Japanese classrooms using Nintendo DS to teach English

[wraggster]

We've had many Game Boy Pockets, GBA SPs and other portable devices snatched up by certain agitated educators during our formative years, which is why the recent news of a new program to teach English to Japanese students using the Nintendo DS fills us with unbridled, elderly bitterness. Think of the things our generation of handheld companions could have taught us! Geometry from Tetris! Microbiology from Dr. Mario! Animal husbandry from Pokémon!

To be fair, the program (which was recently examined in a Reuters write-up) requires students at Japan's Joshi Gakuen all-girl junior high school to use special English-instructing software with the handhelds, which are collected at the end of each class to prevent any unsavory Pokédueling during recess. The program is just barely into its one-year trial period, though the school's vice principal is very optimistic -- if only he knew he was actually transforming his pupils into rot-brained, knife-wielding miscreants!

http://www.joystiq.com/2008/06/28/ja...teach-english/

[Eviltaco64]

Wow.
Well that's a step in the right direction!
Too bad that my school would never do that, and if they did, it'd be after I graduated (Im in 11th Grade)

[masterchief929]

hmph... thay're all going to be almost blind when they graduate.

[kcajblue]

haha, thats cool.

i wish i had the oppurtunity to learn japanese with a ds.

so i can take it out in front of my bitchy teacher and she cant do anything about it cause its how were supposed to learn.