Nintendo's DS handheld used to teach English in Japan

We've already got Nokia handsets being used to teach math in South Africa, so we totally knew it was only a matter of time before a gaming handheld or two got in on the fun. Select middle school kids at Tokyo Joshi Gakuen school are not only allowed to bust out their DS in class, they're required to. As the school attempts to make English education "fun" for everyone, it's currently using Nintendo's famed handheld along with English learning software in order to keep students interested in nailing those dilettantes, truckles and wunderkinds. There's no telling if the pilot will blossom and invade other institutions, but we have all ideas children across the country will be requesting it when asked to fill out end-of-year comment cards and the like.

[Via Switched]

[Technex @ Jul 1st 2008 10:49AM]

Ha, fail!

[Danakin @ Jul 1st 2008 10:55AM]

Nice, I believe a similar article was recently written on here about a school providing students with Zunes for educational purposes. Yeah, it was...
http://www.engadget.com/2008/06/29/local-public-school-students-get-assigned-zunes/

The DS is a better candidate though...

[DefPo3t @ Jul 1st 2008 10:55AM]

Japan still has console racism. Tsk Tsk
What happens if you have a PDP and not a ds.

[DefPo3t @ Jul 1st 2008 11:04AM]

How can I criticize people I thier spelling when I can't even spell psp

[Jason @ Jul 1st 2008 11:28AM]

then you're probably the one kid in the school that doesn't own a DS, so you can't play your classmates in Pokemon, won't be able to let your Nintendog play with your friends' Nintendogs, and apparently you won't have nearly as much fun learning English.

I'm guessing the school has DS's to loan out, and if you can't understand the obvious reasons why they chose the DS over the PSP for this application, well...

So if they've got stuff to teach English on the DS, I wonder if they've got something to teach Japanese? That'd be something I'd be interested in for sure. (And yes, I own a DS, and no, I don't own a PSP).

[DefPo3t @ Jul 1st 2008 11:31AM]

+|-|1$ 1$ |33+
that's real leet not the stuff u type

[Yuri @ Jul 1st 2008 7:07PM]

1. Sony is Japanese =\
2. The DS is cheaper
3. The DS is more child-friendly
4. The DS has the touch screen. Handwriting recognition is amazing.
5. The DS has a microphone as well. Speech recognition is amazing.
6. The Ability to connect to other DS' via wireless connection would give students the opportunity to connect to each other to play English games and improve their language abilities through things such as dialog.

While the PSP is nice, the DS suits this need more.

As for the one asking for Japanese software, there is kanji training software for the DS, you need to at least read instructions though (In Japanese of course).

[lance @ Jul 1st 2008 10:56AM]

maybe they should employ this program in the states

[DefPo3t @ Jul 1st 2008 10:58AM]

I think you need this to help with your English
What you write isn't even readable. It like leetbonics

[lance @ Jul 1st 2008 11:01AM]

maybe they should employ this program in the states
or should i say
dem guyz should brin dat shiznit dis ways fors us round er 2 learnt it

yukety yuk

ok i just low rank myself on that one.

[DefPo3t @ Jul 1st 2008 11:07AM]

what the fu## is wrong with you people speak English Spanish Russian. Any freakin real language

[Rainier @ Jul 1st 2008 11:01AM]

I'm reading the above comments and thinking Japan isn't the only country that could benefit from this.

*sigh*

[DefPo3t @ Jul 1st 2008 11:01AM]

gawd you should be arrested for killing the English,1337,Ebonics,and any other writable text

[Gingerbread Man @ Jul 1st 2008 11:14AM]

Awesome! Then you can pictochat with all the ladies and send them lewd and lascivious drawings!

[Schfelzerberg @ Jul 1st 2008 11:17AM]

After a year's use of that thing, they'll still be saying 'Engrish'.

[Dan @ Jul 1st 2008 11:18AM]

I wish DS had a program to teach Chinese to English-speakers. I'm trying to learn via Rosetta stone now and it'd be much nicer if it were this portable. It also gets around the damn CD-in-drive requirement.

[kjb434 @ Jul 1st 2008 11:38AM]

Where are these posters coming from? Can people please use English. Unless your a 12-year old girl texting your comment from a phone, you should use real words.

[kjb434 @ Jul 1st 2008 11:39AM]

See the comment i gave jimmycornellwatson.....

[Gibson @ Jul 1st 2008 11:40AM]

I should really quit my Japanese study. They're learning English faster than I can learn Japanese, what's the point?

[kal326 @ Jul 1st 2008 11:47AM]

You must be lost, the LOLcats site is that way -------------->

[kal326 @ Jul 1st 2008 11:48AM]

Get this for Japanese in America or hell even Spanish in America and I'm sold.

[jimmycornellwatson @ Jul 1st 2008 12:00PM]

y u guys maek fun of me?

:'(

[Kilometers @ Jul 1st 2008 12:00PM]

I wish we had a version that teaches Japanese. Then my Japanese teacher wouldn't bonk me in the head for playing DS in her class. :3

[Wwhat @ Jul 1st 2008 12:20PM]

Hey kjb434 if you must correct english don't use "your a 12-year old" in place of "you're a 12-year old" while doing so, it's embarrassing ;)

[Wwhat @ Jul 1st 2008 12:27PM]

Don't we all have to learn chinese rather than english (or japanese)? to be future-proof. Or maybe hindi or russian might work?
Of course in the west I guess we should all learn to shut up and only need to say 'yes master' to whoever the 'supreme patriotic council' gives the power to tell you what to do. ≺/cynicism≻

[Backwards People @ Jul 1st 2008 2:43PM]

Worse comments ever.

You win the Ninnernet.

[ShadowKain @ Jul 1st 2008 3:04PM]

Chinpokomon doll: I love you. Let's be best friends… and destroy American Capitalist government! (edit)

Chinpokomon doll: Down with America! (edit)

Randy: We love Chinpokomon too! It's super toy number one! (edit)

[Phoenix @ Jul 1st 2008 3:18PM]

It's a great idea that they're incorporating more educational things into a system which is traditionally a waste of time (or in other words entertainment) and which are widely distributed to the masses. I'm glad that they're looking for new ways to reach their students. It shows they haven't given up on them yet.

[Trevor @ Jul 1st 2008 4:25PM]

Now I want this, just the other way around...

[thehumanyawn @ Jul 1st 2008 4:44PM]

I want software that will teach me Japanese

[rita hainsworth @ Jul 2nd 2008 5:44AM]

MEE LI KEY