Archive
Wacom Bamboo Tablet enables Teacher to draw characters for class
- We set up one of the Wacom Tablets which we have used for Hanzi/Kanji/Hanja practice in our student group rooms, at the LRC teacher station. Benefit:
- drawing characters where typing (including with IMEs) is not a satisfactory option. This includes
- IPA
- I noticed phonetics teachers making heavy use of the whiteboard and document camera/projector to transcribe.
- We tested a Phonetics keyboard, but remembering your keyboard shortcuts has a learning curve;
- Besides, the keyboard is currently not user-switchable.
- stroke-order demonstration for East-Asian languages.
- IPA
- Unlike the document camera, the Wacom could be set up at the teacher station – no need to move to the other end of the room, and works without need for the video switch we consider replacing.
- To use, you can
- e.g. start MS-paint (click start-button, “Run”, type “mspaint”, click “OK”)),
- select the “pencil” menu icon to the right of the center here:
, - remove the pen from pouch on the side of the wacom tablet next to the keyboard,
- draw digitally with the pen tip (soft),
- select the “eraser”menu icon to the right of the center here:
- turn the pen and rub to digitally erase (or “select all”and press the “del” key),
- finally save the drawing, if you want to reuse it or share it with students (e.g. using the Sanako playlist ).
- To change settings, go to the control panel (click start-button, “Run”, type “control”, click “OK”and start the Wacom Bamboo Control Panel Applet,
- if you do not like the Wacom tablet input panel being set to represent the entire left screen that is visible to students on the projector.
- if you are not right-handed,
- etc.
- drawing characters where typing (including with IMEs) is not a satisfactory option. This includes
Protected: Many input languages, keyboards and IMEs requested are not accessible to most LRC users
How to use Google translate for writing Cyrillic letters with a western keyboard, pronunciation help, and text-to-speech
Go to Google translate and do like so. Useful for learning, as well as typing when teaching.
Web-based romanized letters to Cyrillic transliteration tool.
- Our Russian tutor uses this transliteration tool HTTP://TRANSLIT.RU which allows for phonetic input on a keyboard that does not have Cyrillic letters and seems popular with native speakers of languages written in Cyrillic.
- As so often, that implies: not designed for language learners. The explanation attests to that:
MS Universal Language Input Tool offers correction and transliteration on any web page
Using the UIME, you can “type any language with any keyboard on any web page, using only the Roman characters present on every keyboard.”
And you can install your favorite input language in your web browser, like so:
Summary: Foreign language character input in LRC and on your own Windows PC
On popular request, I am posting a summary on this topic:
https://plagwitz.wordpress.com/2011/04/14/foreign-language-character-input-on-windows-xp-in-the-lrc/
DO try this on your PC at home: https://plagwitz.wordpress.com/2009/09/04/character-input-methods-for-sla-western/, includes an Interactive Demo of installation procedure (personal computers outside of the LLC) here: keyboard_usinternational.swf.
Arabic character input tools in the LRC: MS-Maren and Fontboard-Arabic
“Lack of access to an Arabic keyboard or lack of familiarity with one are two of the most common problems preventing Arabic users from communicating in their own language. Microsoft Maren is a Windows extension that comes to the rescue, allowing you to type Arabic in Roman characters (Romanized Arabic, Arabizi, Arabish or Franco-Arabic) and have it converted on the fly to Arabic script. Maren integrates seamlessly with Windows and works in most Windows applications and websites.”. “Maren Transliteration enables the use of an English keyboard to spell out text in what is called ‘romanized’ Arabic. Maren Transliteration then shows the user options in Arabic script.”
The fontboard “Arabic keyboard created by Zsigri Gyula more closely resembles the sounds and shapes of the US English QWERTY keyboard.It is extremely helpful if you do not type in Arabic on a regular basis, and it is without a doubt more intuitive than the Arabic keyboards Microsoft provides.”
These tools can be downloaded from the links and are, if you use the LRC, accessible from the desktop: 
Questions? Read the About. Or just ask me a quick
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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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