The DS continues to garner media attention for its role in Japanese public schools. Here’s a brief article by Gary Schmidt detailing its use at the Junior High level for teaching English.
Motoko Okubo, a junior high school teacher, has used the handheld DS and textbook software since May in weekly sessions focusing on vocabulary, penmanship and audio comprehension for teaching english.
“They’ve been using it at home playing games, so at first they were surprised they can use it at school,” Okubo said.
Vice principal Junko Tatsumi says results so far have been encouraging in Japan’s long struggle with English language education … Japan has around 15,000 middle and high schools and in 2000 launched reforms to create a more “relaxed” environment aimed at fostering creativity and reducing rote learning.
The educational outlook for the Nintendo DS continues to look promising.
References:
Schmidt, G. (2008, June 30). The Nintendo DS is becoming more popular than just a portable videogame device. [Online]. Retrieved July 7, 2008 from http://www.halflifesource.com/story/japan_uses_nintendo_ds_in_schools/
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July 8, 2008 at 1:22 am |
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