SANS Virtuoso Language Lab Teaching Resources

Welcome to the SANS Virtuoso™ teaching resources area! We encourage you to use the tutorials, lesson ideas, and resource links to help you utilize the Virtuoso technology to engage your students in active language learning.
MOTIFS Interactive Video Training Modules
These short “how-to” videos have been designed to help you get familiar with the many functions and teaching tools in your Virtuoso and Soloist® software. Once you get the basics, you’ll be able to use these tools in ways that align with your teaching style and preferences.
Virtuoso™ Instructor Control Interface
ATTENDANCE
- Attend and Un-Attend – How Students Connect to the Virtuoso System
COMMUNICATION
- Instructor-to-Student(s) – Intercom, Monitor, All Call, and Group Call
- Student(s)-to-Student(s) – Interconnect Multiple Students for Communication Practice
INSTRUCTOR SETTINGS/OPTIONS
- User Options – Clock Settings, Insert Recording Options, Patterns, and More
CLASS MANAGEMENT/INSTRUCTIONAL CONTROL
- Group Control – Split a Class into Multiple Groups
- Screen Control – Monitor Student Screens, Model Student Screens, Keyboard/Mouse Control
- PC Control – Internet Access, Web Links, Open/Launch Files, Disable Windows
- Source Control – Play a File Your Students from a Variety of Sources (Audio File, CD, etc.)
- Advanced Pairing – Pair Students for PC Sharing, Text Chat, White Board Activities
- Instructor Remote Control of Student Soloist Software – Take control of student Soloist recorder functions; Open Files for Students; Collect Work; Set Bookmarks, and More
- File Management/File Association – Create Class and Lesson Folders; Save Related Audio, Video, Text Files, Images to Open Synchronously
ORAL EXAM MODE
- Oral Testing – Easily Administer Oral Exams and Collect Student Recordings; Set Parameters for Standardized Testing; Set Parameters for Student Practice
COPY AUDIO FILES
- CD Ripper Plus Tool – Copy or “rip” audio files from a CD; Easily Combine and Rename Audio Tracks to Fit Specific Needs
OPTIONAL FEATURES PLUG-IN MODULES
- Multi-Teacher Option – Enables the Teaching of Multiple Classes in the Lab Simultaneously
- Video Multicast Option – Enables Live Streaming of Analog Audio/Video Content to Students in the Lab
Soloist® Digital Comparative Recorder
BASICS ON USING THE SOLOIST SOFTWARE FEATURES/FUNCTIONS
- Soloist Functions Part 1 – How-to Login, Play, Record, Open a File, Save a File, Volume Controls, Set Bookmarks and add Audio/Text Comments
- Soloist Functions Part 2 – How-to Use the Built-in Text Editor, Alter the Speed that a File is Played Using Vari-Speed, Insert Space into a Recording, and Take a Quiz that Has Been Created by the Instructor (See “Quiz Editor Tool” for Instructions on Creating a Quiz)
INSTRUCTOR CONTROLS FOR STUDENTS
- Student Views Within Soloist – Learn How the Soloist Software Changes When the Instructor is Controlling Or Activating Various Functions for their Students including Remote Control, Blank Screens, Countdown Timer, Pairing, Conference, Model, etc. (See “Instructor Remote Control of Student Soloist Software” to learn how the Instructor Manages the Control)
INSTRUCTOR AUTHORING AND EDITING TOOLS
- Arranger Audio Editor – Arrange Audio Segments Using Select, Cut, Copy and Paste Tools
- Audio Extractor Tool – Create a Separate Audio File from the Sound Track of a Video File
- Auto Comparative Recording Editor (ACR) – Customize Audio/Video Activities by Selecting the Sequence, Repetition and Length of the Program Material and Student Response
- Composer Clip Sequence Editor
– Construct Lessons with Audio, Video, Text, and Images Clips that Play In a Selected Sequence - Link List Editor – Create a “Link List” for Students Containing Internet Sites Relating to a Specific Topic
- Quiz Editor Tool – Create Quizzes with Audio, Video, Text, HTML Content, and Selectable Answer Types
- Text Player Tool – Create Text Files with Specific WPM Scrolling Text; Build Reading and Speaking Proficiency
- Text Sync Editor – Add Synchronized Text to Audio/Video Segments to Reinforce Comprehension
Lesson Ideas
The Lesson Ideas in this section can be applied to most spoken languages. The overview in each lesson provides a suggested level, type of activity, objective and the national standards that correspond to the activity. With the robust feature set and lesson authoring tools within the Virtuoso and Soloist software, you will be able to create a variety of activities for different levels of learners.
