Different spaces: Staff development for Web 2.0

This paper reports on a collaborative staff development activity run across two Australian universities, for academic staff integrating Web 2.0 technologies into their teaching. It describes a three-week long virtual workshop on teaching with wikis, where participants in two groups developed a group project as students and then assessed the work as teachers. Participants were guided through a central Wikis in Higher Education wiki which provided the resources and communication supports. The experience suggested that teaching in a Web 2.0 space requires new thinking about pedagogy and that peer learning and the development of an online community are helpful for effective professional development. In closing, the paper reflects on the successes and limitations of this virtual workshop model. A different space Many teaching staff are exploring the opportunities of Web 2.0 technologies, including wikis, blogs, social bookmarking and social networking services, for their learning and teaching value (Choy & Ng, 2007; Elgort, Smith & Toland, 2008). If successful learning is to occur in these new learning spaces, teachers need to rethink their approaches and