Recording Russian words and sentences is part of your homework for Russian 1121 (and 1122 in the spring). Use the program called Web Audio Lab to make the recordings and upload them to our server. This is required homework, shown in the syllabus. The teacher will review your recordings by playing them from the server.
Web Audio Lab 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. Most likely, you will be able to use it from your own room. However, we strongly recommend that you use the computers in the language lab for the first couple of days. This would help you avoid possible technical glitches and concentrate on your work rather than spend time installing required software.
The lab is located on the top level of Noyes Lodge on Bebe Lake.
On the afternoon or evening after your first Russian 1121 class, go to the Language Resource Center in Noyes Lodge and use one of the Windows or Mac OS X computers on the top level. If you see a computer that is running Windows although you prefer Mac OS X, restart the computer, and select your favorite operating system from the first screen. If you run into any technical problems, talk to the student attendants in the lab or to the technicians on the lower level.
This is where your WAL work begins. You should see the screen for Exercise 1 in Lesson 1. You will be listening to short statements and then recording your own voice--either repeating what you heard or responding to it.
Click Start. You will hear an announcement and see a message to click Go On to continue. Click the Go On button. Listen to the recording and follow directions. When a red line starts moving across the screen, speak. You'll see the dots in the bottom row turn red, then green as your voice is recorded and the recordings are submitted to the server. When you're done with Exercise 1, and the last dot has turned green, select the next exercise from the navigation bar and click Go.
You can quickly review any of your recordings by clicking its dot-button. If your voice seems too quiet, you may need to move the microphone closer to your mouth or try to adjust the microphone recording level (click Mic settings in the navigation bar).
When you are done, you may, if you wish, click Your history and verify that your recordings are on the server. That's how your teacher will review your homework.
Find out what students in Russian 1121/1122 say about using Web Audio Lab.
To see your other assignment for Day 2, consult the Russian 1121 course description and syllabus on our Web site, russian.cornell.edu. You may want to print the syllabus; after the first week, we will not be distributing printed copies in class. However, do not print the syllabus for the whole semester, because we may introduce changes as we go along. Print one or two pages ahead.