Archive
MS-Expression Encoder 3: Workaround to force video cropping
In MS-Expression Encoder 3, the video cropping feature in the “Enhance”tab is broken, unless you use the workaround for cropping in this screencast.
Foreign Language Character Input on Windows XP in the LRC
The LRC offers the following foreign language characters writing support:
| American English | us international | not needed | us-int |
| Arabic | Google;MS;MS-maren;fontboard | maybe later, now osk | demo |
| British English | us international | not needed | us-int |
| Dutch | us international | not needed | us-int |
| Farsi | Google;MS | maybe later, now osk | demo |
| French | us international | not needed | us-int |
| German | us international | not needed | us-int |
| Greek | Google;MS | maybe later, now osk | demo |
| Italian | us international | not needed | us-int |
| Japanese | MS | not needed | |
| Korean | MS | maybe later, now osk | demo |
| Mandarin | MS;pinyinput | not needed | pinyin |
| Portuguese (Brazilian) | us international | not needed | us-int |
| Russian | Google;MS | maybe later, now osk | demo |
| Spanish | us international | not needed | us-int |
The support is best accessed from the “international toolbar”, like so: 
You can also use the windows on-screen keyboard to input non-Western characters on a computer that has not the corresponding keyboard overlay stickers. In the small-group workspaces, which have writing pads, you can also use the MS-Handwriting IME for East-Asian languages.
Computer Lab Imaging with Ghost Console and Deepfreeze Console
0. As of Winter 2011 Novell – AD and Deepfreeze 7 upgrade, flagged for updating: TBA.
1. DEEPFREEZE console
1.1. Unfreeze the image source client
2. Client PREPARE THE IMAGE
2.1. Login as labadmin,
2.1.1.NAL [tba], labtools, icon Microsoft Update (be sure to use icon in launcher it will disable policies that won’t allow it otherwise use windowsupdate.com
2.1.2 Remove the machine from the domain: My Computer / System Properties / Computer Name / Button: Change / Member of: Workgroup: LRC (if it asks for a user/pwd, leave both blank and click OK), restart as prompted using Ghost Console / Add to workgroup
2.2. Login as ITSadmin (work station only)
2.2.1.Create user testuser (Administrator), will be based on past default user template
2.3. Log in as testuser
2.3.1.Document what you are doing by running c:\temp\labscreencastfullhighaudio.wme / menu button: start encoding / when done, menu button: stop encoding, rename output file to not overwrite existing output,
2.3.2.Make changes ß centre_image_request_list_allda
2.3.2.1 if software installs complain about missing H: (home) drive, plug in a thumbdrive and change its driveletter to H:
2.3.3.Clean before making testuser default user:
2.3.3.1. control / internet options / clean history and temp files
2.3.3.2. recycling bin: empty
2.3.3.3. right-click start button: / menu item:properties / button:customize / tab:general / button:clear list + tab:advanced: clear list
2.3.3.4. C: / properties /disk cleanup, all, except: “Compress old files”, “cached installers”, “Office setup files”
2.3.3.5 Firefox: menu: tools / clear recent history / time range: “everything”/ check everything and click button “clear now:” 
2.4. Log in as itsadmin
2.4.1.Document what you are doing by running c:\temp\labscreencastfullhighaudio.wme / start encoding / rename to not overwrite existing output,
2.4.2.Manage testuser – default user transition
2.4.2.1. USERS
2.4.2.1.1. Make testuser default user:
2.4.2.1.1.1. Unhide: explorer / tools / folder options / tab:view / show hidden files and folder, unhide protected operating system files
2.4.2.1.1.1.1. make a backup of old documents and settings/default user (entire directory, not only ntuser.dat): zip onto thumbdrive with date/version number )
2.4.2.1.1.2. xp copy profile windowskey+pause/break /tab:advanced / section:user profiles / button:settings, select the profile [you cannot copy the active profile, so log in as itsadmin], button: copy to, new window: copy to, section:copy profile to, button:browse, select c:\documents and settings\default user, button:ok
2.4.2.1.1.3. [not even the ntuser.dat seems necessary, since even the ntuser.dat gets updated by copy profile] c:\document and settings\testuser\ntuser.dat [+dolater:subfolders?]: back up ntuser.dat to ntuser.old, then copy into default user
2.4.2.1.1.4.Re-hide: explorer / tools / folder options / tab:view / do not show hidden files and folder, hide protected operating system files
2.4.2.1.2. Remove other accounts:
2.4.2.1.2.1. system / advanced / user profiles / clean profiles: delete all accounts except default user (it if shows) and itsadmin
2.4.2.1.2.2. administrative tools / computer management / treenode:local users and groups management / delete non built-in users and non-administrative users
2.4.3.Uninstall deepfreeze (by re-running the installer from unccapps/installs / df#wks.exe) (this will restart the computer; log in again as itsadmin)
2.4.4.delete c:\nalcache
2.4.5.backup the c:\temp \*.wmv screencasts onto a thumbdrive
2.4.6.do this as last step: run c:\windows\system32\trend\ImgSetup.exe, which gives a message: “this program has been configured to start whenever the system is restarted.”
