left above
    1. for PCs and
    2. for iMacs respectively,
  5. and reports the test results on the clip board:
    1. upon success, puts tester’s initials,
    2. otherwise marks as “not ok”, e.g.
      1. “no plug”,
      2. ”no mic”, or “mic w/ static”
      3. “no sound”,
      4. etc.
  6. LRC assistants should, as pictured: headset-check
    1. from the clipboard,
    2. access the instructions
    3. follow the instructions
    4. record the results
    5. while working side-by-side to cut the load in half.
    6. In addition (not pictured), they can log in on multiple computers and start working on the first pair while the last pair stills starts up.
Categories: audience-is-students, checklists, e-infrastructure, hardware, headphones, Spreadsheets Tags:

The simplest OCR options you have here

2014/01/10 Leave a comment
  1. (Staff:) Using the departmental scanner which outputs PDF to a network share (that you can link from your desktop). The PDF is searchable at least
  2. (Staff & Students:) Using only your desktop, at work or at home:
    1. MS-Office
      1. OneNote 2007/2010: paste image, right-click to access context menu, “extract text”.  Example (you can see it is quick and simple, but not error-free): image
      2. Imaging components :TBA
    2. Google Apps can also OCR the files you upload to Google Docs.
      1. You first need to change the default settings. Choose from hard-drive icon for file uploads, context menu: “Settings” / “Convert text form uploaded PDF and image files”.
      2. You may want to upload an entire folder – then you need to either use Chrome or allow the install of a Java applet.
      3. You may want to use not have to deal with one Googledoc for each image you upload. So bind your scanned pages (unless your OCR software already allows this – I have been restricted to “Windows Scan and Fax”) to multi-page PDFs (imagemagick’s convert command can do it for free). Note that the max upload size in Google Docs is 2mb, which restricted me to about 10 pages per document (strangely, since I had scanned to b lack and white and very small size, but the PDF size grew, likely using a less efficient encoding  – might be able to optimize this).
      4. Google Apps uses the same OCR engine as Google Books. Not much formatting is being retained, in the below examples note the line breaks, but that is fine for me, since I am only after large chunks of text for further processing: image
      5. I have only tested English (largely current affairs) text, but was impressed with the OCR results.
        1. Also, where the OCR went wrong (2-times 4 per page; also some artifacts, my scans were not very clean: Google Apps seems to handle dark spots on the page better then unstraightened lines),
        2. the proofreading suggestions (as usual, right click to access) are very good (better than MS-Word’s when I downloaded the files).image
        3. Sometimes you have to consult the original image which conveniently gets put above the  OCR’ed: text. imageimage
        4. You can download the results as MS-Word files and within MS-Word, remove all the scan images using ^g. image
    Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-staff, audience-is-teachers, Institution-is-University-of-North-Carolina-Charlotte Tags: , , ,

    LRC daily walkthrough for all computers

    2014/01/02 Leave a comment
    1. Push chairs under desk
      1. clip_image001
      2. clip_image002
    2. Remove any trash from computers desk.
    3. "Machine unavailable" signs
      1. clip_image003 
      2. Make sure each computer has one attached to it (or apply spares from box on reception desk).
      3. Put the "unavailable"sign down, where needed: Requires that you first look up which computers currently unavailable in here: http://goo.gl/RqSLme,  in sheet"computers+monitors",column:"unavailable (= is the sign down), they are marked as "1" (sort the column to see).
    4. Make sure computers that are available are turned on and ready for students to log in.clip_image004
    Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-temp-staff, checklists, e-infrastructure, Institution-is-University-of-North-Carolina-Charlotte

