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Ok kids, time to learn about English! Pull out your Nintendo DS!

June 26, 2008 in News comments 10

Tokyo's Joshi Gakuen all-girls junior high school are using Nintendo's handheld console as a learning device to teach English to the students. Students have to spell out English words out on the DS, some of which include "hamburger" and "cola". Many students like it, including Chigusa Matsumoto, who is 12. She said that it's fun using the DS in class.

TOKYO (AP) — The Nintendo DS isn't just fun and games anymore for English students at Tokyo's Joshi Gakuen all-girls junior high school. The portable video game console is now being used as a key teaching tool, breaking with traditional Japanese academic methods.

A giggly class of 32 seventh-graders used plastic pens to spell words like "hamburger" and "cola" on the touch panel screen — the key feature of the hit console — following an electronic voice from the machine.
tyranitar24 via ap.google.com »
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  • 3
    VeGiTAX2 Jun 26, 08
    Seems about right, people use the DS as a learning tool there for many items including mastering Kanji or just learning basic Hiragana and Katakana at times. Good to see it has uses there, too bad they don't port over the language software here since I'm sure many parent's wouldn't mind their kids mastering multiple languages through the use of a DS. Heck even most people wouldn't mind picking on a language on the side via a DS.
    • 1
      Final Blade Jun 27, 08
      I would love to learn Spanish, I mean im half spanish and I can't even speak it that well. It would help me with listening in with my family Convos.

      Edit: stupid typos.
  • 1
    Drogo Baggins Jun 26, 08
    I completely agree. This is awesome.....too bad I actually don't have a DS...
  • -4
    pwned227 Jun 26, 08
    It seems like nintendo is less about gaming and more about learning now.
    • 2
      VeGiTAX2 Jun 26, 08
      Great point except those are third party apps and they've been producing these titles since the original DS arrived (yes there was a DS before the lite).

      Taking that into account your point is a bit hard to find, probably because this has been going on for years, just because the media sensationalizes it now it doesn't mean it's actually breaking news or even remotely recent information.
  • 1
    Mia Jun 26, 08
    Awesome, I should get my school to do this!
  • 0
    Tromonator133 Jun 27, 08
    Game systems shouldn't be used for educational devices if that's not what they were meant to be when they came out. There is a time and place for learning. The DS is not.
  • -2
    Mia Jun 28, 08
    Well, now that I have time to think about it. The person above me is kinda correct. I mean, it's not really ethical to have video games be apart of everyday school learning, but it kinda is good because it allows kids to learn in a way that is at least, kind of fun.
    • 1
      McClubbin Jun 29, 08
      Ethics? How does this have anything to do with ethics? Rather than simply seeing the DS as just a handheld video game device, people should broaden their perspectives and view it as a versatile piece of hardware which can be used for playing games or even *gasp* learning. And besides, as long as it's proven to help the kids out then it's not really a bad thing.
  • 0
    Circe Jun 28, 08
    I've always thought any kind of video game that helps people in a non technical way is cool.
    Can't wait to see what's coming up next!

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