Archive
Language Learning Links of Lore: A Links Management System around Y2K
Based on GossamerThreads’ Links Management systems (one of the best open source PERL-CGI resource web database systems of its era), this language learning links system that I first implemented in Canada in the late 90s and took with me to the US.
Benefits: The system went beyond the usual “visit a website” foreign language elearning exercise of this pre-LMS day by allowing students to publish online, thus introducing a Web 2.0 collaboration element that shared meaningful exercises in the German learning community. We had contributions from Kingston, Toronto, Detroit and Des Moines.
The system was both reasonably easy to use for teachers (How_to_add_a_links_assignment_in_90secs) and productive for students who could improve their language skills by interacting with, reviewing and presenting authentic target language websites, while having quick access to other computerized language learning resources, like fledgling online dictionaries (also stored in and searchable from the same interface).
Example output:
Highlights included reviews of websites dedicated to online shopping, travel booking, mapping, live webcams, and much more…
See here is an example of an Yippee! assignment conducted during one of the face-to-face classes in the language center:
Limitations: All links needed to fit into a pre-tagging strictly hierarchical categorization tree. A GUI, but no batches – I preferred to write myself PERL scripts to batch update the underlying database files.
How to self-enroll in a Moodle course
If a Moodle course is set to allow for self-enrolment (both regular and Project courses here can be), if you go for the first time to this such a course – e.g. by clicking on a link to the course (which we don’t show you here, since we want to give only a select user group to self-enroll in our course) – you will be taken to a logon page (if not already logged into Moodle), and, upon successful login, be immediately offered to self-enroll. Click the “Yes” button and you are taken to your course, like is done in this screencast on self-enrolling in Moodle.
How to manually add a user to your course.
Less than intuitive, but you have to go via “Assign roles”. Here are the steps:
- Go to “Assign Roles” in your bottom left hand course menu
- Choose a role you want to assign
- Search, add and assign the role to a user. This will also add the user to the course.
- Check results by going to “Participants” in your bottom left hand course menu
Here is the screencast of adding users to your Moodle course.
Digital language lab audio configuration: Using the Sanako Study 1200 Sound Device Wizard on student computers
Watch a screencast of operating the Sanako Study 1200 Student Sound Wizard from menu: Tools / Sound Settings – using an analog headset. However, “If you are using Sanako SLH07 USB headsets, Study has inbuilt default audio settings that you can easily apply. Simply click on Set Sanako Headset defaults to employ audio settings that have been preconfigured for use with a Sanako headset“, like shown here:
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 .
Classroom management system: Netop School Software Install, Configuration and Test
- Uninstall the test install of Netop first from “Add/Remove Programs”
- The install should be made under the account that will before imaging copied into the Default User Profile.
- The install files are here (you need to be logged into, as well as for the videos).
- Both the teacher and the student software are recommended to be installed on the teacher computer.
- The basic settings for teacher:
- lrc-class: The name of the class that the Student module should join.
YES:Whether the Teacher module should use the Windows login name of the Student computer as student primary display name.
[see lrchelp mail account] =Protection password
NO:Whether the communication profile should be changed to something other than the default TCP/IP, for example wireless. - The basic settings for student install:
- YES:Whether the Student module should join a class automatically when started.
lrc-class:The name of the class the Student module should join. Note: This class name must match the class name defined in the Teacher module.
NO:Whether the communication profile should be changed to something other than the default TCP/IP, for example wireless - There are more configuration choices in the screencasts here:
- Teacher software Install Screencast
- Student software Install Screencast
- Functionality Test Screencast: (testuser needs to be logged in on PC05. Skip the waiting section before the results come in at the end; this is when I took the test on the student computer).
- In addition, try to point the shared folder for teachers J:\LRC\Plagwitz (try alternatively UNC: ). Try this first as labadmn (labadmn has no access to this share) and alternatively with your staff/teacher login (where Netop will likely accept it, but may not carry over from the labadmn into the Default User Profile).
- Try to add a copy of the “Teacher” program from “Startup”/ “All programs” to All Users / Startup
Examples of Quizzes based on MS-Word template
You can view a series of examples for formative assessments, used during face-to-face teaching (German) settings, in this screencast:
.
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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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