Emoji Intelligence
Have students access the student chapter Just a Joke? and read through the Course Presentation with the class.
Ask:
Do you know what all of those emojis mean?
Why do you think people have needed to invent thinks like punctuation marks, emoticons and emojis?
To get across their feelings, which aren’t always clear in writing.
Is it always clear what people mean by emojis? Can you think of times when you weren’t sure what someone meant?
Think about the ‘rolling eyes’ emoji: 🙄. Does it mean that you’re annoyed? That you’re skeptical? Is it always clear who or what the person using it is annoyed at, or skeptical about?
Do people sometimes use emojis to make it look like they were “just kidding” when they say something mean or hurtful?
Does this change how it feels? Is it harder to push back against a mean comment if someone says they were just kidding or uses an emoji to make it look like they’re kidding?
Now ask students: What would an emoji that meant “I’m serious” or “I’m not kidding” look like? How could you use an emoji to make it clear that you’re not being sarcastic or ironic?
Fun fact: That was the original meaning of the “winky” emoticon!
Draw the new emoji on the board or on a piece of chart paper, following the class’s suggestions.
Make sure they consider:
How can you get across the idea that you’re not kidding?
Does it make more sense to use a facial expression emoji (like a smiley or winky) or something else (like the thumbs up or fire emoji)?
How can you make it clear that you mean exactly this and not something else?
Ask students if they have ever done a similar exercise, in class or elsewhere. If so, ask them to reflect on what has changed since the last time they did.