Moodle Metacourses, part III: The support workflow: File-renaming
We discussed file renaming utilities in an earlier post. Here are some more practical tips:
Limitations: While both utilities can accept Windows Search Result sets, drag-drop seems limited to fewer than 256 files at a time (on my Vista 64-bit – but that is not an OS limitation, since MS Expression Encoder can accept a drag-and-drop of all over 3.5k files that need reencoding).
Workaround: both utilities have a folder-select, and Renamer in addition accepts file masks, which can mimic some basic searches:
![image_thumb[2]](/Users/trp/AppData/Local/Temp/WindowsLiveWriter1286139640/supfilesB79F19A/image[6].png "image_thumb[2]")
Bulk Rename Issue: While it allows for “Select from Clipboard” which you can use with the Windows “Copy as Path”/”Send to Clipboard as Name” feature which works with search result sets. However, I could not get this feature to work (neither with the default “” around the path nor, after removing them manually, without).
Renamer, Issue: rule, clean up, strip-out-content-of-brackets-does-not-what-it-should:
Renamer-translit-anglicize-foreign-language-diacritics: unfortunately still recommended for technical reasons; Renamer has presets, e.g. German here: TBA
Only one preset can be inserted add a time (overwrites previous) – but you can build your list with copy/paste from/to this text box and persist it to disk to load it later, just like the search rules – an extremely handy feature.
Moodle Metacourses, part IV: The support workflow: Transcoding audio learning materials
The MS-WMA-Voice codec features very acceptable audio quality for spoken language learning materials in a highly compressed format. It allowed me to reduce our existing audio files collection size by about 50%.
Expression Encoder 3 crashed a few times during encoding this queue of 3.500 audio files. In addition, it took a long time to reload the .XEJ project files of such a size. It is, however, easy enough to inspect the XEJ in an XML editor:
And even easier to delete the finished media files form the queue using a text editor:
I am wondering whether this queuing could be streamlined (recovery automated, and the need for human interaction be reduced) using the PowerShell Module for Automating Expression-Encoder, but so far the process is good enough.
Sanako Study-1200 slow spanning 2 screens with different resolutions
- UPDATE2: 2013-09: apparently new video driver crashes with autoscan window, this time even on primary screen alone?
- UPDATE: 2011-01:Problem seems to have disappeared (windows update?)
- Symptom: This is on a Dell Optiplex 760 (B6CCLK1) which has no problems with Sanako’s screen sharing application, as long as you do not attempt to span the windows across two screens with different resolution which makes even the mouse jerky. Not sure, but do not remember having this problem across two screens with the same resolution. Actually, the Sanako subwindow (remote ctronl specifically) slows down the computer even if it is only on th secondary screen.
- Solution: Relatively easily fixed, if you can afford upgrading not only the screen, but also the LCD projector that hangs on one of the screens…
- Workaround: Do not span sub-windows of Sanako Study-1200 across screens. This problem can become so bad that the Sanako sub window becomes completely unresponsive and cannot be moved or closed (neither with the close button in the upper right nor with ALT-F4). Try CTRL-ALT-ESC then and kill the process. You could also try and upgrade the video card driver which may be the true culprit. However, on the Sanako sub windows seem to display the problem (screensharing with remote control, chat also). E.g. Internet Explorer windows do not have the same problem when spanned across screens.
Room and Equipment handling using MS-Exchange Resource Mailboxes: To train in Outlook Desktop or in OWA ?
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While Outlook desktop is a more powerful calendaring tool than OWA (cf. viewing calendars in overlay mode), we decided to first focus on getting everybody to be functional with meeting requests in OWA, since
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faculty will want to use this system from their home computers where the outlook desktop configuration, if it exists at all , is probably even more lacking. Students could, but are not likely to have outlook desktop either
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both faculty and students (both for rooms and for equipment) will walk up to the LRC reception desk needing help, and then only OWA is available
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it is actually part of both equipment check-out and check-in procedure (if not for rooms, then for equipment) that I am designing that faculty and students open up from OWA (on the web browser that the lab assistant is not using: internet explorer, Firefox, Safari should gives us always 2 options on either operating system) that the meeting that they have made (or if not made, make one on the fly), and that the lab assistant enters a code (generated on the PC at the reception desk) into their appointment and sends the update for them to see them through;
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we can also serve as backup on our office computers for the reception desk (unstaffed or understaffed), if clients use OWA
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Essentially, it is not a PC Environment anymore (although it could be if our Remote Desktop infrastructure were much stronger).
LRC Outlook/Exchange 2010 Calendaring: What happens after the meeting request? Automated or manual responses and reminders
- If you have been invited to a meeting, e.g. a co-taught class in the LRC, you will see in your inbox an email-like meeting request with pre-set answer options:
- Wait, there is more: Proposing:
- If you followed the instructions in TBA:request meeting, you should immediately get an acceptance response from the resource:
- If something went wrong, read the denial response for how to overcome the issue:
- there are resource specific policies, like maximum booking duration, listed here: TBA: list resources
- if there is a conflict with a prior booking of the resources, please go back to the meeting request scheduling assistant and find a time when the resource is available.
- if you requested a recurring/repeating meeting, like for a weekly class meeting in the LRC, there may be individual conflicts. Note that we have set the resource scheduling options for the non-conflicting instances of your request to be accepted (in most cases). For how to deal with the conflicting instances, study the conflict information in the denial response.
- Note that the LRC calendars are set up so that the LRC staff is copied (as delegates) on LRC resource requests (as a backup for issues and paper trail for reporting):
- If you find you get too many meeting reminders that you do not need, when requesting a meeting, turn the default reminder option off:
- The reminder can also be set to off as default in the calendar settings for a resource.
Room and Equipment handling using MS-Exchange Resource Mailboxes: Configuration with OWA instead of PowerShell
- 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”.
- As impersonated user for this mailbox
, you can access the “Options / Settings”: - for the “resource” scheduling
- for its “calendar”
- 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
and especially practical for quick modifications and tests,
LRC Outlook/Exchange 2010 Resource Calendaring: LRC resources in the Global Address List (GAL)
- Open the GAL for resources by clicking on “Resources” in a meeting request, like here:
- You will find an equivalent of the LRC bookable resources list in Outlook’s/O’WA’s Global Address List.
- In the GAL,you can filter by recipient type:
- the result, in outlook:
- the result, in outlook:
- for LRC resources, especially other than rooms, it is easier to filter by name(all LRC resource names start with “LRC”) – the result,
- in Outlook:
- in OWA you will see the GAL as part of the address book
- in Outlook:
Questions? Read the About. Or just ask me a quick Our Databases: Resources with calendars -- Language learning material Moodle Sites, multimedia files -- films
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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
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