I just found a reference to an online newspaper article about the use of Nintendo DS in Japanese high schools (http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20080703f2.html). It mentions DS games for English learning. I think this particularly interesting (DS consoles are hand-held, portable, reasonably cheap and strong) as many learners are familiar with them for out-of-class entertainment and learning (when I was in Japan I saw many ads for educational materials on mobile devices including the DS), which will help to bridge the gap between the classroom and the students’ lives.

Of course, is usefulness depends entirely on the use of the technology. The activities described in the article above are related to spelling but further down it becomes clear the main problem that was trying to be addressed was lack of fluency. Clearly there is room for improvement. But coming up with meaningful ways of integrating the technology is our job as teachers!

Here’s an example of a commercially available DS English game. ‘

Has anyone looked at these or other such games?