Educators across the United States are turning to Bitmoji avatars as a way to add familiarity and engagement to remote classrooms that have become the norm since spring.
How teachers are building virtual spaces with avatars
Most teachers start by downloading the Bitmoji app on a phone or tablet, customizing a miniature likeness that mirrors their own appearance. After creating the character, they add it to a Google Chrome extension that lets them copy the avatar into slides, documents or learning‑management platforms such as Google Classroom, Seesaw or Schoology.
In practice, the avatars become the “face” of a virtual classroom. Kindergarten teacher Sara Hannah recreated her real classroom in a Google Slides hub, inserting clickable icons that lead to assignments, games and short videos. The virtual room even includes animated cats that students can click on for a surprise.
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Occupational therapist assistant Brittney Harvey used a similar approach for an OT room that links to Zoom sessions, pre‑writing lessons and GoNoodle exercises designed to develop gross‑motor skills.
Beyond core subjects, some educators have fashioned Bitmoji “recess” areas for pre‑K through third grade, art classrooms for first graders and maker‑space portals for grades K‑6. The flexibility of the platform lets teachers match the look of a real room, add fantasy elements, or simply sprinkle in fun details that capture student attention.
Using avatars to set expectations and share resources
Teachers report that the friendly presence of a Bitmoji helps students remember classroom rules. COVID‑19 safety reminders have also found a home in avatar‑based posters. Brandi Dudley of California posted hand‑washing and social‑distancing cues using her Bitmoji, while other teachers embed similar health tips into their digital classrooms.
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Bitmoji “libraries” are another popular format. Cammie Duval of Oregon built a growth‑mindset library for K‑2 students and has expanded to 29 themed collections, such as “Mad Scientist,” which have been downloaded more than 90,000 times.
In the wake of social‑justice discussions, teachers like Tracey Burton of Michigan have assembled diversity‑focused libraries that link to ad‑free YouTube read‑alouds about different cultures. Burton says the effort helps students see the world as “smaller and more connected.”
Relationship‑building activities also benefit from the visual cue of a familiar avatar. Fourth‑grade teacher Angie Baton Ritenour created an “iSpy” Bitmoji room, filling it with photos and classroom objects for a virtual guessing game that kept students interacting during video calls. In Utah, Galiba Džaja added her Bitmoji to a daily Google Form check‑in that uses the Zones of Regulation framework to help students label their emotions.
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While some critics argue that crafting avatar‑based resources distract from core instruction and raise equity concerns—students without reliable internet or devices may miss out—the data suggest many teachers find the tools complementary. A survey of over 50 K‑12 educators shows that most use Bitmoji alongside traditional lesson planning rather than as a replacement.
Comparing this movement to earlier educational tech fads, such as the brief surge of interactive whiteboards, the current adoption appears more sustained. Those earlier tools often faded once schools returned to in‑person learning, whereas avatars continue to serve both remote and hybrid environments, offering a visual anchor that can be reused across multiple subjects.
As the education community works to balance novelty and necessity, Bitmoji remains a widely used, if occasionally debated, component of modern classroom design.
