While having the Dashboard as a whole “space” in Lion is useful for those that use Dashboard a lot, you can also return to using these widgets over overlays to your desktop like they were previously. Go to Mission Control in System Preferences and turn off “Show Dashboard as a Space.” Now you can still use your shortcut key or the Dashboard Dock icon to access those widgets, but they will just appear on top of your existing screen items.
Mac Video Tutorials and Tips for Apple Users
