Help Section

• How To Use Teachionary
• Problems and Solutions

First, Visit Teachionary, then pick a language (like Russian), then a study path (like Introduction), then a theme (like animals).

Second, Learn words with Teachionary's three modes:

• AUTO (you listen),
• PLAY (you choose), and
• GUESS (it plays, you guess).

• Let AUTO feed them to you: just relax and listen.
  • But say it out loud when you hear it!
  • No? Okay, go ahead and mumble. Fine!
  • Hey, at least move your lips!

• You can also click away for as long as you like in PLAY.
• The MOST IMPORTANT PART is GUESS. Please really focus on using the GUESS system, because that's what makes you really learn the words.
  • GUESS will gradually turns words gray, after you guess one right a few times.
  • You're not done until GUESS says you're done. Only after they are all grayed out, comes Victory!
  • Switch back into PLAY or AUTO anytime if you realize you need to hear certain words. Don't be bashful, just switch over, and come back whenever.
• Be an active learner. Teachionary makes your effort pay off fast, but it's your own energy that makes everything happen.

Actively listen and learn!

• I like to start with AUTO until I can already recognize some words, then I go to PLAY to concentrate on the others.
• In PLAY mode, click the buttons you want to, as much as you like. Teachionary is your servant, make it do what you want.
• Don't forget to say the words out loud, imitating the same accent.

Once you think you can remember them, use GUESS to test yourself.

GUESS works like this:

• The last word you hear is the target word.
• Guess which word is the target word, by clicking on that word's button.

If you're right, you'll hear the good news.

• The word you picked will turn green for a moment or two (green means Go!).
• Also, you will hear it again to reinforce your knowledge.
• Then, you will hear a "bing" sound which also tells you that the guess was correct: Good job!
• Finally, you will hear a new target word to guess. Guess again: what is this new word!
  (It picks the next new target word by random selection, so occasionally low frequency new target word might even be the same as the previous target word! -- that might sound funny, but just remember that the last one you hear is the target word for you to guess.)

If you're wrong, it will tell you that, too.

• The button you guessed turns red (red means Stop).
• The word you picked will play out loud so you know what your guess was.
• Then you will hear a "bong" sound; that means "Oops!"
• Finally, you'll hear the target word again. Guess again!

Last (but not least), Come Again Tomorrow! Every day come back and do a few new topics, and review some old ones. Soon you will know lots of useful words!

• #1: General Information
  • #2: How many words are in Teachionary for a certain language
• #3: Q&A
  • #4: Applet, what applet? No buttons are visible for words or for AUTO, PLAY, or GUESS
  • #5: New Teachionary looks different from old Teachionary.
  • #6: Buttons still display but suddenly no longer play.
  • #7: I don't hear anything when I click on a word button.
  • #8: I don't have the latest Java installed
  • #9: What if Teachionary asks me to download Java?
  • #10: My browser can't, or isn't set to, run applets
  • #11: I installed Java, but it still doesn't run the applet.
  • #12: "Applet doesn't load" error message.
  • #13: I'm running Linux and Netscape Java on Linux has no audio output, so I can't hear any output even though it says it is playing the sounds out.
  • #14: I still can't hear any sound.
  • #15: My system has less than a 256 color video driver.
• #16: Important Operations
  • #17: I need technical support
  • #18: How do I display the Java Console within my browser.
  • #19: How do I send Sprex a copy of the Java Console messages
  • #20: How do I set up Java 2?
  • #21: How to get Java 2 for Netscape under Linux?

FAQ

Teachionary 1.3 is a Java[tm] applet which requires a Java 2 (or greater) enabled web browser supporting applet audio playback. You also need a sound card in your computer, and speakers that are turned on and connected.

If you can get the "Bark!" button in the "An Example" section to work on the web page: http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/applet/appletsonly/sound.html then you should be able to use Teachionary!

Problem #2: How many words are in Teachionary for a certain language
Solution: See a table of word counts here.

Problem #3: Q&A
Solution: Here are a bunch of questions that others have asked; they may help you get Teachionary to work on your machine.