2.4.7.if sysprep required (deploying to non-uniform hardware, e.g. dell optiplex 760 vs 780), run
2.4.8.Reboot to login screen
3. Ghost console configuration
3.1. Ghost console: upload/backup and download/deploy/clone the image
3.1.1. configuration resources / images / right-click: new / image pointing to a file with the NAME that includes today’s date in the format MMDDYY
3.1.2 task: “CAPTURE IMAGE” (not run): open
3.1.1.1. ISource machine: set to machine you have created the image on
3.1.1.2. Image: set to config resource that you have just created
3.1.1.3. [IF NOT CHECKED]check tab:general /checkbox: Remove machine from Domain before taking an image. You must remove the computer from its domain if you are going to roll out the image file to a number of computers. [except if using sysprep].
3.1.1.4 button: save, button:execute
4. DEEPFREEZE console
4.1. UNFREEZE ALL CLIENTS [LRC must be closed]
5. Ghost console configuration
5.1. Deploy task:
5.1.1.“DEPLOY IMAGE TEST”:
5.1.1.1. [ITEM IS ONLY FYI]tab:general / check: clone, but uncheck: configuration [tba: NOT unchecked now?] , refresh configuration, refresh inventory [tba: why?]
5.1.1.2. [ITEM IS ONLY FYI]tab: clone: check “use Ghost walker to perform a sid change”
5.1.2.configuration task “ADD TO DOMAIN”
5.1.2.1. [ITEM IS ONLY FYI] Alternative individually: ghost console / default configuration / right click computer / properties/ configuration / edit default configuration / tree: workgroup/domain membership
5.1.2.2. [ITEM IS ONLY FYI]alternative via batch configuration template: task “Add to AD group” to add to AD [for lcs? Is this why we do this separately from the domain?]: tab:general, check configuration , target machine group: browse for your default group / coed434, tab;configuration: browse for “add machines to ad” – based on template “add machines to ad”, check allow template settings, tree: workgroup/domain membership / check apply member of , check uncheck computer name which is already set, no description , workgroup/domain: its.uncc.edu, container:unccharlotte / labs / clas / lcs / workstations, uncheck: Move computers that are currently in a container.
6. Ghost console: TEST DEPLOY/ADD AD with 2 computers:
6.1. Test: template task: download/deploy to 2 clients
6.2. Test: on client:
6.2.1.Are clients joined to domain [cannot log in with domain account if not; global test: tba]
6.2.2.logging in (creating profiles based on default user) as staff and labstudent: language & translation apps coming up?
7. Ghost console : PRODUCTION DEPLOY/ADD AD
7.1. checks: are you deploying the right image? Are all computers turned on? Cancelling a Ghost deploy task is a pain, if it does not reboot to the login screen, run a token task like deepfreeze-boot-unfrozen
7.2. Clone/Download, Add to Domain/AD
7.3. Test the clients are joined to domain
7.3.1.For all: ghost console / default configuration / right click computer / properties/ configuration
8. Clients
8.1. Login as labadmin staff account (domain account ß uncheck “workstation only”, to freeze with this default)
8.2. DEEPFREEZE: install from novell-delivered application, from Ghost console: deepfreeze7-install, reboot to frozen install: from Ghost console:deepfreeze7-bootfrozen
9. DEEPFREEZE console
9.1. Test the clients are frozen (exclamation point denotes "not sure")
9.2 Add your scheduled maintenance window, again, to avoid domain trust issues .
Improved Lighting situation in the LRC
- The lighting situation in the LRC caused problem both when using the teacher computer and when showing videos.
