The Nintendo DSi as a tool to enhance creative writing
The Nintendo DS might seem to most people as a small computer for children or as an improved gameboy. It did so for me for the longest time. I watched children of all ages of my family and friends playing the Nintendo DS over hours and hours. It seemed like an obsession.However, when my cousins daughter was given a Nintendo DSi after having 2 Nintendo DS I became more curious because I thought "why would a child ask to have a more modern version of this when having 2 Nintendo DS already. The girl introduced me to the different functions and what I was interested most was the writing tool. After about 5 minutes that it took the girl to figure out how it works (she ususally doesn't use it) she produced little stories that would be shown as a little movie when she was finished. She became quite creative with it as well, designing little Twilight stories and fan videos.
So, what do you think about this device? Can we use it effectively in the classroom? Advantages are, to my mind, that learners can share there stories by sending it from device to device. Also you can record speaking and make little movies. Also, it takes more handwriting skills than simply typing a text on the computer.
Nicole
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4 comments:
It sounds like an interesting tool for creative writing, especially for younger children. The only problem I see is: Can we use it for other skills as well, such as speaking or listening tasks? If not, I don't think that schools would really buy those and you cannot expect all of your children to have one.
Iulia
I passed on DSi because it is a bit too heavy, but I love the idea of having a camera attached. I wonder what movies had the little girl made. I think Iulia also made a good point about the haves and haves-not. Does it mean that families which can afford such gadgets will give a stronger headstart to their children?
Concerning other skills: it is also useful for listening purposes because you can record your own speaking and listen to it again and again and look for difficulties you still have. Also, you can send files to other DSi users via bluetooth I think or some similar connection. So students can share their stories and speaking files.
About the question of "should the schools buy these things" I don't think they should... but many students own them and they should be given the opportunity to use their Nintendo DSi as an alternative writing tool on creative projects. This would shown them that they can use their Nintendos for somthing else than just playing games!
Nicole
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