Social media can be a powerful tool for learning, and even more powerful are the lasting relationships you can build while using this incredible platform. Students from virtually every corner of the globe have discovered the benefits of leveraging social media to help them learn and understand the subject they’re studying. Here are some tips on how to use social media for learning:

Seek and Join Groups That Actively Discuss the Topic You’re Studying

Where a book and a professor are good, a group of people with an understanding of a subject is great. Social media sites such as Facebook, Google+, and others allow us the ability to connect with thought leaders and other people with a wide range of knowledge.

You can find groups, made up of students or enthusiasts on the subject, that actively discuss the topic you’re studying. Becoming active in these communities can allow you to see the subject matter from a new perspective, which can help greatly when it comes time to write on the topic.

Find Others Who Are Covering the Same Material and See if You Can Arrange a Virtual Study Group

Finding a good study group doesn’t mean you have to limit yourself to students in your own class, school, or even state. You can leverage the tools available through these networks to connect with other students, regardless of their location, to study and discuss the lessons. Virtual study groups are especially important for students who take courses online where a physical campus isn’t available to you to help connect with others.

If You’re Stuck on What to Focus On, You Can Crowdsource for Suggestions

Are you having trouble coming up with a topic for your paper? Crowdsourcing gives your online connections a crack at helping you break the writer’s block so commonly associated with lengthy papers and difficult assignments. Maintaining focus on what’s important and solving a difficult problem is easier with help, and social media gives you these tools to find the help you need.

It’s Often Easier to Understand Material if Explained in a Different Way

It would be an understatement to say that some of the material presented in classroom settings can be difficult to grasp, especially for some who learn better in an environment that differs from the classroom. Through communicating with others, you may be able to have the material explained to you in a different way.

New Tools for Learning Exist to Challenge Outmoded Forms of Education

Learning used to be a matter of reading a chapter in a textbook and writing information down using a pencil. This works for some students, but far more effective methods of collaboration and learning have been discovered since then. Why depend on the technology of yesterday to give you an education intended to prepare you for the world of tomorrow?

Powerful tools such as TypeWith.me are available that allow you to collaborate with others to create documentation to suit any number of needs. Wolfram Alpha is an incredible calculation engine available to anyone with a browser, and Google Docs can help you put all this information down (even with the help of others) in a place where you don’t have to worry about losing your data in the event of a sudden power outage or hard drive crash.

Go Directly to the Experts — They Might Have a Twitter Account, Active on Google+, Facebook, Etc.

Sometimes, the best help is only a few clicks away. In many cases, experts in various fields are very open to connecting with students learning the subjects they love. Don’t be afraid to connect with someone if you feel their insight might be of help to you. The most they could do is ignore you or tell you they’re too busy.

Being able to take an active role in discovering the information that you’re studying makes a big difference in how your thesis, term paper, or report is received by your professor.

Coordinate a Hangouts on Google+ for Small, Virtual Classes

Google+ has an excellent collaboration tool available in hangouts. With it, you can meet face-to-face with other people around the world and create a virtual classroom from the comfort of your home or dorm room. These over-the-Web meetings can enhance the learning experience and better equip each member with the understanding they need of the subject matter.

For learning institutions, this can enable teachers to conduct smaller and more personal classes with students. In cases where some students need a little extra explanation, this is an extremely viable solution.

Follow Specific Hashtags on Twitter for Mining Knowledge

Hashtags are fascinating. They allow you to tag your tweets and other social messages in a way that enables other users to find them with a simple search. Searching for specific hashtags can help you find others who are speaking about the same subject and connect with them through the network. Using programs such as TweetDeck, you can choose to follow specific hashtags and keep updated as to any conversation taking place about the topic.

Cruise Through YouTube for New Voices, Perspectives, and Teachers on a Topic

YouTube is a great place to find and share information. Some YouTube users have filled their channels with helpful tutorials and lessons that you can readily find and explore. If you’re stuck on a specific type of problem, seeing someone work through it on YouTube can help you make the connection and better retain the information. By replacing an hour of television viewing with a cruise through YouTube for more educational material, you can discover new voices and perspectives.

Look to Others’ Experiences as Learning Tools, Wherever They May Be Posted

Don’t limit your search for knowledge to the news stream on your Facebook account. Take time to check the blogs and various other online postings by thought leaders. Often, leaders in a specific industry will share bits and pieces of their wisdom freely through articles (like this one) in hopes that someone may gain some level of understanding on the subject(s) to which they’ve become a trusted voice. Subscribe to newsletters and participate in their communities. This is a great way to gain wisdom from the experiences of others, even outside the classroom.

If Nothing Else, Simple Observation is an Amazing Teaching Tool

Sometimes, it pays to just sit back and enjoy all the information floating around you in cyberspace. You don’t have to be an active student in school or university to understand the fundamental advantages the wisdom of the crowd can give you. Every day you spend free time actively seeking out information online is one less day you are spending watching mindless programs that do little to improve your outlook on life. Knowledge is a gift, and one freely available to anyone with an Internet connection and the drive to seek it out.