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How to add control of student sound/recording volume, sidetone, restart, and more to a Sanako Study 1200 environment, using the Launch Program feature and AutoIt
2014/08/22
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- UPDATE: A Windows7 (and Vista) version – which also uses a simplified deployment mechanism – is in the works, check back for a new post here.
- In refining our Sanako classroom setup, we improved the control, that the Sanako Study 1200 affords the teacher over the student clients in the computerized classroom,
- by extending the built-in Launch Program feature
- with custom-made executables (realized in AutoIt V3) that can control the volume (here on Windows XP SP3).
- This it how it works: Launch any of the programs (what each does is in its name) to any individual/group of students or the entire class in order to do any of these things on the student computers that the Sanako out of the box does not allow you to control, and that I often wish I could do when teaching language classes in a Sanako (or other computerized classroom management system) environment, like
- controlling the volume of what the students
- hears
- records
- turning the student sidetone (= echoing back the student microphone into the student headset) on and off
- starting/pausing Windows Media Player
- launching/closing quiz files in MS-Word
- restarting an entire (misbehaving) student applications
- controlling the volume of what the students
- Here is what we have:
- Here is how using what we have looks like:
- You can now request the download of these language lab enhancing programs, including source code, here.
Request to download the digital audio lab classroom audio configuration on the fly, program and source for Windows XP
2014/08/22
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UPDATE: A Windows7 (and Vista) version is in the works, check back for a new post here.
Back to description of reset of classroom audio configuration on the fly program
How to use Remote Desktop Connection Manager for computer lab access instead of having to manage faculty computers
2014/08/22
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- We have conflicting needs for a language technology software environment: diversity, simplicity, quality, manageability. We use of software configuration management tools like TEM. However, we are sitting between an extremely diverse user base (supporting 17 languages) in our unit and a central IT support with a diverse base of units to support.
- Enter MSTSC, facilitated by Remote Desktop Connection Manager:
. If your LRC allows for MSTSC access, consider providing faculty access to a LRC computers via Remote Desktop. - this is for us a great time saver, compared with maintaining subsets of software on subsets of faculty computers that are as similar to the configuration of the subset software on LRC computers as possible,
- while for faculty at the same time a realistic test bed what it will be like to operate LRC computers during class.
- We provide access to a subset (which is easily set and edited in the RDG file loaded into Remote Desktop Connection Manager, which is stored on a shared network drive so that we can update the connection files without disruption of faculty access should there be network changes) since we teach faculty not to log out currently logged in users when they try to connect, but rather choose another computer from the subset that is free to not. We exclude computers used in classes where we frequently have high-stakes exams. We also have high-stakes assignments (using Respondus Lockdown browser)
- we put a shortcut to the Remote Desktop Connection Manager on the start menu or desktop.
- Our computer numbering scheme is simple enough for faculty to navigate – besides, since we connect only to the uniform LRC PC environment, it does not matter.
Bad audio quality in Moodle Kaltura recordings on iMacs under ambient sound conditions. A running log (closed)
2014/08/22
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- Symptom: See title.
- Cause: While speakers of the 3.5 mm headset take over from the iMac speakers, when plugged in, the 3.5 mm headset micro does not disable the webcam micro. The webcam micro remains the recording source for Moodle Kaltura (mac os x.6, safari 6, flash 10).
- Possible solutions:
1st choice: is there a way for the admin to override this permanently?2nd choice: is there a way for the end user to override this on a case-by-case basis?- "The Califone 3066AV is compatible with both Windows and Mac audio outputs (but is not compatible with iMacs)." ("The Wow starts now!").. Do we have to tie up our boom and lavalier microphones for this?
- Try the flash settings by right clicking in the video window, selecting the microphone icon, then choosing the external (= non-webcam) microphone for input.
- Fail. The real culprit is the iMacs line-in audio-in for which you need a preamp to get it to work with analog microphones. Preamps seem to start at $40, but for that I can get a PC webcam (Microphone included).
How to get dkRandomdata to run on 64-bit Excel
2014/08/22
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- Dick Kusleika made this very useful random data generator for Excel (more random data sources I plan to list here).
- To get this to run on 64-bit Excel 2013, I need to make a few quick changes in the source (which will break on 32-bit Excel):
- First, the usual “must be updated for use on 64-bit systems”:
, fixed by this (but note the 1st line):
Private mlParentPtr As LongPtr 'trp:Long
#If VBA7 Then
Private Declare PtrSafe Sub CopyMemory Lib "kernel32" Alias "RtlMoveMemory" _ (dest As Any, Source As Any, ByVal bytes As Long)
#Else
Private Declare Sub CopyMemory Lib "kernel32" Alias "RtlMoveMemory" _ (dest As Any, Source As Any, ByVal bytes As Long)
#End If
- Then, to fix the various “Type mismatch” errors
, e.g. at 
, change Lomg into PtrLong: in these locations:
-
above: Private mlParentPtr As LongPtr 'trp:Long
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Private Function ObjFromPtr(ByVal pObj As LongPtr) As Object 'trp Private Function ObjFromPtr(ByVal pObj As Long) As Object
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- First, the usual “must be updated for use on 64-bit systems”:
- Then I am finally getting to the xmlDoc As MSXML2.DOMDocument error on Windows 8.1, but that has been solved in the comments here earlier this year (also for Windows 8.1, but apparently with Excel 32-bit): I changed MSXML2.DOMDocument to MSXML2.DOMDocument60 where I could:
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Dim xmlDoc As MSXML2.DOMDocument60 'trp: Dim xmlDoc As MSXML2.DOMDocument
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WriteToFile:
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Dim xmlDoc As MSXML2.DOMDocument60 'here it is already fixed? Dim xmlDoc As MSXML2.DOMDocument6
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Dim xmlStyle As MSXML2.DOMDocument60
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Dim xmlOutput As MSXML2.DOMDocument60
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LoadFromFile(): Dim xmlDoc As MSXML2.DOMDocument60 'trp: Dim xmlDoc As MSXML2.DOMDocument
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testxml() (looks like the XML issue has been worked on since the comments):
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Dim xmlDoc As MSXML2.DOMDocument60 'trp: Dim xmlDoc As MSXML2.DOMDocument
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Set xmlDoc = New MSXML2.DOMDocument60 'trp: New MSXML2.DOMDocument
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test_writetofile():
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Set xmlDoc = New MSXML2.DOMDocument60 'here it is already fixed, and here
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Set xmlStyle = New MSXML2.DOMDocument60
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Set xmlOutput = New MSXML2.DOMDocument60
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- Finally, if you have trouble getting the add-in buttons to show in Excel 2013 ribbon, close all workbooks, and you may (but I did not) have to restart Excel (KB2761240):
- Viola. And I sure like me some Seinfeld references in my sample data….
Categories: e-infrastructure, office-software, service-is-programming
64-bit, addins, Dkrandomdata, MS-Excel, VBA
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How to get Square brackets (and hide comments) with ISO690 in Word 2013 bibliography styles
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