    LRC headset test on PCs

    2014/01/02 Leave a comment
    1. Log in on a PC.
    2. Launch the Sanako student recorder form the desktop: clip_image001
    3. clip_image004
    4. Click the red recording button then record for 5 sec (speak into the microphone; then tab the microphone with your finger several times, to make sure you are recording through this source), then the blue stop button clip_image002
    5. Click the green Play (from beginning):
      1. can you hear yourself speaking/ the noise from the tabs?
      2. clip_image003
      3. turn your head left and right: can you still hear (sometimes a short cuts out the sound).
    6. If not check headsets cables as described in LRC routine walkthrough for classroom PCs (Sanako headsets) or in LRC routine walkthrough for listening and group room stations(brown headsets).
    7. If it still does not work, report Computer # on clip board.
    Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-temp-staff, e-infrastructure, hardware, headphones, Institution-is-University-of-North-Carolina-Charlotte, Listening-Stations, LRCRoomCoed434, Presenter-Computer, small-group-work-spaces, Student-Computers Tags:

    LRC daily walkthrough for classroom PCs

    2014/01/02 Leave a comment
    1. Find a time when the classroom is not busy on the LRC calendar – if necessary, do it earlier rather than later.
    2. If somebody else than coordinator or director is logged onto the teacher computer, tell the LRC coordinator.
    3. Check the projector? Turned off , screen up
    4. clip_image001
    1. clip_image002
    1. clip_image003
    1. Make sure classroom blinds are closed
    2. clip_image004
    3. Make sure the classroom whiteboard is clean
    4. clip_image005
    5. Make sure headsets are
      1.  hanging on the back of the monitor in the classroom (each headset on the computer it is connected to, and not a neighboring computer).
      2. clip_image006
      3. and are
        1. firmly plugged in
        2. plugged in firmly AND and in the correct (= bottom left) USB port
        3. cable-tied  ((spares in coed436 box “office supplies”).
        4. image
    Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-temp-staff, checklists, e-infrastructure, headphones, Institution-is-University-of-North-Carolina-Charlotte, Presenter-Computer, Student-Computers

    LRC daily walkthrough for iMacs and printer

    2014/01/02 Leave a comment
    1. For the iMacs,
      1. clip_image001 
      2. make sure headset is plugged into the USB adapter as pictured,
      3. make sure the 2 “Do not use” labels on the adapter and over the inputs on the rear of the screen are in place and intact (or apply spares from box on reception desk).
    2. Check that the printer has papers (or replenish paper from the reserves shelves in coed436).
      1. clip_image002
    Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-temp-staff, checklists, e-infrastructure, hardware, headphones, iMacs, Institution-is-University-of-North-Carolina-Charlotte Tags:

    LRC daily walkthrough for listening and group room stations

    2014/01/02 Leave a comment
    1. Ensure that the listening station/group room PC headsets are stored hanging from the side cubicle walls:
    2. clip_image001
    3. Headsets need to be plugged into the rear:
      1. Make sure "Do Not Use" sticker is on the front panel (or apply spares from box on reception desk).
      2. clip_image002
      3. As pictured:
        1. Plug headset to in the right rear outlets (black into green, red into red/blue).
        2. Make sure cables are secured with a cable tie (or apply spares from box "office supplies” on shelves in coed436).
        3. clip_image003
    Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-temp-staff, checklists, e-infrastructure, headphones, Institution-is-University-of-North-Carolina-Charlotte, Listening-Stations, small-group-work-spaces

    LRC headset test on iMacs

    2014/01/02 Leave a comment
    1. Logon to the iMac.
    2. Double click Macintosh HD.
    3. Click Application.
    4. Find Garage band and double click it.
    5. image
    6. Save the file to the desktop
    7. Press record image
      1. Speak into the microphone; then tab the microphone with your finger several times, to make sure you are recording through this source.
    8. Stop then play
    9. If there is no sound or you cannot hear anything, go to the Apple menuimage
    10. and click system preferencesimage
    11. Click sound then select the output tab
    12.  image
    13. Choose the usb option
    14. Select the input tab then again choose the usb option
    15. Close system preferences
    16. Try again to record then listen.
    17. Still not working? Check the iMac headset hardware , as described here: LRC routine walkthrough for iMacs and printer.
    18.  If it still does not work, report Computer # on clip board.
    Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-temp-staff, checklists, e-infrastructure, hardware, headphones, iMacs Tags: