Abstract:

Electronic communication through technological gadgets as Smartphones, tablets or laptops have become in one of the main tools in the digital Society. This kind of communication uses a language, the Netspeak, which share some characteristics with traditional writing and oral speaking, but its peculiarities have caused the addition of others very different. Among the latters, we are going to focus in the appearance of a group of symbols really used in virtual interactions: the emojis. In the last years, these icons have become in a really useful tool which appears in almost every social network available on the internet.

From the educational point of view, it is clear that the students, digital natives, are a reflection of the Information and Knowledge Society we are living in, and they share the interest and fondness for the use of digital technology and this new virtual language. However, the lack of attention shown for these means, just as the social networks where they are used, are making that we cannot take advantage of them or use them as a resource in educational activities which actually could make a difference in students, both in motivation and learning.

The present work will try to contextualize the use which is made of this new language in order to understand its characteristics and elements. To do so, a descriptive-interpretative content analysis of a large sample of virtual messages extracted from different real conversations was made. Since that analysis, an educational proposal of activities which could be incorporate to the educational and learning process is made, helping to actualize and recycle that process and supporting the construction of knowledge in students with an active role focused in their interests.

Keywords:

Education, Learning, Social Networks, Netspeak, Emojis.