The Knewton Blog

David Ingber is Knewton‘s Faculty Manager, as well as an expert GMAT prep and SAT prep teacher.

It all began with a high five.

I was teaching an online class, and all 27 of the students in the class answered a difficult question correctly. In an attempt to form what I thought was the closest approximation of a congratulatory hand-slapping ritual with my students, who were attending the class from wifi hotspots and Ethernet ports all across the globe, I pushed my open palm toward my camera. I encouraged them to do the same.

It was then that I learned about the Virtual High Five (aka “The VH5″).

In its most primitive form, the VH5 looks like this:

o/*\o

Take a moment with it. It’s almost like a Magic Eye: People take different amounts of time before they see it. Don’t rush the process. Appreciate the journey.

Now, it should be known that a VH5, like a HIH5 (Human Interaction High Five), requires two people. During class, if someone does something that is VH5-worthy, one person (aka “The Instigator”) will begin the process.

It is then incumbent upon a second person (aka “The Terminator”) to complete the action, never forgetting to include the asterisk (aka “The Action”) that demonstrates the efficacy of the slap.

When done properly, the VH5 should look something like this:

Alex P.: o/
Susan K.: *\o

The execution is not difficult, but timing is paramount. Potential Terminators must be on their virtual toes if they sense that an Instigator is about to present a well-deserved accolade.

This Educaticon helps to validate the accomplishments of the students, foster a sense of community in that online classroom, and, most importantly, keep me from wiping my greasy hands on the lens of our very expensive cameras.

Read on for the list of my favorite Educaticons.

Educaticon	Design	Meaning
The VH5	o/*\o	The Original.
The VH10	o//**\\o	The Evolution.
The Global VH5	o/*\o/*\o/*\o	Share the love.
The Ghost VH5	(‘.’) /*\ (‘.’)	I might be Undead, but that doesn’t mean I’m unready to take this test!
The Jack Bauer Simultaneously Beating Up Two People	0*\o/*0	I just defied the odds and defeated everything in my path. All in a single day.
The Tutor	0/*\o	The Student has learned from the Master.
The Origin	( 0,0 )	It’s where the x- and y-axes cross, but it also looks like a wise owl.
The Prophet	( $ , $ )	If I do well on this test, I’ll get into a better school, and get a better job…
The Isosceles Triangle	/_\	Equal sides, equal opposite angles.
The Right Triangle	|_\	Eat it, Pythagoras.
The 360	O	Creativity: 1. Functionality: 10.
The Rectangle	[]	Don’t call it square.
The Parallelogram	<>	Where’s your runner, kite?
The Harry Potter	\o-o/	(British) Allow me put on my spectacles to understand the details in this passage.
The No Doze	|°_o|	I’ve been studying for 6 straight weeks and I might be going a little craaaaazy….
The Rockstar	\m/	Bring it on, math question.
The Lawn Mower	……..\,-, ,,,,,,,,,,,,	I’m mowing these problems down one at a time.
The Graduate	|8-D	I just rocked the test.

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