Spanish Course Technologies

• Web Calendar – middle school content supplement to the WVLearns online course.

• E-mail – web interface for access.k12.wv.us

• Voice mail (Wimba) – for use only with Spanish courses

• Java & Flash required throughout courses

Web Calendar – Starting Point

• Schedule of daily activities

• Link to WVlearns.k12.wv.us server

• Technical Information / Requirements

• Link to Web Mail for access.k12.wv.us

• Instructions for typing Spanish characters

• Password protected to prevent public access

Calendar URL

• http://virtualschool.k12.wv.us/Spanish

• Choose weekly calendar for 1a or 1b

• Several weeks view available to plan ahead

• Login username = spanish (lower case)

• Login password = hola

Web Mail for access.k12.wv.us accounts

• http://access.k12.wv.us:1081• Link to this is on the Spanish calendar• Students can use at school, home, anywhere• No computer configuration required• Messages can be saved as web page• Saves outgoing messages in SENT folder.• Manually delete unwanted messages• 50 megabytes of message storage

USB Microphone

• High quality voice recordings are essential• (Any microphone that records phone quality or

better is sufficient. )• USB microphones work well on all computers,

independent of the sound card• Labtec Verse 704 produces the quality necessary

on every computer tested• No software drivers required for installation with

Windows XP and Windows Vista.

USB Microphone in Windows XP

• Plug it in…The installation process usually produces no screens requiring user intervention.

• Installation is automatic.• After hard drive activity stops, check the Sound

and Audio Devices in the Control Panel• Verify the USB microphone is successfully

installed by the presence of AK 5370 voice recording device

XP Sound and Audio DevicesIn Control Panel

When using the USB microphone, the default voice recording device must be set as shown.

(Playback device will vary according to computer.)

To Get to Recording Settings,

Double click the Volume Icon on the Taskbar. The volume control shows the playback settings by default.

To see the settings for recording;Click OptionsSelect Properties

Wimba Files

• Wimba consists of several Java applications.

• On the first access of each Wimba application, certain files are downloaded.

• Required files are stored atc:\wimba

• There is no installation process and Wimba does NOT appear in the control panel listing of software that has been installed.

Wimba Samples

• http://virtualschool.k12.wv.us/Spanish

• Select “Technical Information”

• Select Sound Tests

• Click on each Wimba sample to force copying of required files to c:\wimba

• DeepFreeze should be disabled during this initial Wimba configuration.

Check “Always trust content from Wimba” or click the “Always” buttonso this screen does not continually reappear.

Troubleshooting Java?

Make sure Internet Explorer is checked here.Internet Explorer is the browser to use for the Spanish courses.

Voice Recording

• Students must speak clearly and with normal volume voice

• No mumbling• Background noise is a greater problem when student

speaks too softly• Microphone volume tries to automatically adjust• Don’t cut yourself off at beginning or end• Microphone 6-10” away and 1-2” to either side• Listen to recording before posting, re-record if quality

is poor

Voice Mail and Voice Boards

• Voice Mail is accessed from a link in the Spanish course.

• Voice Mail is for private teacher – student interacation

very good sound quality

acceptable; can be better.

poor, unsatisfactory

absolutely unacceptable

Examples of Sound Recordings

very good sound quality

acceptable; can be better.

More Examples of Sound Recordings

Links to sample Wimba applications are available on the

technical support section athttp://virtualschool.k12.wv.us/Spanish

These samples are useful to test the ability of a computer to run Wimba applications and also to “force” the

installation of some Wimba files when Deep Freeze is turned off. Click on

every sample to make sure all required Wimba files are downloaded.

Recording on Voice Boards

Do not attempt to login, leave these lines blank.

Use your Spanish name and school as your screen name so you get credit for the recordings you post.

Steps for Voice Recording1. Think about what you are going to say.2. Position the microphone about 6” away

and slightly to the left or right.3. Click the round red record button.4. Begin speaking.5. Finish speaking.6. Press the black square stop button.7. Press the triangle playback button to check the sound

quality. Record again if necessary.8. Type a meaningful subject and any text.9. Click the Send button to post to the voice board.

General Audio Troubleshooting• Speakers plugged into audio output / headphone

connection?• Speakers plugged into power and turned on?• Master volume and Wave volume turned up and not

muted?• Microphone connected correctly and turned on (if on/off

switch is present)• Correct recording (USB microphone) device is selected

and not muted?• Is the audio problem limited to Wimba only? Do other

audio applications work properly?

Network Troubleshooting

• Can the Spanish calendar on the WVDE Web calendar be seen?

• Can the student get to the WVLearns web site?

• Are problems limited to one computer or affecting all Spanish students?

Quick Response

• This Virtual School course relies on computers and the network.

• There is no textbook alternative.

• Escalate problem to WVDE if not resolved quickly.

• No more than two consecutive classes can be lost to technological problems.

ameadows@access.k12.wv.us bacole@access.k12.wv.ussramcc@suddenlink.net

srasullivan@suddenlink.net