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Watch how to start voice training of Windows speech recognition–the ultimate training…
…using animated GIFs. Slower? Click 0.50sec, 0.50sec, 0.75sec, 1sec, 2sec, 3sec, 4sec, 5sec, 6sec, 7sec, 8sec, 9sec, 10sec.
Audacity on startup automatically selects the "microphone" as recording device…
- Which is a problem if we do not use the front microphone jack, but rather the rear input:
- Seems to be still an issue on the Group computers….
- Solution is the same as found and documented for the listening stations in relation to problems students had with how Saba Centra handles audio hardware, disable the front jack in mmsys.cpl of Windows7:
LRC Fall 2013 announcements
- The LRC has upgraded to Windows 7 and Office 2010.
- Benefits:
- Your students can use the computer interface from the default English to about 20 languages, including non-Western.
- Your students can also use speech recognition (in English, French, German, Japanese, Mandarin, and Spanish), e.g. for dictation exercises (Example videos: very bad French, decent German). Students can train the computers to their voice and take their training data with them. I’d love to explore with you possibilities for pronunciation practice with automated intelligent feedback .
- Your students can use old and new MS-Office Proofing tools.
- Caveat: W are still trying to restore some former functionality (e.g. no Google Arabic, Farsi and Russian IME etc.). Please bear with us while we deal with the new college tech infrastructure.
- Benefits:
- The LRC has upgraded its Sanako digital audio lab software.
- Because of budgetary constraints, our software agreement had to end with version 5 . This summer, the vendor presented us with a free upgrade to version 7, with compliments for my blog posts about using the Sanako.
- Benefits: We decided to implement the upgrade lest you and your students need relearn in the middle of the academic year and since Version 7 adds valuable language learning : which I would love to explore with you: Vocabulary exercises and Pronunciation exercises which make use of the computerized text-to-speech capabilities we just implemented with windows 7
- Caveats:
- We are still trying to restore the old Sanako configuration. E.g. Pairing recording is not working currently.
- I hope to upgrade my LanglabEmailer software to support the new version after the term is underway.
- For students attending distance classes with Saba Centra in the LRC, microphone audio on listening stations fixed, no more 30 minute delay when joining class.
- UNCC is upgrading to Moodle 2. The CTL is investigating how the LRC Metacourses for audio materials I created can be converted to Moodle 2. If you need the audio materials from the metacourses, we can help you upload them into your individual courses temporarily.
- Classroom AV: We found a temporary workaround for the projector image quality and are investigating permanent solutions. Currently no VHS video and doc cam display during classes (we would love to scan your text anyway and distribute them digitally).
- LRC Calendars and Booking:
- In the LRC Room and Equipment List, your will notice some new film studies equipment (calendars requested from ITS).
- We added new calendars to the Quicklinks on LRC home page : Tutors and LRC assistants. Please keep checking how we fill these open positions over the next few weeks, and use the help they can offer you.
- When booking, you can
- get help at the LRC reception desk;
- book yourself from anywhere,
- or have your “delegate” book (planned; setup requested from ITS).
- I will continue next week with the biweekly Sanako Clinic to aid teachers with their LRC class preparation. Please consult the LRC calendar if you want to drop in, or reschedule one with me for your needs.
- I am also offering LRC introductions for your class during the week 2 and 3 on a “first-come, first-served” basis, and à la carte (I suggest consulting a one-sheet menu with an overview of LRC facilities that I am preparing.) Please let me know if you are interested.
Example 6: How even a false beginner can work with foreign language Speech recognition on Windows 7 Enterprise
- Executive summary: Don’t let initial poor speech recognition results discourage your from using this feature. Results will much improve if you go through a few minutes of the built-in voice training for speech recognition. Like in the last 30 seconds of this video.
- With the upgrade to Windows 7 Enterprise in the LRC – and the continued availability of high-quality Sanako headphones on the majority of LRC PCs – , we can now offer speech recognition in a number of foreign languages – including French.
- This feature can be used for language learning exercises, including dictation, like in this example. How robust is windows 7 speech recognition?
- You can expose yourself to some embarrassingly bad French in this screencast – and that is the point. (My French is limited to a mere 2 high school years of 3-hour per week voluntary French studies, more than 30 years ago, no practice since).
