] Rather than seeing entertainment-focused media forms as
] adversarial to educational content, educators should
] instead embrace them. This commentary examines how
] content originally designed for entertainment purposes
] can be modified to provide natural and context rich
] language learning environments, without sacrificing its
] entertainment value. First, I examine a modification to
] the number one selling video game The Simsthat
] intelligently combines game data from the English edition
] with data from editions of other languages to form a
] bilingual gaming environment. This exposes learners to
] abundant L2 vocabulary, yet still provides enough L1
] support not to detract from the game. This principle is
] then extended to other applications such as music videos,
] typing tutors, and voice-navigated games. Finally, areas
] of otherwise wasted time are identified, such as waiting
] for Web pages to load or walking to class, with
] suggestions of how technology can facilitate language
] learning during these times.

LLT Vol9Num1: COMMENTARY: YOU'RE NOT STUDYING, YOU'RE JUST...

] ShotGlass Chess plays by the same rules as regular chess
] but the fun really begins when you capture an
] opponent's piece! Depending on the Shot Glass Chess
] rules you adopt, you or your opponent will be tipping
] back the contents of the shot glass with every capture!

Shotglass Chess - Shotglass Chess Sets, Pieces and Shotglasses

] It's a sort of show-and-tell folding map intended for
] both soldiers and private contractors working in Iraq --
] with lots of little pictures you can point to in front of
] an Iraqi person to say things like "is the improvised
] explosive device hidden under the dead goat?" and "was
] the bomb maker planning manual or remote detonation?"

I await the 'Get Your War On' treatment.

Boing Boing: Iraq visual language survival guides for military personnel