Problem #4: Applet, what applet? No buttons are visible for words or for AUTO, PLAY, or GUESS
Solution: Your browser is not running the Teachionary applet. The causes of this can include:

• Your browser does not have the current version of Java installed. Please install Java 2 as described below here and here. Be sure to check that once it is installed it is actually used, as described here. You can also use the same procedure here to confirm that Java 2 is installed. (If you can't find "Java (Sun)" and "Use Java 2" there, then Java 2 is probably not installed.)
• Your browser's settings have disabled Java applets. Teachionary is a Java applet, so if you disable Java applets you will not be able to run Teachionary. Please enable Java applets.
  • Undo the "Disable Java" setting. Under Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 under Windows XP: Tools menu => Internet Options menu item => under the Security tab =>
    • First: select "Trusted Sites", and add cassandra.sprex.com to the list of trusted sites.
    • Second: Select "Custom Level", then scroll down to the section labelled "Microsoft VM" (which means the Microsoft -- not Sun -- version of Java), and uncheck the "Disable Java" setting. You can try different settings here, but at least "Disable Java" will prevent Java applets from running.
  • Turn on Java 2 if it is installed. Under Microsoft Internet Explorer 6.0 under Windows XP: Tools menu => Internet Options menu item => under category Advanced, scroll down to the section labelled "Java (Sun)" and select the checkbox labelled "Use Java 2 ... for <applet>". If this is not visible, please install Java 2 as described below here and here.

  • Under Netscape 4.x: Edit menu => Preferences menu item => under Category select Advanced => Select "Enable Java".

Problem #5: New Teachionary looks different from old Teachionary.
Solution: New Teachionary uses Java 2 and was made available in 2003. This new and improved version of Teachionary allows us to provide a more customized Teachionary service for you. If you have an older version of Java, you may have to upgrade it to the latest Java from Sun or another Java source (don't use Microsoft's Java; it is broken). The Sun Java upgrade is free. For more information, see the notes on Java upgrading below, here and here.

Problem #6: Buttons still display but suddenly no longer play.
Solution: This is a known bug. Under certain conditions, Teachionary can work for a short or long period of time, then suddenly it acts as though it cannot find the audio to play back for some buttons or pages. The buttons are displayed, but none, or only a few of them, actually play anything.
This will be fixed in the new version we are working on, coming in Fall. Meanwhile, when this bug occurs, simply close your internet browser, come back to Sprex and try again. The problem frequently goes away.

Problem #7: I don't hear anything when I click on a word button.
Solution: Speakers and a sound card are required.

• Can you play music? If not, here are some things to check:
• The power lines for the speakers must be connected.
• The speakers must be turned on.
• The volume level on the physical speakers must be turned up.
• The speakers must be connected to the Speaker Out jack on the sound card.
  • Q: Where's that? A: Next to the (15-pin) joystick connector is a row of audio jacks. The black jack, which is closest to the joystick connector, is for Speaker Out. Plug your speaker cable in there.
• The software settings for audio volume must be turned up.
  • In Windows 2000, for example, click Start, then System, then Settings, then Control Panel, then Sounds and Multimedia, then on the Audio page under the Sound Playback Device, click Volume, then make sure the Mute button is not checked and that the volume slider is moved up. Set it to the maximum level until it works, then you can lower it later if it's too loud.
• Additional audio solutions are below.

Certain old versions of Java do not include an audio playback capability. For example, Symantec Java 1.1.5, included with Netscape Navigator 4.7 for Windows 98, displays the following error messages on the Java Console:

no audio device
audio player exit

Problem #8: I don't have the latest Java installed
Solution: Upgrade Java, or, better yet, upgrade both your browser AND Java.

• If you have another browser already installed on your computer, it might already be using a more up-to-date version of Java. So it might be easiest to just try using another browser.
• You can download a free upgrade of Netscape Navigator, version 7 or later, from http://channels.netscape.com/ns/browsers/download.jsp; when I downloaded it onto my uncle's Windows 98 computer, I was asked, as part of the download and installation process, to check a box for Java 2, which I did, and the new browser works fine on Teachionary with the latest Java.
• Alternatively, there is a current Java download from Sun, which is at java.sun.com. Here are a couple of older links for you.
  • Windows version for Java 1.3
  • Plug-in Installation
• Note that the Microsoft version of Java is broken and will not work. Microsoft has long been accused of following a policy of stifling others' innovations by destroying competing technologies including Java. In a key strategy, known as the "embrace, extend, extinguish" approach, they provide broken or incompatible versions of those technologies so that people will be afraid to use them. Instead of using the Microsoft version of Java, which incidentally breaks Teachionary, download a known working version from java.sun.com or from another source, as listed below.