- The screencast shows how even a (false) beginner can,
- 0:00-1:00: from terrible initial results,
- 11:45-12:10: considerably improve (not make perfect!) the foreign language (here French) speech recognition on Windows 7,
- 1:00-10:40: by going through the built-in voice training.
- The LRC computers are “frozen”between reboots, but students still need to train them only once, since they can back up and restore their training data easily.
- (This is not proof of the overall validity of the recognition – for that, you are better off watching this screencast with Windows 7 Enterprise speech recognition in German).
How to fix cygwin extension "unable to start correctly 0xc000007b" on Windows 7 64-bit
In this instance, the cryptic message denoted a bitness problem: dcfldd (the extension in question, like so: for /f %i in ( ‘dir /b .\input’ ) do dcfldd.exe if=input\%i of=output\%i.jpg bs=1 skip=6) would not start in a Cygwin 64-bit environment. Installed cygwin 32-bit (and changed my path), and dcfldd worked fine.
PostEditorStorageException when publishing from Windows Live Writer on new DELL
Not always, but more and more often – anybody else seeing this?
Version: 16.4.3508.205
OS Version: Microsoft Windows NT 6.1.7601 Service Pack 1
Runtime version: 2.0.50727.5466
Shutdown started: False
Program: "C:\Program Files (x86)\Windows Live\Writer\WindowsLiveWriter.exe"
Memory Load: 83%
Total Physical: 8146 MB
Available Physical: 1375 MB
Total Page File: 16291 MB
Available Page File: 9137 MB
Total Virtual: 2047 MB
Available Virtual: 1618 MB
Available Extented Virtual: 0 MB
Unexpected Error Occurred
An unexpected error has occurred within the application.
WindowsLive.Writer.PostEditor.PostEditorStorageException: Error Accessing Local Post – Unexpected error occurred while accessing local post (-2147287008)
Share violation–storage may already be opened.
at WindowsLive.Writer.PostEditor.PostEditorFile.SaveCore(IBlogPostEditingContext editingContext, PostEditorFile autoSaveSourceFile, String filePath)
at WindowsLive.Writer.PostEditor.PostEditorFile.SaveBlogPost(IBlogPostEditingContext editingContext)
at WindowsLive.Writer.PostEditor.BlogPostEditingManager.PrePublishHooks(Object sender, PublishEventArgs args)
at WindowsLive.Writer.PostEditor.UpdateWeblogProgressForm.OnShown(EventArgs e)
at System.Windows.Forms.Form.CallShownEvent()
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.InvokeMarshaledCallbackDo(ThreadMethodEntry tme)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.InvokeMarshaledCallbackHelper(Object obj)
at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.runTryCode(Object userData)
at System.Runtime.CompilerServices.RuntimeHelpers.ExecuteCodeWithGuaranteedCleanup(TryCode code, CleanupCode backoutCode, Object userData)
at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.RunInternal(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state)
at System.Threading.ExecutionContext.Run(ExecutionContext executionContext, ContextCallback callback, Object state)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.InvokeMarshaledCallback(ThreadMethodEntry tme)
at System.Windows.Forms.Control.InvokeMarshaledCallbacks()
Step-by-step for using Windows Task scheduler, e.g. for automating language lab assessment emailing
- Press
+ R, type “Taskschd.msc”, press “OK”. -
On right menu, click “Create Task". To provide students with their assessments and possibly instructor feedback quicker, I run the LangLabEmailer repeatedly after end of business day. I show some settings that you can experiment with.
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On tab: “general”, name your task:
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Tab: Actions, button:new / window:new action, button:browse, desktop/LangLabEmailer , button:open
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Next up: tab:“Trigger”, where you can set your schedule:
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Finally, access additional (tab:)“Settings”:
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Result:
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I advise setting the scheduler to end a prior task if it is found still running.
- The above example is using an old ClickOnce distribution of the langlabEmailer– your installation executable will differ and look similar to this:
- Troubleshooting:
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When a scheduled task fails, an entry gets written to the event log here: Press+ R, type “eventvwr.msc”, press “OK: Application and Services Logs /Microsoft /Windows /Task Scheduler /Operational:
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Watch out for permission problems, tasks that have not been enabled, and disabled task histories (for troubleshooting).
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You might also want to dig deeper and schedule a task to alert your when your scheduled tasks failed.
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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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