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How do I make a video out of my PowerPoint Presentation?

2011/09/14 Leave a comment
  1. Many streets may lead to Rome, but here is the "One Microsoft way”, built into PowerPoint 2010: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint-help/turn-your-presentation-into-a-video-HA010336763.aspx: You can essentially “save as”  video, including recorded narrations. You have to have your media inserted in 2010 format. Here is a walk-through:
  2. under “file”, “save&send”, use “create video”powerpoint-save&send-create-video
  3. if you get a compatibility error like so: powerpoint-save&send-create-video-error-media
  4. follow the instructions given; powerpoint-save&send-create-video-error-media-convert
  5. watch the progress bar: powerpoint-save&send-create-progress
  6. Takes over 60 minutes with on average over 50% CPU of an Intel i5 with 8 GB Ram, to produce a 75MB file of 920*760 and less than 18 minutes in length. But this video streams from MS-SkyDrive.
Categories: audience-is-teachers, documentation, e-infrastructure, learning-materials Tags: , , , , ,

Adapting a Symantec Ghost 11 Dell Optiplex 760 imaging setup to 780 hardware using Boot Wizard Win-PE editor

2011/09/07 Leave a comment
  1. I have set up locally, and documented, a default installation of Symantec Ghost 11 (Ghost console version 11.5.1.2266) that can image a computer lab of dell OptiPlex 760 (not sure how I ended up with doing even this part).
  2. Trying to set to implement use of our new live@edu communications infrastructure in this environment,  I need to image a Dell OptiPlex 780 lab with this setup results in an error: “To Virtual Partition Drivers could not be found in the PreOS for the following devices:Manufacturer: "Intel", Description: "Intel(R) ICH10D/DO SATA AHCI Controller", PCI Vendor: 0x8086, PCI Device: 0x3a02, PCI Subsystem: 0x4201028”
  3. The institution has not produced any documentation on this adaptation, so here goes: You can get a complete set of MS-Vista 32 drivers (which is the OS version that Ghost 11 Win-PE uses ) for Dell Optiplex 780 from Dell’s Driver CABs Homepage, including a table of contents.
  4. You can expand this in Windows Explorer and look for the x86 storage driver, and you will find only one suitable: R222843, Matrix Storage Manager (OS Pre-Install Driver Only), A17, 8.8.0.1009
  5. In Ghost console / tools / boot wizard, You can add this driver (entire dir, as long as it has a friendly name for ghost – could you have done this with the entire dell driver cab of 300mb?) to the win-pe-780 (I made a copy of the default win pee environment which I still need to use for a different set of hardware) (which then compiles the win-pe image), and
  6. You also have to check the driver , to have it included (which compiles the win-pe image again – why? ).
  7. You have to set in Ghost console menu; tools / options / the win-pe as the default remote boot os (this will have to be changed for 760 imaging back to win-pe).
  8. Now, did this really “take”? SNAG-1454 
  9. This allows the reception-captureimage task to complete.
  10. Additional tasks reception-DeployImage and reception-Add to Domain&AD can be derived from the default installation.
  11. We can also deploy and manage Deepfreeze now from the Ghost Console, bypassing Deepfreeze Console.
  12. ghost-console-reception-deepfreeze-remote
  13. I hope this was my last trip down the “general computing” infrastructure Geisterbahn for a while. I was actually trying to apply productivity software infrastructure to a local business process,  and merely  to free up some time for elearning pedagogy…
Categories: audience-is-IT-staff, documentation, Glitches&Errors, hardware, software Tags: , ,

LRC Renovation Proposal: Add small group collaboration spaces by consolidating equipment storage and circulation

