Increase course engagement with GIFs and emojis

• Millennials and Generation Z’s way of communication;

• Chatspeak: GIFs and emojis;

• How to use visuals in your lectures;

• How to use visuals in CLASSUM;

Online lectures are not easy. You can have an awesome syllabus with amazing content but when it comes to communication… 🤯

It’s already hard to catch everyone’s attention during live sessions and seems almost impossible to do so for video lectures. Are students understanding everything? Are they focused? Why is it so quiet… Somebody, please say something!!! If you have never gone through this in online lectures raise your hand. 🙋‍♀️

Source: memegenerator.net

Generation Z spend an average of 4 hours a day online on their mobile devices and around 73% use their devices mainly for text and chat. So, why are the online educational platform’s forums, Q&A boards, and chatrooms so quiet? The hard truth: it’s often because they are distracted with something else that seems more interesting.

The question is: how do we catch their attention? 🤷‍♀️

English, please!

Chatspeak, also known as Internet Slang, refers to all the different ways besides “normal texts” people communicate over the internet. Remember when we used the smiley “:)” or the laughing face “XD” in our MSN Messenger conversations? They were also a form of chatspeak, and guess what — they evolved and gained different shapes and forms.

Communicating with students in the style that they are used to, helps, and A LOT! If you have the chance to take a look at several Gen Z’s texting and SNS content, you’ll know right away that it goes beyond just alphabet characters and numbers, it’s a mix of emojis, GIFs, memes, videos, and any other visuals they have access to. Just as :) in the past, visual communication is becoming a big trend. Even Instagram, one of the most used SNS platforms in the world, has their own GIF library that allows users to directly send GIFs to friends or attach them to posts. 😮

Technology is native to Generation Z. Incorporating some of the latest tech trends into your teaching is a great way to connect to those students and keep your material fresh and timely. Using students’ own language to present material can make topics or themes seem more accessible — Adrian Ridner, CEO & co-founder of Study.com

When texting behind a screen, chatspeak provides a way for people to express their thoughts in a fun way. It creates a deeper connection between educators and learners. It’s a way for people to better express themselves without meeting in-person or even seeing each other’s faces. What’s more, chatspeak is a universal language! :)

In fact, many educators have already been using memes, emojis, and GIFs in their lectures. According to a New York Post article, around 37% of teachers have used them to increase engagement in their lectures.

You might not be used to them or even think that they may turn your course upside down with images all over the place. But just as the saying goes, when in Rome do as Romans do.

How to use GIFs and emojis

GIFs vs emojis

First, let’s start with the main differences between emojis and GIFs.

1. Emojis are easy to use and available on any smartphone or computer.

2. Emojis are not animated.

3. GIFs are emojis on steroids! 💪

4. You need to download each GIF separately and save them on your computer or smartphone. (A little bit troublesome but I guarantee it’s worth it)

💡 TIP: Create a separate folder with your favorite GIFs and have them ready for any situation!

Some of the ways you can use visuals

• Use them to show appreciation and encourage participants. If someone replies with a good answer or comment, use the 👍 emoji or a “Good One” GIF. (Don’t forget to use CLASSUM’s ❤️ feature!)

• Creating group projects. A group emoji 👨‍👧‍👧 or a “CLASSUM Assemble” GIF would make a good connection! (to create the GIF, I went to www.tenor.com, searched for avengers, clicked on CAPTION, and added the words)

• It doesn’t always need to be lecture related content. On Friday’s you can also post something like “Feel that? That’s Friday!” Connect with students as if you were chatting with them like friends!

How to create your own GIFs

There are plenty of GIF makers out there. Take a look at https://tenor.com/ and go through their library. When you choose your GIF, click on “CAPTION” to add text and make it look even more awesome!

How to upload GIFs and emojis

CLASSUM always emphasizes the importance of efficient communication. We always think about how our users are able to properly communicate and what are the current trends — not only in education but in the world as a whole.

If you are not sure how to upload GIFs or use emojis, go through our quick guide below!

1. CLASSUM Mobile App (emojis)

Adding emojis to your conversations may differ from smartphone to smartphone. If you are not sure how to do so check the images below!

💡 Tip: You can use different types of emojis besides faces!

From left to right: Android (Google) / Android (Others) / iOS (Iphone)

2. CLASSUM Web Service (emojis)

If you are using the web (browser) version of CLASSUM do as follows to open the emoji window:

MacOS: press “control (^) + command (⌘) + space”
Windows: press “windows + .”

💡 Tip: If you can’t find what you are looking for, try “searching” with keywords.

3. Posting GIFs

The process of posting GIFs is fast and easy! It’s pretty similar for both CLASSUM web and app.

Smartphone App: (1) Click the “+” sign on the left side; (2) Click on “Album”; (3) Select your GIF.
Desktop Web: (1) Click on the “folder” icon; (2) Select your GIF.

🚨 PS: Let’s not make things weird… Please don’t go berserk and exclude all alphabets and numbers from your messages.

Source: https://tenor.com/

CLASSUM is a communication tool for education used by institutions around the world, including Samsung, Hyundai, LG CNS, Shiseido, and KAIST.

Learn more about CLASSUM 👉 www.classum.com

Any questions? 👉 Ask us!