FAQ
This is a new, searchable FAQ section to help you find exactly what you are looking for in regards to foreign language technology.
What is the International Keyboard? (Windows)
The US International keyboard layout is a feature of Windows that allows for easier input of accents for French, Spanish, German, etc. It is highly recommended for those who do not want to use the ALT number combinations for these characters and should work in most programs that run on Windows.
How to Install the US International Keyboard Layout
From your desktop, go to the Start menu > Settings > Control Panels. Open the Regional and Language Options control panel and click on the Languages tab. You may have to click on a button called Details under a section called Text Services and Input Languages. That should take you to the Text Services window as show below.
You should see the keyboard called English (United States), with a layout called US. Follow the steps below to add the International layout:
- Click on the Add button to the right of the Installed Services section.
- In the window that pops up, you want to chose English (United States) as the Input Language and United States – International as the Keyboard Layout/IME.
- Click on OK
In order to make the Int’l layout your default, choose English – US International from the pull-down menu at the top of the Text Services and Input Languages dialog box (highlighted in the picture to the left).
For information about using the International Keyboard Layout, see my page about Accents.
Other FAQs
- How do I rearrange my pages into a foldable booklet?After making a publication you naturally want to print it, probably into the form of...
- How can I create colored boxes and other shapes to put in the background?We learned earlier how to make lines and apply colors and weights to them. We...
- If multiple people are working on project and each of them saves their own page as a separate document, how do they stick it all together?One way of having multiple people make a publication is as follows: The layout team designs...
- How do I create and apply text and paragraph styles?A paragraph style lets you create a specific set of fonts, font sizes, font styles,...
- Can I rearrange the order of pages after I have created them?To rearrange the order of pages, go back into the Pages palette. Click on the...
- How can I use Templates and Masters to do a collaborative project where multiple people may be working on the same publication?Having multiple people working on a single publication can be quite challenging to organize. You...
- Is there any way to group objects?When you have a lot of objects that are really all parts of a bigger...
- How do I make guides to and force text to snap to them?Making guides is easy and very important. A guide is simply a faint blue line...
- Can I get rid of all the guides and drag lines and just see a preview of what my final document will look like?To make all of the guides and object boxes disappear you can easily go into...
- How can I change the text wrap so that it isn’t just a simple circle or box? I want to make it follow the outline of an image.With InDesign you can actually do a lot of very sophisticated text wrapping by customizing...
- How do I make text wrap around images?First import your image into InDesign. Then go to Window / Text Wrap. When you...
- How do I create lines and change their style and color?Lines are a great way of separating sections in a magazine or newspaper. Creating lines...
- How do I resize my image?InDesign is kind of funky in that images can be played with in different ways....
- How do I add an image to my page?The best way to add an image to a page is simply to go to...
- How do I make text automatically jump to the next column on a page without creating new text boxes and manually fitting things into columns?When you create a document with columns, you’ll want the text to run down one...
- How do I import text into my page from another program?For most publications you will have all of your text already written in another program,...
- How do I create text (like a title) on my page?To create text from within InDesign all you have to do is choose the text...
- How do I choose which page uses which Master?When you create a new page you can choose which master you would like the...
- How do I add page numbers to my document?InDesign allows you to add a text box to mark where page numbers should go...
- What is the difference between a Master and a Template?A master is a basic page layout that includes elements you would like to have...
- How do I create a Master?A master is a sample page that includes some basic layout features that you want...
- How do I make and save a new publication?Start up InDesign and go to File then New, and select New Document. In the...
- How do I create new pages?Once you have made a new document, go to Window then Pages. The pages palette...
- Are there keyboard shortcuts for working inside CAN8?Yes! There are not many, but these are the ones we know about: MENU NAVIGATION Enter Move...
- How do I clear old data from my lesson trackers?After you have finished teaching one term and you no longer need old student data,...
- How do I get extra languages features for Windows or Microsoft Office?Microsoft has a variety of tools available for adding extra language features to your installation...
- How do restrict access to a lesson until I am ready for the students to see it?There are a few different ways to do this. But the easiest is to use...
- How do I hide menus from my students until I am ready for them to see them?As the instructor you have the power to Unassign menu items from either specific students...
- How do I show an image on the projector but play audio from the CD player at the same time?In the LDC classrooms, it is possible to play audio from the CD player and...
- How do I add video to CAN8?You can insert video clips into CAN8 for your students to view and then work...
- Why can't my students go back and complete lessons after I've checked their work in the Tracker?It's possible that you accidentally checked the item Review Results in the Test menu of...
- Which item types can include images or video, and which cannot?Below is a basic guide to what types of media you can include in each...
- How do I leave comments for my students to hear in CAN8?Instructors or TAs can leave audio comments for students in CAN8. Instructors have the option...
- How do I add an image to a lesson?Adding images to CAN8 lessons is easy, but only if you follow the rules. The Rules: Images...
- Can I broadcast a message to my class at the same time?Yes! Thanks to the new network topology, you can broadcast live messages to your students...
- How do I archive my students'work in CAN8?Our version of CAN8 allows instructors to export student recordings to individual WAV format sound...
- How can I get a report of my students' progress in CAN8?CAN8 includes a minimal reporting feature that will gather data about the time your students...
- How can I type IPA characters on my computer? (IPA=International Phonetic Alphabet)Both Windows and Macintosh are fully Unicode capable, and therefore can type IPA characters. The...
- My students appear in the Tracker, but the boxes next to their name are blank. Why?Your students names are added to the list in the Tracker as soon as they...
- Why aren't all of my students listed in the Tracker?The Tracker lists all students who have accessed that lesson immediately after they open the...
- How do I restrict the number of times a student can play the recording?While there doesn't seem to be an option that will let you restrict the number...
- Why do student recordings appear in from one lesson item to another?If you have copied and then pasted lesson items in your planner, they are originally...
- What is CAN8?CAN8 is a replacement to the analog language lab (all those old cassette decks that...
- How do I use ELFE Online?ELFE Online is a web-based French drill program that has been recently converted from an...
- What is the International Keyboard? (Windows)The US International keyboard layout is a feature of Windows that allows for easier input...
- How do I type a macron (straigh line over) a letter in OS 10.3?Macintosh OS 10.3 comes with a new English keyboard that allows for easy input of...
- What languages can I type on my Windows XP computer?Windows XP has built into it 137 different input layouts. A keyboard layout will allow...
- How do I type accents on my computer?Typing accents on either Macintosh or Windows is now easy as can be! See my...
- In what languages can I use Word's spell-checking feature?Office XP comes with proofing tools for French and Spanish. A CD of proofing tools...
- What is the Character Palette?The Character Palette is a feature of Macintosh OS 10.2 and higher. It is a...
- What languages can I type on my Macintosh OS X computer?Many. But it depends on which version of OS X that you are using. Here's...
- Does Unicode include math or musical symbols?Yes! While it is unlikely that Unicode includes all symbols necessary in the fields of...
- What is Unicode?Unicode is a type of text encoding that allows for the display of most of...







