Extra: Emoji Comments Proposals

Background

I read the replies that you post on the Daily Discussion Posts (DDPs), but it’s hard for me to reply to all of them. There are nearly 90 of you and only one of me, so I need to come up with a fast and easy way to let you know how you’re doing. The Like feature would seem like an obvious solution, but you can’t tell who liked something in Canvas. Besides, with Like as the only option, it’s a limited way to respond.

If this were a class that met in a regular classroom, these discussions would take place out loud, and you’d be able to tell my response to your ideas by my response and body language (such as nodding, smiling, or raising my eyebrows). It’s not a class in a regular classroom however, so we need to come up with an alternative.

You may have had teachers in the past who marked things with check ✔, check plus ✔➕, and check minus ✔➖. That system seems a little boring to me. I think we can come up with something better together. I propose that we create a system that uses emojis to provide fast feedback. To make it happen, I invite you to propose an emoji and suggest what it would indicate as feedback on a post. You are almost surely better at emoji than I am, so you can teach me a bit about how you use emoji in your responses. 

The Task

Here’s what I would like you to do:

1. Click Reply to create a space for your answer.
2. Check the emoji that you are thinking of on the Full Emoji List, v12.0 Links to an external site. to make sure that it works across all platforms. Everyone needs to be able to see and use the emoji, regardless of their computer/phone.
3. Propose an emoji that I might use to comment OR build on/comment on an emoji proposed by someone else. Include this information:
   • the emoji (example: ✔).
   • the name of the emoji/what you type to get it (example: “check mark” gives you ✔).
   • how you propose the emoji be used (example: The check mark indicates something is okay or average). 
   • an explanation of why you propose the emoji: why is it appropriate? why is it better than similar alternatives? etc.
4. Reread your answer to make sure it is clear and easy to understand.
5. After you post your suggestion, you can add a follow-up, make a suggestion, ask a question, or add another kind of comment. Be sure that your reply does not repeat the information others have already posted.
6. Come back at the end of the week, and vote for your favorite emojis by adding Likes. The Discussion will sort by Likes (most liked at the top of the list, least liked at the bottom). Use your votes sparingly. Voting for everything won’t help us arrive at the best emojis to use. The ability to Like will open at 12:01 AM on Friday, February 14. 

Important Notes

1. The goal is to settle on 7 to 10 emojis.
2. Do not suggest any emoji that would be inappropriate because they would violate the Virginia Tech Principles of Community.
3. Note that there are some emoji that I would never use, like these:

Grading Process

This activity is worth 50 bonus points if you meet all the listed criteria. I will record the points for this activity after I check the discussion and ensure that you have met the expectations of the activity: