The Power of Twitter: My geographic location did not stop me from meeting these Tweeters!

As some of you may know, I live in Iqaluit, Nunavut, Canada. If you do not know where that is, you can get a geographic idea here. As you can see, I am geographically isolated. I live in a fly in community and have lived in Nunavut for the past 12 years. However, despite my isolation, I was able to connect with great educators when I discovered Twitter.

I have used Twitter since the fall of 2008. Actually I joined in the fall of '08 but did not really start tweeting until early in 2009. That is a common experience with Twitter users. People join and then go away for a few months, try it again and then, Bam!, a light goes on in their heads and they "get it." They say,  "Ahh, this is how I can use this."

I had my "get it" moment around February of '09. I discovered that despite the fact that I live in Northern Canada, I could connect with educators all over the world. Indeed, no matter where you live Twitter gives you the opportunity to connect with people that you never would have met otherwise.

Through the power of Twitter I have been able to meet some intelligent, kind, and caring educators. I would like to introduce you to a few people that I met over the past 2 years on Twitter that are definitely worth the follow.

In no particular order:

Tom Whitby: @tomwhitby Tom is an Adjunct Professor of Education at St Joseph’s College in New York. He is also the creator of the Educator's PLN site. http://edupln.ning.com/ Tom's tweets are thought provoking and he taught me that it is not how much you tweet, but the value of your tweet.

Shelly S.Terrell @ShellTerrell Currently, Shelly is teaching English to children, teens, and adult students in Germany and works as an online technology and English instructor. She also writes the  influential blog Teacher Reboot Camp. Shelly's tweets are always informative and she is generous with her response to you even though she has 9,300 followers.  Moreover, she is a very positive person.

 Larry Ferlazzo @Larryferlazzo Larry teaches Beginner, Intermediate, and Advanced English Language Learners (as well as native English speakers) at Luther Burbank High School in Sacramento, California. Larry is the most prolific tweeter in my PLN. His tweets are loaded with resources. I retweet Larry often and have learned a lot from him.

Joe Bower @joe_bower Joe is a teacher in Red Deer, Alberta, Canada who wishes to challenge 'traditional' schooling while exploring more progressive forms of education. Joe is a "no holds barred" blogger and tweeter. He tells you exactly what and why he thinks the way he does. I share a lot of the same philosophies (homework) as Joe. He also reads and writes about authors such as  Alfie Kohn, Daniel Pink, and Seth Godin.

George Couros @gcouros    George is a K-12 Principal in Stony Plain, Alberta, Canada, who wants to help and inspire others to find their passion. His blog, The Principle of Change, is a favorite of mine because he writes a lot about caring and  helping children in his school. His tweets are always thought provoking. 

Chris Wejr @mrwejr  Chris works as a school principal at Kent Elementary School in Agassiz, B.C., Canada. One of his passions is discussing the future of education. Chris tweets about educational philosophy and shares many resources. He is currently implementing something called FedEx days with three of his teachers. I am fascinated with this idea and look forward to hearing about its success . We share many philosophies on homework and awards ceremonies, amongst other things. 


So, there you have it. Please check out the above educators and don't let your geographic location limit your connections.