This site is provided by the pattern language network project, as a practical guide to using participatory media (aka web2.0) in higher education and beyond. It started as our internal help page, listing the tools we use and how to use them. Pretty soon we realized that most of the issues we're tackling are common to many groups, and so we decided to share our experience and observations. If you haven't been here for a while, please see the terms and conditions page.

The focus here is on effective use. We don't care to define the tools or evaluate their social and cultural impacts. We want to get our business done, and we are trying to figure out how to best use the tools we have to that end. Consequently, the site is divided into three densely interlinking sections:

What?

Brief descriptions of available tools, with a highly functional perspective. If you want to know where the first wiki was created, go to wikipedia. But if you want to understand if a wiki is the right tool for you, maybe we can help.

When?

A listing of tools by actions or usage scenarios; A cheat sheet for choosing tools. "I want to do X, which tool should I use?"

How?

Tips on effective use of specific tools: How to structure an email subject line? How to use a blog as a group portal?

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