  Recent, Java versions known to work with Teachionary include:
  Sun Microsystems Inc.; Java 1.3.1; http://java.sun.com/
  Sun Microsystems Inc.; Java 1.3.1_06; http://java.sun.com/
  Sun Microsystems Inc.; Java 1.3.1_07; http://java.sun.com/
  Sun Microsystems Inc.; Java 1.3.1_09; http://java.sun.com/
  Sun Microsystems Inc.; Java 1.3.1_13; http://java.sun.com/
  Sun Microsystems Inc.; Java 1.3.1_15; http://java.sun.com/
  Sun Microsystems Inc.; Java 1.4.1_02; http://java.sun.com/
  Sun Microsystems Inc.; Java 1.4.2_03; http://java.sun.com/
  Sun Microsystems Inc.; Java 1.4.2_05; http://java.sun.com/
  Sun Microsystems Inc.; Java 1.4.2_06; http://java.sun.com/
  Sun Microsystems Inc.; Java 1.5.0; http://java.sun.com/
  Sun Microsystems Inc.; Java 1.5.0_01; http://java.sun.com/
  Apple Computer, Inc.; Java 1.3.1; http://apple.com/
  Apple Computer, Inc.; Java 1.4.1_01; http://apple.com/
  Apple Computer, Inc.; Java 1.4.2_03; http://apple.com/
  Apple Computer, Inc.; Java 1.4.2_05; http://apple.com/
  IBM Corporation; Java 1.4.1; http://www.ibm.com/
  Blackdown Java-Linux Team; Java 1.4.1; http://www.blackdown.org/
  Blackdown Java-Linux Team; Java 1.4.2-01; http://www.blackdown.org/
  Please contact us to list any other Javas you have Teachionary working on. Visit www.java.com and click on Download to install the latest Sun Microsystems Inc. version. For Apple Computers, the Java is usually already installed and you should be able to use it (to update it, you can click here). For other Javas, please let us know if you need any help or have any suggestions to help others.

Problem #10: My browser can't, or isn't set to, run applets
Solution: Teachionary is a Java applet and thus requires an Java-capable browser with its Java applet capability enabled. Therefore you must install and use a Java-capable browser such as Netscape Navigator 7.0, and within your browser you must enable the use of Java. In Netscape, for example, the steps Edit::Preferences::Advanced::Enable Java will turn on Java.

Problem #11: I installed Java, but it still doesn't run the applet.
Solution: You might need to enable Java in your browser. It may be that your browser doesn't have the "enable Java" setting checked.
In at least one version of Netscape Navigator, the sequence is to select the "Options" menu, then the "Network Preferences" menu item, then the "Languages" tab page, and finally set the "Enable Java" checkbox.

In at least one version of Microsoft Internet Explorer, the sequence is to select the "Tools" menu, then the "Internet Options" menu item, then the "Advanced" tab page, and finally in the Java (Sun) section check the "Use Java... for <applet>" box. If you don't see that option, then install the Java Runtime Environment from Sun (java.sun.com).

Problem #12: "Applet doesn't load" error message.
Solution: This error message seems to mean that the applet was not located where the web page thought it should be found. If you get this error please email teachionary@sprex.com and explain which language and word-set you were using when you got the error.

Problem #13: I'm running Linux and Netscape Java on Linux has no audio output, so I can't hear any output even though it says it is playing the sounds out.
Solution: Geoffrey T. Dairiki has provided a way to fix this problem, by downloading a file, uncompressing it on your machine, executing "make install", and fixing your user environment so it knows where the fixes are. Go here and following the detailed installation instructions there. I just did and it worked for me!

Problem #14: I still can't hear any sound.
Solution: First, check all the problems and solutions listed above. If you still are not able to hear the audio, then please send us a technical support request.

Problem #15: My system has less than a 256 color video driver.
Solution: Netscape Navigator requires a 256-color video driver to run Java applets. You must have a video display with that or better capabilities.

Problem #16: Important Operations
Solution: How-To questions about important operations begin here.

