Do emojis and GIFs restrict our language and communication?

Recently I read Nineteen Eighty-Four, a dystopian novel by George Orwell set in a totalitarian state where even the language they use is controlled. Adjectives are forbidden and instead they use phrases such as 'ungood', 'plus good' and 'double plus good' to express emotions. As I first read this I thought how impossible it would be in our society to have such vocabulary. However, the more I thought about it, the more I realised in its own way it's already happening. I type messages to my friends and alongside each is the obligatory emoji. I often use them to emphasise something, or to not seem too serious, or because this specific GIF conveys my emotions much better than I ever could using just words. And I wonder, with our excessive use of emojis, are we losing the beauty and diversity of our vocabulary?

English has the largest vocabulary in the world, with over one million words, but who's to say what it'll be like in the future? Perhaps we will have a shorter language, full of saying 'cry face' if something sad happens or using abbreviations like LOL (laugh out loud) or BRB (be right back) instead of saying the full phrase. So does this mean our vocab will shrink? Is it the start of an exciting new era? Will they look back on us in the future and say this is where it all began – the new language? Or is this a classic case of the older generations saying, 'Things weren't like that when I was younger. We didn't use emoticons to show our emotions'?

Yet when you look back over time, the power of image has always been there. Even in the prehistoric era they used imagery to communicate, and what's even more incredible is that we are able to analyse those drawings and understand the meaning of them thousands of years later. Pictures have the ability to transcend time and language. Images, be it cave paintings or emojis, allow us to convey a message that's not restrictive but rather universal. 

How to Create a Backchannel on Padlet

Padlet is one of the most versatile tech tools that a teacher can have in his or her toolbox. From making KWL charts to exit tickets to simply posting ideas in a shared online space, Padlet can be used in nearly every grade level and subject area. And your notes aren't limited to just text on Padlet walls. In fact, there are ten types of notes that you can add to Padlet walls including screencasts, audio notes, and even maps.

Recently, I noticed that Padlet has a new wall template designed for hosting backchannel chats. In the following video I demonstrate how to create a backchannel on Padlet.

Classroom Ideas

As teachers prepare their classrooms and brainstorm back to school ideas for this year’s learners, they look at those blank walls and bulletin boards and envision the colorful possibilities. It can be loads of fun to create displays and give your classroom life and personality with the materials on your walls.

But interestingly, research actually suggests that there are certain types of decorations that supplement daily learning, and certain types of decorations that detract from daily learning. Which ones do you have?

Teachers tend to think of their classroom decorations, and other back to school ideas, as ways to set a particular atmosphere in their rooms. They want their rooms’ personalities to reflect a warm, inviting, academic tone that makes a positive first impression. And often teachers succeed with this. There is a certain freshness to newly created displays that extends that invigorating feeling a new year always offers.

So, as you decorate, definitely think about how your displays can help to set a certain tone about your classroom. Ask yourself, “What kind of atmosphere do I want my students learning in?”

What your decorations accomplish can go far beyond atmosphere. You must also ask, “How can my decorations enhance student learning this year?” Teachers often underestimate the long-term impact of what hangs on the walls. What hangs on the walls possesses enormous potential to “sink in” with students and provide them with a sense of community and ownership.

First, decorations -- namely posters -- provide opportunity for more passive absorption of information. When students are paying attention to you, they learn from you.

However, when students aren’t paying attention to you, they’re looking around the room. What will they see? Will they see signs and materials that reinforce the life lessons and academic insights you give, or will they see meaningless colorful décor that gives them something to think about other than learning?

Second, it is fruitful to preserve a portion of the classroom for displaying student work. When students see their own learning experiments and successes publically displayed, they obtain a unique sense of pride and ownership. Prominently displaying student work is akin to a parent hanging a kid’s test on the refrigerator: It’s a public affirmation of that student’s value.

Third, your decorations can help develop your class’ sense of community. The walls, after all, are something everyone shares and everyone can see -- so include visuals that contribute to a sense of togetherness or mutual understanding. For example, update what you or your students are currently reading on a big chart, have a question wall where students record their curiosities, or include an area where students’ academic goals are posted.

The above three areas -- learning, ownership, and community – make immeasurable contributions to student growth. But imagine the lost opportunity if the wrong decorations were used. Imagine how the wrong posters, the meaningless displays, or the same old, same old phrases were posted. Instead of supplementing instruction and aiding student growth, they would merely be bland, obligatory displays that communicate an equally bland sentiment about learning in that classroom.

So as you move to set the tone in your classroom with your unique decorations (and your other back to school ideas) this year, make sure that you consider what impact what’s on the wall can really have. Think about atmosphere, but also think about the learning, ownership, and community your decorations can facilitate. It’s amazing how much of an impact what hangs on the wall can truly have.

What do you have hanging on your classroom walls and bulletin boards? Share your ideas here and let us all benefit from your classroom decorations!

 

You can also check the following webpage

Kiristyderoche

100 Ideas

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How to write... Series for kids

How to write an essay: DOWNLOAD HERE

How to write an e-mail: DOWNLOAD HERE

How to write a Thank-you letter: DOWNLOAD HERE

How to write a re view: DOWNLOAD HERE

How to write a letter: DOWNLOAD HERE

How to write a fairy tale: DOWNLOAD HERE

How to write a business letter: DOWNLOAD HERE

How to write a book report: DOWNLOAD HERE

Uncovering CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning and Multilingual Education

Uncovering CLIL: Content and Language Integrated Learning and Multilingual Education (MacMillan Books for Teachers) 

Content and Language Integrated Learning (CLIL) refers to methodologies used in teaching situations where a second language is used as a medium for teaching non-language content. Uncovering CLIL has been written to act as a guide for both language and subject teachers to the various methodologies and techniques involved in CLIL teaching.

DOWNLOAD HERE

Live and Online!

Live and Online! offers the key to designing effective interactions for the synchronous classroom. This ensures that participants have ample opportunity to collaborate and interact, which in turn helps them to successfully learn online. Author Jennifer Hofmann explains the use of powerful synchronous tools—Whiteboard, Chat, Breakout Room, Application Sharing, and Synchronized Web Browsing—provides sample exercises for each tool, and offers advice on how each tool fits into the instructional landscape. At the end of each exercise there is space provided for notes and suggestions on how to customize the interaction for specific projects. The companion CD-ROM contains sample graphics, leader guide pages that support the exercises, and templates for creating leader and participant materials and interactive plans

DOWNLOAD HERE