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Web Audio Lab: frequently asked questions
  1. What is WAL?

    2. Web Audio Lab (WAL) by Slava Paperno is an online application that can be used with several (but not all) modern browsers on Windows, MacOS, Linux, and ChromeOS desktop and portable computers. It is an interactive language learning platform where students can practice foreign languages outside of the classroom.

  2. What browsers can be used with WAL?

    3. Web Audio Lab can be used with several modern browsers on Windows, MacOS, Linux, and ChromeOS desktop and portable computers. Mobile devices are not supported at this time.

  3. What does WAL do for the student?

    4. WAL delivers interactive language exercises that offer sound recordings to listen to, videos to watch, texts, glossaries and notes to read, and more. Learners can record their own speech in the target language, type responses to questions, answer multiple-choice questions, share their texts and recordings with classmates, and do a few other tasks. Some WAL courses are used in language classes to supplement textbooks, but some were created as entirely original and self-contained work, a kind of 21st-century digital textbook.

  4. What does WAL do for the teacher?

    5. All homework that students submit, including sound recordings, can be reviewed online. Individual feedback and advice can be offered to each student. Teachers can also send emails to selected students or the whole class while checking their work. If a day-by-day syllabus is created, homework is marked as to the timeliness of submission.

  5. Can I use WAL from home on my own computer?

    6. With a good Internet connection, you will be able to use this website with your own desktop or portable computer from any location.

  6. Can WAL be used for free?

    7. Independent learners can sign up to the Guests section of any course and use the exercises free of charge, but their submissions will not be checked by a teacher and twice a year they will be removed.

  7. What is the fee for using WAL to receive feedback from the teacher?

    8. To use WAL exercises for a class at a participating school, a $12 per semester fee must be paid on this website after the first two weeks of classes. If you use a computer in your school's language lab or a designated computer room, this payment is waived.

  8. Do I need to register?

    9. All access to WAL requires registration. You will be asked only for your name and email address, and this information will remain private and protected by your password.

  9. How do I register?

    10. Click Log In/Register and fill out a short form (name and email address). Last names and email addresses are revealed only to the registered instructor in the class. A randomly generated password will be sent to your email address. If you do not receive the initial email, click Retrieve forgotten password on the login screen. You can change your password by editing your profile.

  10. How do I sign up for a class?

    11. When you log in and see the Where to? window, click Sign up for more classes. If you are an independent learner, select section Guests in any class. Otherwise select the class you are taking at your school. Click Sign up. The next time you log in, you will see the links for your class.

  11. Can I see the list of available exercises?

    12. Here it is. Click show to see more. The exercise names do not always reflect their content, but this link offers descriptions and screenshots of all types of tasks available in WAL.

    Arabic [show]
    Bengali [show]
    Burmese [show]
    Chinese [show]
    English [show]
    French [show]
    Hindi [show]
    Indonesian [show]
    Japanese [show]
    Khmer [show]
    Korean [show]
    Russian [show]
    Swahili [show]
    Tagalog [show]
    Tamil [show]
    Ukrainian [show]
    Yoruba [show]
    Zulu [show]

  12. What is the row of dots running across the window?

    13. An exercise is made up of pages. Each page is represented by a dot. Follow the instructions that are always shown in the directions box in the middle of the window. See the screenshots in our samples.

  13. Should I allow the browser to access to my microphone?

    14. Yes, when you open the first exercise, the browser will ask for permission to use your microphone. The exercises will not work if you do not click Allow.

  14. I thought I would see a Record button.

    15. Sound recording starts and stops as it is programmed into the exercise. A red line running across the window means that WAL is recording your voice.

  15. Is WAL recording sound all the time?

    16. The sounds captured by the microphone are recorded only while the red line is running across the screen.

  16. I am told to speak, but there is no red recording line.

    17. Your computer does not have a microphone, or the software for it is not correctly installed, or you neglected to click Allow when the browser asked for your permission to access the microphone.

    If permission is the problem, you need to find and reverse the relevant setting. Different browsers have these settings in different places, and as the browsers update themselves, the location and name of that setting keeps changing. At the time of this writing:

    Browsers usually show a symbol (like a red disc) in the tab's header that indicates allowed access to the microphone. Or you may see an icon with a red X that indicates denied access. Click the header to open a panel where you can allow recording. You may have to reopen the exercise after that (click its name in the navigation bar).

  17. How do I know that my microphone is working?

    18. Even before a recording is started, you will see a green vertical bar at the right edge of the window that indicates the sound level. Speak in your normal voice and watch the green bar. Ideally, it should hit the top every now and then. Move the microphone closer to your mouth or farther away as needed or try adjusting the recording level in your system control/preferences panel. An external, moveable microphone is preferable to a built-in mic.

  18. Can I listen to my recordings?

    19. Yes. Click a green dot in the bottom row to hear your recording for that page.

  19. Where are my recordings saved?

    20. Each recording is automatically uploaded to the WAL server and stored there until the end of the semester.

  20. How do I know that my recordings are uploaded?

    21. As you record, the current dot in the bottom row turns pink, then green. Green means that the recording has been uploaded, but you can proceed to the next page while the dot is still pink.

  21. What if the dots in the bottom row remain pink?

    22. If the dots never turn green, you may have lost your Internet connection, or your connection is unacceptably slow. Should that happen, stop and try reloading the page.

  22. What's the little blue graphic beneath the navigation bar?

    23. That waveform is a visual representation of the sound you have just submitted. If it is almost flat, your recording is too quiet.

  23. What do the other links and buttons do?

    24. Most of the controls in WAL have tooltips that briefly explain their function. Hold your mouse over a control to read the tooltip.

  24. Why do keyboard shortcuts sometimes fail to work?

    25. Some button tooltips show shortcut keys that can be pressed instead of clicking the button. When a webpage is split into frames, only the frame that currently has the focus receives your keypresses. For example, pressing P will pause and resume the video only if the frame with the video has the focus. To give a frame the focus, click anywhere within it.

  25. What if something doesn't work?

    26. Open the Troubleshooting tab in any WAL screen.

  26. Can I author my own WAL exercises?

    27. If you are a teacher or a textbook author and want to create exercises for your students on this website, please write to Slava Paperno. We will be happy to give you free access to authoring tools and support your project.

More

Find out what students in Russian 1121/1122 say about using Web Audio Lab.

The Web Audio Lab home page is at https://webaudiolab.org/.

For basic student and teacher support at Cornell, please write to Sam Lupowitz. Everyone else, please contact Slava Paperno at slava@lexiconbridge.com.