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

COMMUNICATION

INSTRUCTOR SETTINGS/OPTIONS

  • User Options – Clock Settings, Insert Recording Options, Patterns, and More

CLASS MANAGEMENT/INSTRUCTIONAL CONTROL

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

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.

Language Teaching Resources: Authentic Content & Planning