Hi Sonia,
Thanks for sharing your experience with using emojis to create a summary of a middle-grade novel that your students are reading. It sounds like you had some interesting challenges to overcome, particularly in finding the right emojis to convey certain ideas or concepts. I can imagine that it was difficult to stick to only the emojis available on your iPhone keyboard, but it’s great that you wanted to stay true to your own experience and use the tools that you’re most familiar with. It’s interesting to compare the differences between our tools and how they affect the ways in which we can author content and design the end-user interface.
As for theoretical underpinnings, one that comes to mind for me is semiotics, or the study of signs and symbols and how they convey meaning. Emojis are essentially a form of visual language, and by using them to create your summary, you’re engaging with the semiotics of the text and exploring how meaning is constructed through the use of these symbols.
One connection I see between your post and my work is the importance of understanding the affordances and constraints of different tools and platforms for communication. Just as you were limited to the emojis available on your iPhone keyboard, I had to work within the constraints of what was available on my Android. Both of our experiences highlight the importance of being able to adapt to and work within the limitations of a given medium or tool.
Another similarity between our work is the importance of audience interpretation. Just as you note that different readers may interpret emojis differently, my final product is also open to interpretation and may be viewed differently by different audiences. It is important to consider the various ways in which our work may be understood and to be open to feedback and dialogue with our viewers.
One question I have for you is: do you think that the use of emojis and other forms of visual language will become more prevalent in the classroom as digital literacy continues to evolve? Thanks for sharing!