DrupalCampWIJuly 23rd and 24th, 2010, Madison, WI

Based on lessons we've learned over the last thirteen years at Palantir, this session will explore the different ways that adopting open source technologies and becoming part of the Drupal community can help your business succeed. We'll talk how embracing open source projects like Drupal can free your business from the constraints of working with custom and proprietary software, and how the GPL works to benefit both you and your clients. Finally, we'll take a look at the process that we use to build sites in Drupal, and how we work with clients and partners to deliver solutions in a way that’s both personally and professionally fulfilling.

Drupal is an extraordinarily powerful tool for bringing people together to share knowledge, be creative, and discuss their creations.

In this session, learn about three approaches to creating learning and collaboration environments in Drupal:

• Bill Fitzgerald will talk about site planning, and various steps that can be taken to ensure that the solutions within your web presence align with the goals of your organization and the needs of end users. Then, the discussion will shift into tools that can be used to streamline the process of developing and maintaining your site.
• Bryan Ollendyke will talk about ELMS (e-Learning Management System) that's in place at Arts and Architecture at Penn State. ELMS is a recipe of modules, that will be out as a distribution before the end of the year, that give instructors the tools they need to develop courses in Drupal without needing to know how to use Drupal. It's driven primarily by Menu Blocks and Outline Designer modules but also has an information architecture component where the real power and flexibility lie.
• Doug Worsham will share the recipe for the Collaborative Sites platform - a base configuration of Drupal used to rapidly develop custom learning environments focused on student interaction and knowledge building. It integrates elements of blogging, wikis, flickr, and youtube into a (hopefully) cohesive learning environment

Then we'll open up the conversation for others to talk about how they create environments that build community, foster rich interactions, and help people get stuff done.

All examples are very welcome - from education to activism, politics, community groups, business, and non-profit organizations.

If you're interested in building drupal-based communities or learning environements, come find new ideas, modules, and opportunities for collaboration.

Slides (PDF)