Shelley Paul’s journey with wikis began two years ago, after reading a book about implementing different Web 2.0 tools in the classroom. She researched various open-source wiki platforms, but decided they presented too much of a learning curve for most of her teachers. Knowing that she had many more wikis in her future, she began looking for a suitable alternative. Shelley stumbled upon Wikispaces’ offer to give away free wikis to educators. That, along with the ease of the service, set her wiki path.

As Shelley became more involved in the Web 2.0 world, she came across Helene Blowers’ Learning 2.0 – 23 Things program for public librarians – a list of 23 things librarians can do on the web to familiarize themselves with the Internet and Web 2.0 – and decided to adopt the model for K-12 teachers. Shelley set up her wiki as both a resource and a course for interested educators. After two successful sessions, serving over 150 people, the wiki continues to engage teachers in collaborative online learning.

Shelley has also helped her colleagues at Woodward Academy become involved in the Web 2.0 world. Many have adopted wikis as a teaching method and she continues to encourage them to do so. “Ease of use, an unbelievable amount of file storage, phenomenal customer service, investment in educators, continuous improvement, and easy embedding,” are just some of the reasons Shelley raves about Wikispaces.

Be sure to check out Shelley’s K-12 Learning 2.0 wiki. It is a great destination for both teachers new to the Web 2.0 world as well as those who wish to expand their knowledge about the different tools available to them.