Problem #17: I need technical support
Solution: To send us a request for technical support
If something isn't working and you would like us to help you, please send us an email at teachionary@sprex.com. In your message, please describe what exactly isn't working, answer the five questions below, and include a copy of the Java Console messages. We do want to hear your question and to help you, but almost always the information we need to be able to answer questions is contained in the answers to these five questions. Thanks for helping us to help you better.

The five questions are:

1. What kind of computer are you using? What operating system (Windows, Mac, Linux, Solaris, &c)? Which version?
   
2. What browser are you using? Which version?
3. Is Java installed?
   
4. After going to the following web page, and scrolling down to the applet displayed there, can you hear the dog barking by clicking on the "Bark" button?:
   http://java.sun.com/docs/books/tutorial/applet/appletsonly/sound.html
   
5. Do you see the buttons displayed on a Teachionary applet page?

Problem #18: How do I display the Java Console within my browser.
Solution:

• In Netscape Navigator 4.7, for example, pull down the Communicator menu, select the Tools sub-menu, and select the Java console menu item.
• In Netscape Navigator 7.0, pull down the Tools menu, select the Web Developer sub-menu, and select the Java console menu item.
• In Microsoft Internet Explorer, pull down the View menu and select the Java Console menu item.

Problem #19: How do I send Sprex a copy of the Java Console messages
Solution: First display the Java Console within your browser..
Second, copy and paste the contents of the Java console into your email program. Click the COPY button on the Java console; that will copy all the text in the console to the clipboard. Then paste it into your email program, or into the Message box on a Teachionary page, to send us the message.

Problem #20: How do I set up Java 2?
Solution: To automatically download and install Java 2
Teachionary may automatically ask you to download Java, if you don't have an up to date version. Please go ahead and proceed.

Here are the steps I took: Choose my operating system, and choose All languages, for example, Windows, All Languages. Select the JRE (Java Runtime Environment). Accept the terms and conditions. Let the Smart Download system do its work, downloading jre-1-1.38 Windows (for example). After download completes successfully, proceed with installation (click the Install button); again accept the license agreement, specify a drive with enough space, such as C:. Agree if it asks me to let let this JVM (Java Virtual Machine) be the default for MSIE and Netscape. Watch it as it creates the Java jar files. After installation is complete, click OK and close out my browser. Then restart my browser, and come back to the Teachionary page. It should then display "loading java applet", and then show the applet with the welcome message, "Welcome to Teachionary 1.2".

Then you can click buttons to hear words, and use Teachionary.

Problem #21: How to get Java 2 for Netscape under Linux?
Solution: To manually download and install Java 2 for Netscape 7 under Linux
This went in three easy steps: download Java, install it, and tell Netscape where to find it.

• Download Java 2 (a.k.a. JRE or J2RE) from Sun.
  Here's how I did it:
  • Go to http://java.sun.com/getjava in my browser.
  • Click on Download Now, and follow instructions from there.
  • When it asks for "self-extracting" binary file or RPM, I chose the self-extracting version.
  • When it asks where to put it, I told it to put it into the /tmp directory.
  • To check if I'm done, I typed this to my Linux shell command prompt:
    ls /tmp/jre2*bin
    If it lists a file there, then I'm happy.
• Install it (for example, into /usr/java/jre)
  Here are the commands I typed in to my Linux shell command prompt:
  • chmod a+x /tmp/j2re*bin
    This lets the self-extracting file run as a program.
  • cd /usr; mkdir java; cd java; /tmp/j2re*bin
    This creates the directory /usr/java and runs the extraction from there.
    It asks for some license approval, and creates /usr/java/j2re*
  • ln -s /usr/java/j2re* /usr/java/jre
    This allows things to refer to j2re* (which is something complicated like j2re1.4.1_02) by the simple name of jre.
  • ls /usr/java/jre/bin/ControlPanel
    If /usr/java/jre/bin/ControlPanel is listed, you're done.
• Tell Netscape where to find it.
  
  • Instructions on connecting the installed JRE to the installed Netscape: http://java.sun.com/j2se/1.4.1/control_panel_script.html
    
  • Here's what I did:
    • /usr/java/jre/bin/ControlPanel -r ns610 -c /usr/local/netscape -j /usr/java/jre
      
    • If I were using Netscape 4.x I would have replaced ns610 by ns4
• Then I reloaded the Teachionary page, without even restarting Netscape, and I could click buttons, hear words, and use Teachionary.