Are you teaming or working alone? Do you know the site policies for your school or agency? Review these tips!!
things to consider when taking a new assignment
use the TypeWell program appropriately
setting the right tone with a new site or professor
And of course . . .
A great semester starts with great preparation!
prepare laptops for in-class use
why is my license renewal period short this time?
switching between peer-to-peer linking and WiFi
roller bags with sturdy wheels
transcriber essentials: 3-prong extension cords
Back from summer break? Knock the rust off with some practice lectures!!
The Khan Academy website, www.khanacademy.org, is a great place to find short practice lectures on just about any subject! There are over 1600 videos, all recorded by one person (Salman Khan), in practically every subject area of math, science, history, finance, economics, etc.
Most of Khan’s lectures are reasonably paced. If you’re a brand new transcriber, remember to take caution when practicing with any recorded media: don’t let yourself slip into using fragments, run-on sentences, or other bad habits just to keep up. You might want to download a trial version of Enounce’s MySpeed software, which allows you to slow down or speed up the playback of any flash-based videos online, including YouTube!
Kate
Remember this time-saver . . .
To enter a new word into the PAL quickly in TW Transcriber or Everywhere: type the word, then semicolon to highlight it, then ctrl+a to bring up the PAL's "Edit Abbreviation" window. The expanded word or phrase will already be entered in the "new expansion" window, so all have to do is type the desired abbreviation and press Enter to save.
In TW Everwhere, ctrl+Enter also works!
Before new classes start, clean out your old PAL abbreviations!!
More PAL tips to come . . .
Thanks for this reader-contributed question!
Q: When a student wants to ask a question or make a comment by typing it on the Reader computer, does the remote transcriber have the audio capability to voice that question to the classroom? Where does that audio "end up"? Does it come from the student's Reader computer? Is it possible to set up a speaker near the teacher in order for the question/comment to be heard but not disruptive?
A: First, familiarize yourself with the procedure for voicing when the transcriber is in the classroom. With some advance planning and audio testing, that procedure can be adapted for a remote transcriber relatively easily. The existing audio call (via Skype or AIM, usually) can be used to transmit the transcriber's voice for the professor/class to hear on the reader's end. Remote transcribers customarily "mute" the microphone on their end so that any noise they make, and the sound of their keyboard tapping, won't disturb anyone on the reader's end. The transcriber will have to remember to un-mute his/her microphone to voice the student's question, and then mute it immediately to begin transcribing again.
External speakers can be cumbersome to carry around, so we recommend using the speakers built in to the Reader laptop. Make sure the laptop is situated close enough to the professor for the sound to be audible. This will require some audio testing with a Skype call in advance, and the deaf student should be trained how to adjust the volume settings on the Reader laptop, if needed.
Similarly, the remote transcriber must have a working microphone on his/her end, and he/she should test the microphone volume settings in advance (e.g., with Skype's Test Call feature).
In addition to the sound testing described above, the Site Coordinator should arrange for the student, remote transcriber, and professor to practice the remote voicing procedure outside of class. Use the following procedure as a guideline, and adjust it as necessary for your classroom/setting:
To be prepared to voice for a student remotely, a transcriber should practice by role-playing the procedure outside of real class time. We recommend adjusting the size of the audio call window and the TypeWell Transcriber window, so they can both be visible on the transcriber's screen at once. That way the transcriber has quick access to the mute/un-mute buttons.
TIP: To quickly toggle between two open programs, use the shortcut Alt-Tab!!
What's the most precious TypeWell asset in the world?? Transcribers, of course!! And the second most precious?? Their equipment . . .
When purchasing a netbook, laptop, microphone, or other transcribing equipment, consider extending the warranty to last several years, or as long as you plan to use that equipment. Some credit card companies offer extended warranties on purchases made with their cards. For example, most American Express cards have the Extended Warranty benefit, which will automatically extend the terms of an original U.S. manufacturer's warranty, if the original warranty is 5 years or less, and if the purchase is charged to the Card.
Kate
