Mandy’s Emoji Story

I really enjoyed deciphering Mandy’s emoji story. I am not an ultimate fan of Squid Game- I only watched the show once, and the blunt use of violence was just too much for my weak heart. However, using emoji, I felt that Mandy’s portrayal of Squid Game is rather cute and if I had not known, I would have imagined Squid Game as perhaps, an interesting show to watch. I would have thought the emoji of blood droplets meant blood donation, perhaps to save someone, not kill. Therefore, I think Mandy is totally right about how written text is needed to express and reflect more abstract ideas such as feelings or ethics.

I also appreciate Mandy pointing out the endless possibilities and potential advantages of using emojis in the classroom. In my language classroom, interaction is important for students to develop communication skills. Unfortunately, some students are reluctant to speak in the classroom. This situation becomes trickier to manage in the online classroom as there is a need to look for alternatives in getting students to practice their target language. Mandy noted rather than being a knowledge provider in the classroom, she takes on the role of the information provider. With the information that students receive, learning and meanings are constructed. 

Driven by Mandy’s analysis, I am encouraged to tweak my lesson plans to accommodate various students’ learning needs. Learning about emoji’s hidden potential of promoting multimodality as the solution for passive learners, teaching as prescribed should be a thing in the past.