- We removed the fluorescent tubes right above the teacher screen. You can get an idea how strong the glare from the ceiling lights was from the next picture:
- The teacher screen which was flickering has been replaced.
- By clicking on the button”menu on the Sympodium screen of the teacher computer, you can adjust the screen more to your liking. While not an optimum display setting, under the current ambient light circumstances, we found it an improvement to the brightness and also the contrast.
- You can also adjust the projector by accessing the projector menu from the NEC remote control.
- Note that increasing the projector brightness will lower the life-span of the expensive projector bulbs.
- Note that the menu also contains presets for displaying video, computer and other sources.
- Presentation …… Recommended for presentations from a computer.
Video …………….. Recommended for standard video such as a TV program.
Movie ……………. Recommended for film based video such as a movie (DVD or HDTV). - Finally, we made sure that the blinds cannot be raised, just tilted, to make it easier and quicker to darken the room as much as possible.
Blackboard VLE Training Videos Overview
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2006 |
Video |
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2006 |
Video |
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2007 |
Video |
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2007 |
Video |
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2007 |
Video |
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How to do a language lab recording exercise as Blackboard assignment |
2007 |
Video |
| Blackboard controlpanel_export_import_course_or_parts.wmv | 2008 |
Video |
| Blackboard dropbox_sort_filter.wmv | 2008 |
Video |
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Blackboard Content System: Add a content item instead of attaching a file |
2009 |
Video |
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2010 |
Video |
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2010 |
Video |
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2010 |
Video |
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2010 |
Video |
Auralog Tell-me-more Demo Screencasts
An overview, mostly narrated:
Automating Auralog Tell-Me-More with AutoIt. Presentation at EUROCALL 2008
Auralog Tell-Me-More is a leading language learning software system which provides a vast amount of content in an advanced technical infrastructure that we found lacking in usability within an higher education language learning environment.
AutoIt is a programming language for GUI automation which I used to better integrate the Auralog software into the higher education language learning process, including
- programmatic
creation of courses and accounts - programmatic extraction and digital repository management for over 30.000 learning units.
- programmatic creation of 10,000s of learning paths,
Results 
were presented (screencast) at EUROCALL 2008: “Automating Auralog (pdf)”:
creates 100s of courses 
, creates 
and enrols 
up to 2,000 student accounts every term,
- content extraction
produces files
for adding search 
and spreadsheet for sort/filter functionality: 
- learning path creation.
More detailed background information here: plagwitz_auralog_accounts_project_pub.pdf, plagwitz_auralog_project_pub.pdf
Questions? Read the About. Or just ask me a quick Our Databases: Resources with calendars -- Language learning material Moodle Sites, multimedia files -- films
FAQs for LRC student staff or for students or for teachers. To search our FAQs, in the browser addressbar, add after "https://plagwitz.wordpress.com/feed/?tag=faqs+/" "+TAG1" (from tag cloud below) OR "https://plagwitz.wordpress.com/feed/tag=faqs
&category_name=" "CAT1" (from category hierarchy below). OR search both categories and tags, and multiple TAGs/CATs (connect with "," for OR-search, with "+" for AND-search), like so: https://plagwitz.wordpress.com/feed/?tag=TAG1+TAG2+...TAGn&category_name=CAT1
+CAT2+...CATn"
Other ways to find help
If you cannot find it here, look there: 5,500 Language-Learning Links and Programs for learning or teaching 150 languages
Shortcuts:Our Lists, Our Maps, LRC Staff Moodle Site,LRC Project Moodle Site, 49erexpress, UNCC Moodle, Student Recordings: s:claslcslrcsanakostudent
Learning usage samples: Sanako oral exam, Kaltura webcam presentation, Dictation with speech recognition, Sanako written exam, Chinese and Japanese interactive stroke-order practice
Test the Sanako Installer, Webbrowser Popup Konfigurator for XP, or Windows7, faster LRC TeacherPC Log-in Let MS facilitate diacritics writing by installing for you US-International keyboard layout
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