- What Do You Do for A Living? Type: Guessing Game Level: Beginner
- Clue: Charlie with the Broom in the Library Type: Guessing Game Level: Intermediate
- Definitions and Parts of Speech Type: Guessing Game Level: Advanced
- Homework Correction Type: Model Student Broadcast Level: Beginner
- News-Weather-Sports Type: Model Student Broadcast Level: Intermediate
- Radio Frequency – Time Warp Type: Model Student Broadcast Level: Advanced
- Question/Answer or Answer/Question Type: Stimulus/Response Level: Beginner
- Oh My Goodness! Type: Stimulus/Response Level: Intermediate
- Problem Solving Type: Stimulus/Response Level: Advanced
- When Do You Have Math Type: Matching Level: Beginner
- “Voted Best in the Nation!” Type: Matching Level: Intermediate
- Biography Type: Matching Level: Advanced
- My Family and I… Type: Individual Practice/Class Assessment Level: Beginner
- When I turn Eighteen… Type: Individual Practice/Class Assessment Level: Intermediate
- Summaries Type: Individual Practice/Class Assessment Level: Advanced
- Who prefers ice cream to sorbet? Type: Opinion – Individual Response Comparisons Level: Beginner
- What do they think? Type: Opinion – Individual Response Comparisons Level: Intermediate
- What do you think? Type: Opinion – Individual Response Comparisons Level: Advanced
- Do you like….? Type: Random Pairing Level: Beginner
- Telephone Pals Type: Random Pairing Level: Intermediate
- Political Campaigns Type: Random Pairing Level: Advanced
- What time is it? Type: Listening/Note-taking Level: Beginner
- Your Birthday = Your Future Type: Listening/Note-Taking Level: Intermediate
- Who are the heroes? Type: Listening/Note-Taking Level: Advanced
- It’s on the Tip of My Tongue! Type: Sentence Completion/Deductions Level: Beginner
- Could you repeat that, please? Type: Sentence Completion/Deductions Level: Intermediate
- Verbal Charades Type: Sentence Completion/Deductions Level: Advanced
- Is that an accent I hear? Type: Comparison of Stimuli Level: Beginner
- Is it art? Type: Comparison of Stimuli Level: Intermediate
- Asking Questions Type: Oral Evaluation of Grammar Level: Intermediate and Advanced
- Head, shoulders, Knees, and Toes Type: Blind Directions Level: Beginner
- Can you tell me how to get to….? Type: Blind Directions Level: Intermediate
- Origami Level: Advanced
- How many animals can you name? Type: Warm-ups/Brainstorming Level: Beginner
- Twenty Questions Type: Warm-ups/Brainstorming Level: Intermediate
- Picture This Type: Warm-ups/Brainstorming Level: Advanced
- Where do they speak…? Type: Peer Review Level: Beginner
- If I were you… Type: Peer Review Level: Intermediate
- Editor-in-Chief Type: Peer Review Level: Advanced
- Where is…? Type: Picture Description Level: Beginner
- Tell Me a Story Type: Picture Description Level: Intermediate
- The Tenor and the Vehicle Type: Storytelling Level: Advanced
- Celebrity Profiles Type: Storytelling Level: Beginner
- Once Upon a Time Type: Storytelling Level: Intermediate
- Freeze Frame Type: Storytelling Level: Advanced
- Twinkle, twinkle… Type: Songs and Music Level: Beginner
- Tomato, “To-ma-to” Type: Songs and Music Level: Intermediate
- The Karaoke Machine is Broken! Type: Songs and Music Level: Advanced
- Negative Sentences Type: Oral Evaluation of Grammar Level: Beginner
- Progressive Pronouns Type: Oral Evaluation of Grammar Level: Beginner