Thing 16: Bitmoji Fun

Can I tell you how much I LOVE bitmojis? They are the coolest. The chrome bitmoji extension is great. Middle schoolers love when teachers use the bitmojis in the classroom - it bridges communication between teachers and students, making teachers seem more in tune with the digital age. I have seen teachers use bitmojis to grab attention in a slides lesson or in a Seesaw post. So many of the bitmojis bring a smirk to my face when I see them. I love introducing teachers to the bitmojis. I think students may not be expecting teachers to integrate something they use readily into the day. Like anything, it could lose it's impact if used too much, but what a great tool to add to the box! I haven't invited students add the chrome bitmoji extension because some of the bitmojis are less appropriate for school. It is a dilemma that I haven't resolved yet. As a role model, I don't want to introduce tools that include words that are inappropriate for school. It is a teachable opportunity to discuss which ones are not appropriate for the school setting, but not worth the risk for me at this point.

I watched the linked bibmoji BookSnap video and really liked the idea. A lot of my middle schoolers have Instagram and Snapchat. I am going to ask them to try making a #booksnap with a book they are reading - The Omnivore's Dilemma by Michael Pollan. Some of them have bitmoji on their phones, so for those students I will ask them to include one on the booksnap. I will have them email it to themselves so they can upload it to Google Classroom. It should be interesting and fun to see what they come up with! One more thing - I have used Chatterpix with younger students this year to create images that talk. With third graders we worked on a project where they chose an inanimate object and thought about what it might say. One student took a photo of a coffee mug and had it say, "Ouch. Stop burning me with your coffee." She added flames coming out of the top of the mug.