Languages Online - Technical Notes

Common Requirements

Document downloads

All downloadable documents on the site have the file type listed in brackets following the link, aswell as the size of the file. For example 'Worksheet 1 (PDF 35kb)'.

The following types of documents can be downloaded from Languages Online:

pdf (Portable Document Format). To view and print PDF files you will need Adobe Acrobat. Most computers will have this. If your computer does not have a Adobe Acrobat a prompt will appear to dowload the reader. It is free.
Adobe Acrobat Reader- Free (http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html)
doc (Microsoft Word) To view, edit and print these documents you will need Microsoft Word.
ppt (Microsoft Power Point) To view, edit and print these documents you will need Microsoft Powerpoint.

Accented characters for PCs

Many French, German and Italian online activities require students to type in accented characters. The 'Keystrokes' button (sections 1 - 24) or 'Accent keys' button (sections 25 - 34) reveals the keys needed to produce these characters. To type in an accent key:

hold down the ALT key
type in the number for the character
release the ALT key

Below are links to single page print outs that list the accented characters and the associated key codes:

Accented characters for Macs

The following files lists the shortcut keys needed to type accented characters on Macs

Mac accented characters

Laptops and accented characters

Most laptops incorporate the numeric keypad into the standard keyboard (letter keys will have a smaller number on them). Refer to the computer's help files to find how to activate the numeric keypad.

Requirement for Game Maker software

System requirements for software

Memory Game Maker	Windows 98 or Windows 2000 & XP
Tetris Game Maker Matching Game Maker	Windows 2000 & XP .netFramework 2.0 (this is a free system upgrade from Microsoft. If not installed a prompt will appear asking if you would like to download it. It is free.)

Requirements for playing games created with Game Makers

Games created with Game Makers can be saved in two formats, each has different requirements:

Web page (HTML)- Games saved as a webpage will run on both PCs and Macs. To play a game saved as a HTML file you will need the following:
- a web browser (such as Internet Explorer)
- Flash Player 8 (or better) If not installed a prompt will appear enabling you to download it. It is free.
Program file (Exe) - Game saved as 'exe' files are self contained and will run on any PC.

Including pictures and sounds in your games

When creating your own game you can include pictures or sounds already saved on your computer.

Pictures You can include images saved as BMPs, GIFs or JPEGS. Pictures bigger than the space provided will automatically be resized to fit. For best results select pictures that have the same 'orientation' as the frame in the game maker. For example, if the picture space has a 'portrait' orientation and the picture you insert has a 'landscape' orientation, then the image will appear small. You can resize or chnage the orientation of pictures using an image editing program.
Sounds Sounds must be either MP3s or WAVs.

Making voice recordings

Using Game Makers you can make your own voice recordings to include in you games. Each Game Makers includes a built in sound recorder that uses the standard Windows recording componants. To record and playback sounds you may need the following:

A microphone. Small cheap mics are available from electronic or computer shops. 'Multimedia' headphones, which include a microphone are also available and work well. These must be plugged into the correct socket on your computer. Many computers have mic and headphone sockets on the front panel. Some have them at the back.
Set the 'Playback volume and Record level Control panels on your computer control the volume of sounds played, and the input level from a microphone. Button on Game makers open these control panels on your computer. You can also access these through the 'control panels' on your computer.

Detailed information on making voice recordings are included in the help files of each game maker.

Default save paths

When creating games two default save paths are used. They are:

The users 'temp' folder is used to save temporary sound recordings. These are deleted when the game is completed and saved.
The users 'My Documents' is the default path to save completed games.

In both instances the program looks for these folders with the users profile.

If these directories are not available it may cause an error. A system administrator can change these default paths by doing the following:

Open a new text file.
On the first line of the text document, type the path for the folder to be used to save temporary sound files.(Leave the first line blank to keep the Game Makers default setting)
On the second line of the text document, type the path for the folder to be used as the default save folder for completed games. (Leave the second line blank to keep the Game Makers default setting)
The file should look like this:

C:\temp
D:\LOTE\Games
Save the this file in the Game Makers Program folder (i.e. 'C:\Program Files\DEET\Languages Online - Tetris Game Maker 1.0\') and call it 'default.lot'

The Game Maker will then use these addresses as the default save paths. If you delete the file the program will revert to it pre-defined default paths.

Requirements for ready made activities

Flash Player

All ready made activities require Flash Player 7 or better to run. If the computer does not have this, a prompt should appear automatically asking if you would like to download this player. It is free.

Flash player - Free (http://www.adobe.com/shockwave/download/download.cgi?P1_Prod_Version=ShockwaveFlash)

Note: In some schools downloads are blocked and the prompt may not appear if you are running an older version of the Flash Player. In such cases activities may load and work partially. If activities do not seem to work correctly you can check the version of the Flash Player by:

open an activity and right click on it. A menu will appear and among other things will tell you which version you are running.

If your computer is running less than Version 7, and you can't seem to download a later version through the links provided, speak to your IT technician and ask them to install the correct version.

Audio requirements

Languages Online uses sounds extensively. These are contained in the Flash activities. To hear the sounds you must have headphones or speakers attached to your computer, and the 'playback volume' must be adjusted correctly. You can access the Playback Volume control panel by clicking on the small speaker icon in the bottom right hand corner of your screen. Make sure the slider is all the way to the top, and that the 'mute' boxed is not checked. The playback volume control panel can also be access through the control panels (Select 'Sounds and audio devices')

Headphones are a good idea in computer labs.

If your students work in pairs, you can use two headphones on each computer by using audio splitters (like a double adaptor for the audio socket). These allow two sets of headphones to be plugged into each computer. These are available from electronics shops and cost a few dollars each. Ask for a '3.5mm stereo audio splitter'.

Further Help & Information

For any further technical information or help contact the Languages Online team at languages.online@edumail.vic.gov.au

Contact: Languages Online Team (languages.online@edumail.vic.gov.au)
Created on: Thursday, 18th March, 2004 | Page last updated: Wednesday, June 20th, 2007
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Technical Information