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Mylanguagelab.com “Authentication failed” glitch in audio recorder

2012/10/18 Leave a comment

Common error in IE8 when students review their test before submitting. No worries, the student recording is not lost. Still, what is the solution?

Categories: audience-is-language-learning-center-staff, audience-is-students, audience-is-teachers, e-languages, Glitches&Errors, service-is-evaluating-learning-tools, Student-Computers, textbooks, websites Tags:

How to download Centro Spanish Textbook audio

2012/09/07 Leave a comment

The audio is in (compressed) mp3 format. Just right-click on any audio link and choose save target/link as (or similar, depending on browser), like so: clip_image001

Example from Centro – Puntos de partida: Online Laboratory Manual, 8th Edition (you need access privileges to follow this link, but you can send links around, users can open them, provided their webbrowser is already logged into the centro site  – getting access and finding you way around the website is the real issue. Webspiders are prohibited, though – and even Downthemall saves only files without extensions: rename them to .mp3 or save them manually as .mp3 in the first place, as shown above. Does not work as above? Try a different web browser.

Categories: audience-is-students, audience-is-teachers, documentation, e-languages, learning-materials, Listening, Media, service-is-evaluating-learning-tools, Spanish, Speaking, textbooks Tags:

How do we connect to a Pearson MyLanguageLab webcast via Cisco WebEx?

2012/04/13 Leave a comment
  1. TURNS OUT THIS was not a technical issue – we will try and reconnect.
  2. our setup:CIMG0010 Stitch
  3. our instructionsCIMG0032
  4. misc: Do we have to use the phone for audio? We have computer audioCIMG0033
  5. misc:CIMG0035
  6. our error: “the host has not yet joined the meeting” CIMG0042
  7. Submitting support ticket that references this blog post CIMG0001 (3)
  8. At some point, we get booted to next week’s meeting (no surprise then that the host has not joined the meeting).
Categories: Glitches&Errors, textbooks, web-conferencing Tags: ,

Treffpunkt Deutsch Companion Website with Online Exercises

2012/01/11 Leave a comment
  1. This first-year German textbook comes with a Companion Website with free online exercises, organized by chapter, on the publisher’s website (different from the Quia.com –based workbook and lab manual exercises).
  2. From the instructor guide: “The Companion Website is a robust online resource designed to give students a chance to practice and further explore the vocabulary, structures, and cultural themes introduced in the text. For each chapter, students will find self-grading practice exercises on vocabulary and grammar topics as well as Web-based reading and writing activities. Web links to carefully selected sites in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Liechtenstein, and South Tyrol (Italy), accompanied by interesting activities, provide additional interaction with the cultures of these German-speaking areas of Europe. Also available on the Website are the audio components of the Student Text and the SAM, as well as an interactive vocabulary flashcards tool. ”
  3. These exercises include vocabulary practice, even flash cards.
  4. The auto-correction feature provides:
    1. some useful feedback for further study, feedback1
    2. summary grades feedback0
    3. and an email to teacher function that should facilitate Syllabus integration of this useful resource: feedback2
Categories: Absolute-Beginner, audience-is-students, audience-is-teachers, Beginner, e-languages, German, learning-materials, Listening, Reading, service-is-evaluating-learning-tools, textbooks, Vocabulary, websites, Writing Tags: ,

Quia Options for Grading in course or book or exercise

2011/08/31 Leave a comment
  1. The instructor workstation features prominently the tab : options.Quia - Instructor Workstation_course-options
  2. if you go into grading, you see that not all options can be changed from here.
  3. Quia - Instructor Workstation_course-options-grading
  4. However, when customizing your book, you may have already found the options next to  each individual exercise that allow you to change Spelling/Case sensitivityquia-grading-options-per-exercises
  5. However, if you go to the tab: book, you will find more options there, including how you can change Feedback and Spelling/Case sensitivity for the entire book instead of individual exercises: Quia - Instructor Workstation_book-options
Categories: e-languages, learning-materials, service-is-evaluating-learning-tools, textbooks Tags: ,

Centro/Quia student access problems at term start: What OneKey?

2011/08/31 Leave a comment
  1. Our Pearson/Prentice Hall textbook comes with online component, access to which is purchased in the University bookstore.
  2. The textbook comes with a setup brochure (OneKey, yellow) that states: “Go to www.prenhall.com/onekey, click OneKey for Students, then click Getting Started, and select CourseCompass. Follow the on-screen instructions to register for CourseCompass”.
  3. onekey
  4. This page is unresponsive und  forwards to http://www.pearsonhighered.com/
  5. pearson
  6. Cute but I have no idea how to continue from here.
  7. if you try to enter the “CourseCompass Access Code” by browsing manually to www.coursecompass.com, you will read: “CourseCompass is now MyLab and Mastering If you had a CourseCompass account, it works with MyLab / Mastering. Sign in now.” Maybe this change broke the entire signup process?
  8. 100000s of these packages must have been sold by now, each costing 100s of dollars. Why do students and teachers have to waste entire class hours, each worth also 100s of dollars, on banging their head against this pay wall even after they paid?
  9. When reading the instructions, I found it necessary to highlight the steps our students need to take:
    1. CourseCompass Access Code
    2. CourseCompass Course ID
    3. Account username and password
    4. Quia Student Book Key
    5. Quia Course Code
  10.   Wow!  With my teacher login, I can see that the online content which is protected by this pay wall is still the same literally translated print lab manual/workbook material. Must be decades old now.
Categories: learning-materials, textbooks Tags: , , , , ,