Archive
How to use the LRC Lists
- The LRC lists are built with MS-Excel Web app, one of the new features which came with NINERMAIL (live@edu, try logging into http://skydrive.com .
- Important benefits of MS-Excel Web app include
- sorting: click on column header / down arrow, and choose menu item: “Sort Ascending/Descending”
- filtering: click on column header / down arrow, and choose menu item:
- either “filter”,
, to choose from a condensed overview of all unique items that occur in the column, and e.g. filter out “Blanks” by removing the checkmark in front of it: 
- or the advanced “number filter” (in columns with numbers) or “textfilter”,
, to do more advanced searches, like for all items that contain “camera”: 
- sharing beyond viewing: Authorized users can click on an “edit link” below the list display to update the information from their web browser.
- either “filter”,
How do I make a video out of my PowerPoint Presentation?
- Many streets may lead to Rome, but here is the "One Microsoft way”, built into PowerPoint 2010: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/powerpoint-help/turn-your-presentation-into-a-video-HA010336763.aspx: You can essentially “save as” video, including recorded narrations. You have to have your media inserted in 2010 format. Here is a walk-through:
- under “file”, “save&send”, use “create video”
- if you get a compatibility error like so:
- follow the instructions given;
- watch the progress bar:
- Takes over 60 minutes with on average over 50% CPU of an Intel i5 with 8 GB Ram, to produce a 75MB file of 920*760 and less than 18 minutes in length. But this video streams from MS-SkyDrive.
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.
How to set the home page in your web browser
E.g. if you want to update your email start page from http://unccmail.uncc.edu to http://mail.uncc.edu.
in Safari, go to menu: Safari / Preferences / home page: type your updated page address in here and click OK. Visual walkthrough is e.g. here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIGocolMtzU.
Similarly in the preferences of all other common web browsers.
Sanako Study 1200 Teacher Guide
Taken directly from the Sanako documentation and posted here for your convenience (click on image for larger version), this practical cheat sheet is also available on the teacher podium.
How to set up PowerPoint show on dual screen computers
Before trying to show your PowerPoint on the classroom projector, with your PowerPoint file open on the teacher computer, go to the dialogue: “Set up Show” and choose from the dropdown: “secondary monitor”, click “OK”, like so:
Then proceed as normal.
Moodle Streaming Video Recording Assignment Glitch
Environment: Mac OS 10.6.6, Moodle 1.9, Kaltura TBA, Firefox 3, Flash TBA.
Symptom: As pictured below, when student tries to redo a video assignment submitted previously, by pressing button “resubmit …”, Flash security window pops up, asking for her permission to access the webcam, but won’t accept any input (“pizza of death” spins).
Workaround: Use Safari instead of Firefox.
Lesson to learn: Not only, but especially with computers, be resilient (“Try something else”: modify the sequence of steps, browser version, browser make, operating system, hardware…).
How to enable screen cloning and switching between display modes on the LRC reception desk dual screen Dell OptiPlex 780 with WinXP
Short, non-technical answer: on the keyboards of the reception desk computers, press key combination
- ALT+CTRL+F10 to mirror the same image on both monitors;
- ALT+CTRL+F11 to return to extending the primary screen, i.e. showing something different on the second screen.
- if this stops working, restart the computer.
We do not use any more key combination ALT+CTRL+F10 to cycle through the different desktop configurations, which include cloning/mirroring the same image on both screens (also keep pressing the key combination, in order to get back to extending the image to the 2nd screen, for running an informational display (calendar, PowerPoint) to display on the 2nd screen after mirroring the lab assistant’s screen onto the 2nd screen when interacting with a client on the other side of the help desk counter).
Longer, technical answer: You have to configure this. But the Win XP dialogue: Display Properties / tab: Settings only allows for “extending” the desktop to the secondary screen. However, button: Advanced leads to another dialogue, with a tab: ATI Control Center, by the graphics card manufacturer.
If you also enable the advanced settings in this dialogue, you can get to the hotkey settings where, among other things, you can enter a key combination for cycling through Display Configurations, one of which being cloning.
In addition, you can save this configuration as such:
Why all these minutiae? You cannot have LRC clients and staff at the help desk communicate with the help of a computer (and all the goodies accessible now, from intranet to interwebs) if they cannot easily share the screen (and, in order to both even interact with the screen, share keyboard and mouse, which are easy to duplicate, if you have some spare USB input devices lying around). If you can make them share, you have applied AI to business problems (compare dual screen system in the LLC entrance area here). If calling the after state “AI” sounds too lofty to you, you may call the before state “flying blind” instead: I just care about the delta which remains the same.
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
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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