Twitter Connections and Non-Teachers

Last week my Twitter feed exploded because of a fantastic question by Rachel Seigel.

1. Rachel Seigel ‏@rachelnseigel  Sep 25

   @liamodonnell @MzMollyTL Since u 2 r such tech wizards, do u know if either of your schools have makerspaces yet? Do other TDSB schools?

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2. Liam O'Donnell ‏@liamodonnell  Sep 25

   @rachelnseigel I'm sure there are some. I can ask our TL who knows these things. But @MzMollyTL is the best TL around, so I'll defer . . .

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3. Diana Maliszewski ‏@MzMollyTL  Sep 25

   @liamodonnell @rachelnseigel Is HackerSpace the same as MakerSpace? If so, we had it chez @AgnesMacphailPS thanks to @MrNgoTDSB

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4. Joel Krentz ‏@joelkrentz  Sep 25

   @LisaJDempster @ Riverdale C.I. has a good makerspace. @mzmollytl @liamodonnell @rachelnseigel @mrngotdsb

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5. LisaD ‏@LisaJDempster  Sep 25

   @joelkrentz @MzMollyTL @liamodonnell @rachelnseigel @MrNgoTDSB check out what @TeacherHann is doing!

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6. David Hann ‏@TeacherHann  Sep 26

   @LisaJDempster @joelkrentz @MzMollyTL @liamodonnell @rachelnseigel @MrNgoTDSB just to let u know - I will be showing work @MakerFaireTO!! :)

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7. Diana Maliszewski ‏@MzMollyTL  Sep 26

   @TeacherHann @LisaJDempster @joelkrentz @liamodonnell @rachelnseigel @MrNgoTDSB @MakerFaireTO Remind us re: date, time (link?)

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8. David Hann ‏@TeacherHann  Sep 26

   @MzMollyTL @LisaJDempster @joelkrentz @liamodonnell @rachelnseigel @MrNgoTDSB Nov 22-23 [click @MakerFaireTO for details]

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9. Joel Krentz ‏@joelkrentz  Sep 26

   @teacherhann @mzmollytl @lisajdempster @liamodonnell @rachelnseigel @mrngotdsb @makerfaireto Just booked my tickets online!

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10. Diana Maliszewski ‏@MzMollyTL  Sep 27

    @joelkrentz @TeacherHann @LisaJDempster @liamodonnell @rachelnseigel @MrNgoTDSB @MakerFaireTO I just booked my ticket too! Bringing kids J?

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11. Joel Krentz ‏@joelkrentz  Sep 27

    @MzMollyTL Yes, both will be with me. @TeacherHann @LisaJDempster @liamodonnell @rachelnseigel @MrNgoTDSB @MakerFaireTO

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I'm not even sure I captured all of the great discussion! I was grateful and thankful that Joel picked up on the thread to include Lisa, who mentioned David, who suggested the upcoming Maker Faire event.  I've heard Twitter criticized as an education tool because of the character limit - it's impossible to have a proper conversation or one in depth in 140 characters. However, this question connected a wide variety of people that might not have known each other before. I know that I added Stephen Gilbert to my list of followers after Joel Krentz included him in the thread.

1. Joel Krentz ‏@joelkrentz  Sep 25

   @GILBERTSJ is also doing excellent STEM work at @DukeofConnaught 's makerspace. @mzmollytl @liamodonnell @rachelnseigel @mrngotdsb

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2. Stephen Gilbert ‏@GILBERTSJ  Sep 26

   @joelkrentz @DukeofConnaught @MzMollyTL @liamodonnell @rachelnseigel @MrNgoTDSB plan is to create maker centres in the room. Wood/drafting..

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3. Rachel Seigel ‏@rachelnseigel  Sep 26

   @GILBERTSJ @joelkrentz @DukeofConnaught @MzMollyTL @liamodonnell @MrNgoTDSB Do the maker spaces lend themselves to all skill levels?

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4. Mr. Ngo ‏@MrNgoTDSB  Sep 26

   @rachelnseigel @GILBERTSJ @joelkrentz @DukeofConnaught @MzMollyTL @liamodonnell absolutely. Everyone works on different projects.

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5. Rachel Seigel ‏@rachelnseigel  Sep 26

   @MrNgoTDSB @GILBERTSJ @joelkrentz @DukeofConnaught @MzMollyTL @liamodonnell a menace to their shop/lab. How do kids like I was fare?

Here's another significant point. Rachel Seigel isn't a teacher. Rachel is a Sales and Selection Strategist at Edu-Reference and she's also a person with a well-nurtured sense of curiosity and wonder. She came and visited my summer school class to explore how Minecraft is used in the classroom. It's important for educators to follow people other than fellow educators. Escape the echo chamber and learn from diverse perspectives. If it wasn't for Rachel's honest question, I wouldn't be attending MakerFaire Toronto next month. Thanks Rachel for teaching me through Twitter and jump starting these kind of conversations and connections.