Emojis

Tech Tip Tuesday (April 22, 2025)

😆 This isn't a text message. 🤳

A grid of 20 orange circular faces, each displaying a different emotion or expression. The first row shows neutral, skeptical, and straight-faced expressions. The second row shows sleepy, thoughtful (with a hand on the chin), happy with an open mouth, angry with a clenched jaw, and crying with tears falling into a puddle. The third row shows a calm closed-eye face, a red heart, a surprised face with an open mouth, and a happy face with a simple smile. The fourth row shows various smiling expressions, ranging from a slight smirk to a big, cheerful grin.

Emojis can enhance learning experiences and engage students in various ways.

They are easy to understand, eye-catching, reduce the amount of text needed for communication, and yeah, they made a movie about them. The last reason sure isn't research-based, but it shows their universal utility in communication.

🤓 But, why? 📖

1. Boost Engagement and Motivation

Emojis add fun and visual appeal to lessons, making content more engaging for younger learners.
They help break the monotony of text-heavy materials, making learning feel less intimidating.
Emojis resonate with students’ everyday digital communication, creating a sense of familiarity.

Example: Using a 🎉 emoji to celebrate accomplishments or a 🤔 emoji to prompt questions can make students feel more involved.

2. Enhance Emotional Expression

Emojis provide a visual way to represent emotions, making it easier for students to express themselves.
Teachers can use emojis to check in on students’ feelings or to create a safe space for emotional well-being.

Example: A "How are you feeling today?" chart with emojis like 😊, 😐, or 😢 allows students to communicate their emotions non-verbally.

3. Support Visual Learners

Emojis serve as visual cues that can reinforce concepts, helping students better understand and retain information.
They can be used to simplify complex ideas or provide context for abstract concepts.

Example: Adding a 🧠 emoji next to critical thinking activities or a 📚 emoji beside reading assignments clarifies their purpose.

4. Aid in Language Learning

Emojis are universal symbols, making them particularly effective for teaching language skills or working with English Learners.
They can help students understand vocabulary, idioms, or emotions in a new language.

Example: Pairing the word "happy" with 😊 or "stormy" with 🌩️ reinforces meaning through visuals.

5. Help with Feedback

Emojis can make feedback more approachable and encouraging.
They can soften critiques by pairing constructive comments with positive symbols.

Example: "Great effort! 👍 Let's work on adding more details. 📝"

🤔 How can I add emojis? 💡

Microsoft

It's an easy shortcut (Windows key + . [period]) to add them anywhere!

Try it right now or click here for more!

Google Workspace

You can use emojis easily in Docs, Slides, and Sheets in Special Characters!

More here!

Chromebook

Right click anywhere, or use the shortcut (Search + Shift + Space)!

And again, more info here!

🙅Don't use the wrong emoji...I've been there in the middle school life...✅

📙 Emojipedia - 😃 Home of Emoji Meanings 💁👌🎍😍

Emojipedia® is a registered trademark of Zedge, Inc; Apple® is a registered trademark of Apple Inc; Microsoft® and Windows® are registered trademarks of Microsoft Corporation; Google® and Android™ are registered trademarks or trademarks of Google Inc in the United States and/or other countries. Follow Emojipedia on X / Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Mastodon, or TikTok.

emojipedia.org

Alt text: A screenshot of a game called "Frankenstories" with the title "Shitashi's game." The screen shows a voting round (Round 1 of 5) where players vote for the best reply to a prompt. The prompt is: "Write like this person is giving you advice about something that is bothering you right now," accompanied by a meme image of a man in a blue uniform dramatically playing a flute with the caption "[Intense flute]." Three replies are listed: - Person 1: "This guy is showing me how to jig!" - Person 2: (Highlighted as "MY VOTE") “‘I have troubles, Papa. Enemies.’ My dad took his flute from inside his breast pocket and blew a sweet melody through it. ‘Kill them all, my son. Make thine flute from the bones of them.’” - Person 3: "My head was throbbing - it was like I could feel my heartbeat through my face. I really wanted to learn how to get rid of this stupid headache but it was hard to hear what he was telling me in between him playing the flute constantly." There are vote buttons next to each reply, and a timer in the top right shows 64 seconds remaining to vote.

Another writing game that's scary fun!

Frankenstories is an online, fast-paced, multiplayer writing game developed by Writelike.org to foster creativity, collaboration, and advanced writing skills, especially among middle and high school students.

Players are given a random prompt and a short time to write a response, after which all entries are anonymized, shuffled, and voted on by the group, with the winning snippet added to an evolving story over several rounds. The platform requires no login, is accessible via a shared link, and offers customizable settings for rounds, time limits, character limits, and prompt types. There's a freemium version for all to use! 🙌

Frankenstories helps students practice narrative and argumentative writing, sentence mechanics, and persuasive skills in a competitive yet supportive environment, while also fostering collaborative learning as students read and vote on each other’s work!

Frankenstories Creative Writing Games

A live, team-based, online creative writing game with a shared stimulus, timed writing rounds, and anonymous voting.

Check out some of the new updates to make Kami even more inclusive!

Link to updates for Kami

From brand-new, powerful AI-driven comprehension tools to small improvements in the background, this latest round of incredible upgrades applies to general education, as well as SPED and ELL.