Web Audio Lab (WAL) by Slava Paperno is an online application that can be used with several (but not all) modern browsers on Windows and Mac OS X computers. With somewhat reduced functionality, it can also be used on tablets.
What does WAL do?
This application delivers interactive language exercises that ask the student to
listen to sound recording, watch videos, record their own speech in a foreign
language, read texts, notes, and glossaries, type responses to questions,
answer multiple-choice questions, and do a few other tasks. Students
can compare their own recordings to the model recording.
Teachers can listen to students' recordings and offer comments back to them.
Not all WAL courses offer all of these features.
A WAL course is typically used in a language class to supplement textbooks
and other materials.
Can I use WAL on my own computer?
Most likely, you will be able to use this website with your own computer, from your
own location. However, for the first couple of days, you may want to use the computers
in the language lab, where you can ask for advice and have your questions answered
by the staff.
Is WAL free?
For about two weeks at the beginning of each semester, anyone can use WAL
courses for free. WAL remains free the rest of the semester when you connect from
the language lab. Otherwise, some courses are free while most incur a
fee that can be paid online with a credit card for immediate access.
How do I register?
Go to https://wal.lrc.cornell.edu and click
Start. On the next screen, click register. One of the questions
on the registration screen is about the nickname you use in class. Some teachers
give students nicknames, and some use their first names. If you have not
been given a nickname, type your first name. You can edit it later if you
need to.
What about a password?
A randomly generated password will be sent to your email address.
You can change it later. If you forget it, or do not receive it, click
Retrieve forgotten password on the login screen.
I have registered, what next?
When you log in for the first time, you will not yet be signed up
to use any WAL courses. (Your Cornell registration in a language
class does not automatically enroll you to use WAL.) At the bottom
of the Where do you want to go? window you will see
a list of classes that use WAL, e.g. Cornell University > ASRC 1100.
Select a class you are taking and click Sign up. After this
you will have to log in again, and this time you will see one or more
links for the WAL course(s) that are used in the class.
I clicked Start and see a row of fat dots, now what?
An exercise may be made up of one or more pages. Each page
is represented by a dot. You can click a dot to go to its page,
but most of the time you don't have to do that: navigation is
pre-programmed. Just select
an item (lesson, chapter, unit, or film) from the first menu at top left,
then select an exercise (or a scene, or a topic) from the second
menu and click Go. Nothing will happen until
you click Go. After your selection is displayed,
click Start and follow the directions provided by the
course author.
I thought there would be a record button.
There isn't. Sound recording starts and stops as it is programmed
into the exercise. The directions in the middle of the window
will tell you what to do (e.g., "Read the text and listen, then
click Go On." or "Listen and be prepared to repeat
what you heard." or "Listen to the question and respond to it
when you see a red line." of "Speak now."). A red line running
across the window means that WAL is recording your voice.
The directions in the center of the window tell me to speak,
but nothing is happening and no red line is running across the window.
When you open your first exercise, the browser asks for permission
to allow our web site to access your microphone. You should
click Allow. If you ignore the question or click Block,
the browser will not ask again, and you will have to look for the
block you have created and remove it. Different browsers
have those settings in different places, and as the browsers update
themselves, the location of that setting keeps changing.
At this time, Chrome has it under Settings > Advanced >
Privacy and security > Content settings > Microphone.
In Opera, the setting is under Settings > Websites > Microphone.
Also, check is whether your connection is secure, i.e. if it is using the https protocol. Most browsers indicate that by displaying some sort of icon in the address bar, typically a green padlock. Sound will not be recorded on an non-secure connection. If puzzled, examine the rest of the browser's address bar and the tab titles: browsers vary somewhat in how they do this, but it seems customary to show a symbol (like a red disc) in the tab's header that indicates allowed access to the microphone. Conversely, there may be an indication that access has been denied: the address bar of the current version of Chrome shows an icon for a video camera with a red X button. Click that button to open a panel where you can allow recording. You may have to restart the exercise after that (click Repeat).
How do I know that my voice is being recorded?
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.
If it stays at full height
most of the time, the sound level is too high. If it is barely
visible at the bottom, the level is too low.
Move the microphone closer to your mouth or farther away
as needed. You can also try adjusting the recording level in your
system control/preferences panel.
I don't have a movable microphone
The microphone that is built into your computer
may be OK, but it will probably not record good
quality sound. When learning a foreign language,
accurate pronunciation often involves nuances
that require good quality recording. Besides, the
mic that is built into your screen may be picking
up the hum of the hard drive and fan, the clicking of the
keys, and other noises. Still, if no other microphone
is available, use what you have and find a control
panel on your computer that allows you to adjust
the sound level.
Where are my recordings saved?
Each recording is automatically uploaded to the
WAL server and stored there until the end of
the semester. Your teacher may review your
recordings from the server.
Can I check if my recordings are uploaded?
As you record your voice, the current dot in the bottom row
turns pink, then green. Green means that the recording has
been stored on the server. You don't have to wait for that
to happen: the process may be a little behind where you
are, but if the dots are turning green, everything is fine.
If they remain pink, you may have lost your Internet
connection, or your connection is unacceptably slow.
Should that happen, stop and try reloading the page.
Can I listen to my recordings?
Yes. Click any green dot in the bottom row, and you will
be listening to your recording from the WAL server.
What's the little blue graphic at bottom left?
That waveform is a visual representation of the sound you
have just submitted. If it is almost flat, your recording
is too quiet.
What do the other links and buttons do?
Most of the controls in the WAL window have tooltips
that briefly explain their function. Hold your mouse over
a control to read the tooltip. It is also safe to experiment.
Do not overlook the Your history button.
If you have submitted any recordings, and especially
if your teacher has reviewed them, clicking that
button is almost a must.
The tooltips for the Go On and other buttons
tell me I can use the keyboard instead of clicking, but that doesn't work.
In some exercises the keyboard alternative to clicking the buttons
is disabled. Sorry.
Find out what students in Russian 1121/1122 say about using Web Audio Lab.
For more information, write to Sam Lupowitz, Media Development Manager at the Language Resource Center, Cornell University, at sbl83@cornell.edu.
The WAL home page is at https://wal.lrc.cornell.edu.