Kids love emojis and now they can easily add them to text boxes in Wixie! The way you add emojis will depend on the device you are using to create your Wixie projects.

Tablets and SMART Phones

Adding emojis on a tablet or SMART phone is easy because the on-screen keyboard includes them.  

To add an emoji to Wixie on a tablet or SMART phone, simply add a text box to a project. When you tap inside and see a cursor, select the emoji option on the keyboard and make your emoji choice or choices… just like in a text message.

Chromebooks

While most Chromebooks have a physical keyboard, there is an on-screen keyboard option that includes emojis!

Before working in Wixie, you need to make the on-screen keyboard active. Open the Settings on your Chromebook (). You may have to click the time or your user icon in the lower left corner.

At the Settings dialog, select Advanced from the list on the left and then Accessibility. Scroll until you see the area for "Keyboard and text input" and turn on the on-screen keyboard.

Then, when you add a text box in Wixie and click inside of it, select the on-screen keyboard button at the bottom of the Chromebook screen.

Windows 10 and Macintosh computers

Both Windows and Macintosh computers allow users to access emojis through a dialog enabled by a  keyboard command.

Begin by adding a text box and clicking inside. Once you see an active cursor, open the emoji dialog on your device.

Windows 10+ - press Windows button + semi-colon

Macintosh 10.12+ - press Command + Control + Space bar

Simply select the emoji you want to use and it will be added to the text box in Wixie.

Emoji projects in the classroom

Emojis started as a time-saving way to communicate emotions without having to type an entire text message, they have quickly become an integral part of digital communication. Use their popularity to encourage student writing in rebus stories.

Almost half of all emojis used in messages are the  ! These facial expressions are a non-threatening way for students to explore and express their feelings and engage in empathy-building Social-Emotional (SEL) activities.  They are also a fun way for students to complete a project reflection or exit ticket.