The default settings on your browser are generally okay. However, please make sure that :

1. Stylesheets are turned ON
   • Internet Explorer:
     

     1. Open the Internet Options panel in the Tools menu
     2. Click on Accessability (button on bottom right hand corner)
     3. Make sure everything is unchecked

   • Netscape Navigator:
     

     1. Open the Preferences panel in the Edit menu
     2. Select Colors. If you don't see it, click on the + next to the Appearance option.
     3. Make sure "Always use my colors" option is unchecked
     4. Select Advanced.
     5. Make sure "Enable Javascript" and "Enable style sheets" are checked.

2. Javascript is enabled
   • Internet Explorer: If you turned it off, go to Internet Options: Advanced and select it again. If you have no clue what I am talking about, you're fine and don't have to do anything
   • Netscape Navigator: Please see instructions above.

How to play audio files

A. Players

To play the real audio files, you will need to install RealPlayer G2. You can download the full version from the Yale AMT website.

After you finish downloading RealPlayer G2, double click on the icon of the file you just downloaded.  Then, click "Accept" below the license agreement.  Enter your e-mail address and click "Finish."  The program will now be installed on your computer.  When the next screen comes up, enter your zip code and uncheck the box before "inform me of updates and events" unless you want to be informed of updates.  Finally, click "Finish" to exit installation.

The minimum requirements for RealPlayer G2 are:

1. 90MHz Intel Pentium processor or equivalent
2. 16MB of RAM
3. 14.4Kbps modem
4. 16-bit sound card and speakers/headphones
5. Windows 95/98/NT operating system
6. Internet connection
7. Web browser

B. Testing your new RealPlayer G2

Open your browser and go to the test site. The embedded player should display properly, and you should be able to play audio from both the embedded player and the link if the RealPlayer was installed correctly. If you get an error message, see Troubleshooting below before you uninstall and reinstall the player.

 C. There are two types of audio files in the Chinese webpages.

1. Play buttons: These images are used for listening to parts of a lesson. Clicking on these buttons will launch an external RealPlayer G2 player.

    

   

2. Embedded audio players: These images are used for listening to the entire section. So in the text page, you would click on this to listen to the entire text recording.
   
   
   

• Play, Pause, Stop, and Volume are self-explanatory.
  
• Clip position: lets you skip to different parts of the clip. (kinda like your VCR).
  
• Clip info: gives you information about the clip such as title, author, and copyright
  
• Connection speed: tells you at what speed the clip is streaming to you.
  
• Bandwidth: A dull green says the clip is not active (stopped); A bright green means the connection is clear; Red means there is congestion, and your clip may sound like a scratched CD.
  
• Time Played: How many minutes into the clip you are
  
• Total Clip Length: How long the clip is (in minutes, seconds, and tenths of a second)

   

How to navigate around the website

At the top left corner of each page is a little drop down menu that says "Navigation Control". When you select it, a drop down menu appears. Simply select one of the options, and off you go! The first half of the menu links to the different sections within the lesson. The bottom half of the menu takes you back to the main index pages.

Explanation of the Different Sections in the Website

Of primary importance in the online text homepage is Lessons.
The other sections are reference pages.

• Instructions points to this page.
  
• Grammar contains a directory index of all the grammar structures in the online text, sorted by lesson; This section is only available in Chinese 130.
  
• Vocabulary contains a directory index of all the new vocabulary lists in the online text, sorted by lesson. Coming soon: pinyin-sorted vocabulary index.
  
• Cultural Notes contains links to useful Chinese websites, as well as an index of cultural pages within the online text.
  

In the Lessons section, you will get a table of contents.

• Text: You can read the written version of the text; you can listen to a recording of the entire text; finally, you can also listen to sections of the text by clicking on the play buttons on the side of the text.
  
• Exercises: This contains all the exercises for the lesson. You can print them out. In Chinese 130, please note that there is no Section C.
  
• Vocabulary: This contains the list of the new vocabulary words for the lesson; You can play a recording of the entire vocab list, or listen to individual words.
  
• Grammar: This contains the grammar structures and sample sentences for the lesson. You can listen to the sample sentences by pressing the play buttons on the side. This feature is available only in Chinese 130.
  
• Culture: This contains any lesson-specific cultural notes that may apply.

Troubleshooting

• The navigational menus don't work.They don't do anything
  Check to see if Javascript functionality is turned on. If not, you must install it. You can download JVMs from the Netscape or Microsoft websites (depending on which browser you use). Ask your college CA to help you.
• The Chinese characters do not display, or the pinyin does not display properly.
  See "How to configure your computer".
• I can't play the audio files; I get an error saying it can't open the audio device.

  
  If you get this message, click on the "More Info" button in the error message that pops up. A help file will pop up.

   

• I get an error message when clicking "play" on the embedded player; it says "invalid protocol"

  

    If you get this message, you probably do not have the MIME type defined. Follow the instructions below to define the MIME type.

  1. Double-click My Computer
  2. Go to the View menu and select Folder Options
  3. Click the File Types tab. Click here for a picture
  4. Click on New Type and enter this information:
     1. Description of Type: RealPlayer Plugin
        Associated extension: rpm
        Content-type (MIME): audio/x-pn-realaudio-plugin

Last updated on 7/12/00