2011/09/07 Leave a comment
  1. Objective:
    1. to support new requirements in LCS
      1. increased and further increasing 1-on-1 tutoring and small group collaboration spaces for the (current) hybrid Spanish program and  tele-taught LCTL (imminent: Hindi) programs,
      2. collaborative presentation and multimedia (e.g. ePortfolio projects) in other languages,
      3. circulation of multimedia equipment to teachers and students
    2. with
      1. small group work spaces
      2. which we free up by streamlining the workflow (cope with higher traffic, keep accurate records, monitor repair state  and provide hands-on instructions) for the increased tech equipment circulation needs (and to make up for one lost office)
  2. Action proposed:
    1. centralize circulation desk & materials in COED436, with storage, student assistants, supervisor in fishbowl, and walkup circulation counter;
    2. equip the freed-up spaces 431,433&435a/b with furniture (portable walls, seats,desks,insulation) and technology (power, internet access) for tutoring&small group work.
  3. Illustrations:
    1. inspiration from other institutions:
      1. Shared computer screen small group collaboration spaces
        1. UNCC Atkins library installation by TBA: We would need better sound insulation to accommodate multiple tutors and groups for currently 12 languages taught:uncc atkins-library-shared computer atkins-library-groupworkspaceCIMG0006CIMG0008
        2. Rhodes College. We would prefer booths with tables (for laptops, notebooks) to easy chairs.rhodes-college-small-group-screen-sharing-CIMG2049
        3. Computer science collaboration spaces, Durham University, UK. For foreign language exchanges, we would want better sound proofing:durham-university-bristol-conference-2008-BILD1393durham-university-bristol-conference-2008-BILD1394shared_screen
        4. Rhodes College. whiteboard writable walls would be excellent space savers for small group workspaces: college-wall-doubles-as-whiteboard-CIMG2023 Stitch
        5. The Atkins library videoconferencing facility: For small groups in (many different) LCTL, one would better set up a more intimate facility with better audio, possibly with facilities for directed audio channels and possibly breakout groups which are a requirement for SLA classes.  tele-teaching-atkins-143
        6. Loyola University language resource center library walkup counter with one computer shared between staff and client (the LRC would want 2 computers, to serve 2 lines)sample-language-center-walkup-counter-PICT0007
    2. to document our current facilities:
      1. To the right: Coed 434 (large classroom). To the left: Coed433 (reception area part which should be converted into 2-3 small group workspaces:
        1. coed433-CIMG0001 Stitch
        2. coed433-CIMG0016 (2) Stitch
        3. coed434-coed433-partial-IMAG0113 Stitch (7000x1468)
      2. Rooms to be converted into small group workspaces:
        1. Storage Coed435a, to become teleconferencing or pair workspace:coed435a-CIMG0058 Stitch
        2. Storage Coed4355b, to become teleconferencing or pair workspace:coed435b
        3. Storage Coed431, to become small group workspace:coed431-CIMG0038 -Stitch
        4. Coed436, to become consolidated storage area and office: coed436rear
        5. lrc-coed436
        6. Or use this as a stopgap:
Categories: documentation, e-infrastructure, proposals, service-is-library Tags:

Room and Equipment handling using MS-Exchange Resource Mailboxes: Configuration with OWA instead of PowerShell

2011/08/30 1 comment
  1. As once can easily find documented for MS-Exchange 2007, if you are the owner of the mailbox, you can use the OWA-feature “open other mailbox”.owa-open-other-mailbox1
  2. As impersonated user  for this mailbox owa-open-other-mailbox2, you can access the “Options / Settings”:
  3. for the “resource” scheduling owa-open-other-mailbox-resource-mailbox-options-scheduling
  4. for its “calendar”
  5. owa-open-other-mailbox-resource-mailbox-options-calendar
  6. This is maybe not as much fun as PowerShell’s Set-MailboxCalendarSettings and set-CalendarProcessing (click as you go, no batching), but easier on your MS-Exchange admin Smile and especially practical for quick modifications and tests,
Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-manager, documentation, e-infrastructure, service-is-library Tags: , , , , , , , , , , ,

Configuring the LRC Resource Mailboxes in MS-Exchange 2010

2011/08/21 Leave a comment

Compare the options here:

Categories: documentation, e-infrastructure Tags: , ,

Sanako Study 1200 Teacher Guide

2011/08/18 Leave a comment

teacher-guide

Taken directly from the Sanako documentation and posted here for your convenience (click on image for larger version), this practical cheat sheet is also available on the teacher podium.

Categories: all-languages, audience-is-teachers, documentation, e-languages, software Tags: ,

Our Office 2010 & Office365/Live@Edu/Live not yet @Edu/Ninermail Upgrade: A running log

2011/08/11 1 comment
  1. Just logging some notes, observations, issues, step-by-step instructions…
  2. Office 2010ff install (office2010-full-install-labadmn.wmv [all links are to the folder only, choose screencast by name):
    1. 0:00-2:00: you can easily install Office 2010 from the ISO file without physical CD media, if you first install the free Magic Disc, then from the system notification tray, mount the ISO file to the , open the pseudo-drive from Explorer, which starts the installer through Autorun
    2. 2:00-4:00: since we do not want frozen imaged lab computers to ask for the installation media “on first run”of Office features, we choose button:customize, tab:installation options: “run all from Computer” (top – level selection is sufficient, rest of video is looking around), then button:upgrade
    3. Lots of waiting ensues…
    4. At the end, 28:55, “Microsoft office professional plus 2010 encountered and error during setup”, also the installer complains once about another instance running, then 38:12 asks for rebooting,
  3. Office 2010 first run  (office2010first-run-excel-web-app-test.wmv): 
    1. after reboot, the installation seems to have completed
    2. changing Office update policies seems to be not allowed
    3. file /save&send / save to web / windows live / log in / browse to a folder / give a filename: office2010-file-save&save-to-web 
    4. type something, save and exit
    5. in web browser, open windows live:
      1. log in, go to menu:SkyDrive, browse to the folder, find the file, click on it to view in browser,
      2. from top menu, choose edit in browser, type something, save,
      3. from top menu choose edit in excel, wait for download to open, type something, save&close,
      4. go back to web browser, open the update document from the right users (lab staff).
  4. sharing with windows live
      1. first uncc-LRC needs to make some friends:
        1. eventually, we want the staff of the uncc-LRC be able to use these online  extensions of the most common tools in our work environment, MS-Windows and MS-Office. For this, we need to wait until live@edu/ninermail  is up, so that we can invite lab staff using their @uncc.edu email  addresses
        2. for testing purposes, I have invited myself and the lab coordinator using their personal Hotmail/live addresses
      2. friends need to accept the invitation email  – and even on Hotmail/live mail, look for them in their Junk mail folder (this has been one of the unresolved mysteries of inter-office politics at Microsoft since at least 2007). accepting-friend-request
      3. second, in SkyDrive, share your files with these  friends, and with the right permissions
        1. skydrive-setting-folder-permissionsa sharing policy, per folder, needs to be decided upon
        2. uncc-non-secure permissions: all view, friends edit: uncc-lrc-non-secure-permissions
        3. uncc-secure-settings: only friends view and edit (shall we limit editing to some friends? permanent staff?) uncc-lrc-secure-permissions
        5. skydrive-permissions-folder-secure-some-friends note that some granularity of permissions is already supported, like
          1. folder:”secure”- “friends”:”can add,edit,delete”
          2. folder:”secure”- “friends”:”can read”
          3. folder:”secure”- “some friends”:”can add,edit,delete”
        6. skydrive-setting-folder-permissions-public-cannot-give-edit-access-beyond-friends note that you can give read, but not write access to files beyond the circle of your friends (“friending” within the organization should, however, become are more acceptable option when/if live@edu will allow for @uncc.edu accounts, and interesting, since it offers disintermediation for office network admin tasks).
        7. skydrive-upload-files-standard you can add files through a standard web-interface, or a more advanced Active-x control (looks like your mileage may still widely vary outside of Internet Explorer which is even more confusing when the ActiveX interface is offered in Firefox, but shows glitches). Note, however, that opening a local file in Office 2010 and save&share to SkyDrive is more attractive – however, will you in MS-Office see the folders that are merely shared with you to add to? Does not look like it. Stay tuned… office2010-file-save&save-to-web-windows-live-skydrive. one can still upload the spreadsheet from the web browser, then, also from a web browser, click “open in excel”. From then on, one can open it ore easily from the excel File / history shortcut. I am still working on figuring out how to map SkyDrive folders to local drives (it worked for one set, but other mappings run into problems: Is this because MS allows only one windows live identity to be mapped to your local windows account?)
        8. To publish (possible embed in a web page) spreadsheets with Excel Web App, you can choose:
          1. SkyDrive menu: add files
            1. add an existing file
          2. or SkyDrive menu: “new”
          1. Excel web app ribbon menu: “Open in Excel”
          2. Copy/Paste your content and Save, Close
          3. Excel Web app menu “excel-web-app-menu-embed Share”/ “Embed”:i
          4. Adjust your options in this sharing dialog: excel-web-app-share-embed-options
          5. To embed, take the html-code (you can increase the max width beyond 640 outside of this dialog) and paste it into your web publishing program
          6. Gotcha: To be embeddable, the spreadsheet needs to be in a public folder, or else: excel-web-app-gotcha-public-folder
            1. To move the file, use the “move”option in the file details pane to the right: excel-web-app-gotcha-public-folder4-file-details
            2. This setting should  make it work: excel-web-app-gotcha-public-folder-workaround
            3. And interestingly, it does, automagically: You do not have to update the embed code. It seems the link within the embed code goes to a “file” which has the “folder” it is in not as a path (in the link), but as an attribute:excel-web-app-gotcha-public-folder3
        9. to share a file: Examples for MS-office live file collaboration
          1. MS-Excel
            1. Do not use the “embed” link from SkyDrive, e.g. https://r.office.Microsoft.com/r/rlidExcelEmbed?su=10634757809471938&Fi=SD25C841818181C2!133: this opens in read-only even if I am logged in (in Firefox and in Excel)( as a friend with editing rights)
            2. use the “edit” link from SkyDrive, e.g https://skydrive.live.com/edit.aspx?cid=0025C841818181C2&resid=25C841818181C2%21133: “edit in browser” attempts first opening in browser (Firefox – not asking for  permissions, since I am logged in as friend with editing permissions), unsupported features redirect to excel 2010, opening in “protected view“ – but can enable editing.
            3. Note that when opening in excel 2010, you lose the concurrency that excel web app offers – thus, only 1 LRC assistant can have the online spreadsheet open to make update to the film collection (we have one barcode scanner equipped PC only anyway, so use this one for editing the film-collection.xlsx)
          2. MS-PowerPoint
              1. here is a folder link from where you can click on ""open in PowerPoint":
                https://skydrive.live.com/redir.aspx?cid=0025c841818181c2&resid=25C841818181C2!115
              2. this may take time: open-in-powerpoint-2010-from-skydrive
              3. here is the ""edit in browser"" link  https://skydrive.live.com/edit.aspxcid=0025C841818181C2&resid=25C841818181C2%21146
        10. to delete a file on SkyDrive: skydrive-delete-file 
          1. in detail view, hover over the file row
          2. click on the blue info button at the right end of the file row
          3. in the property pane that opens up on the right, click “delete”.
        11. MS-Word
          1. Just in case you were wondering about the underlying WEBDAV: You cannot paste the “open in word” link into a MS-Word 2010 file open dialogue (you used to be able to paste WebDAV links form the Blackboard Content System into MS-Word’s File-Open, but those were fully qualified URIs to MS-Word-files without JavaScript trickery), or else:
          2. could-not-open
        12. As of 9/27/2011, I also now managed to get in to SkyDrive with my university credentials, for how, see here: Skydrive@uncc.edu
  5. Natural language features testing in MS-Office 2010 is being logged here.
Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-staff, documentation, e-infrastructure, office-software, Screencasts Tags: , , ,

QuickNotes: For ELTI 201/202/501 Student Recordings with Sanako Study1200

2011/07/29 Leave a comment
  1. This is 20 students class doing a model imitation for English phonetics and grammar – use right half of classroom plus 2 rightmost columns of left half.
  2. Have a couple of spare student computers logged in as labadmn (not  as presenter: has no permissions to s-drive to  save recordings) for emergencies.
  3. Your students will log in, then take their break. Wait until entire class shows up in the Sanako Classroom layout. Then you can lock their keyboard and mouse  – but remember when computers go into locked mode, Sanako cannot control them
  4. See http://plagwitz.org, upper right corner “Quick links” for the path to copy/paste. Or, on the  teacher computer in LRC 434, in folder C:\Temp, you can find a shortcut to the Sanako folders
    1. “media” with teacher audio (to be prepared with pauses and beeps once it has been recorded and sent; you can easily prepare it yourself: download and view how with Windows Media Player);
    2. “student” with student recordings
  5. You can download and view with Windows Media Player the (unedited) screencast of our summative walkthrough here.
Categories: all-languages, assessments, documentation, e-languages, English, Screencasts Tags: ,