Across the country, convoys of yellow buses are flooding the streets and the sounds of drunken revelry are keeping university neighborhoods up late.
School is back in session and here at the Daily Dot we’re not interested in the neighborhood PTA or the student to professor ratio at the local state college. Rather, we want to know: How can you find an education using the social power of Web communities?
We’re specifically thinking of link-sharing site Reddit — a place that’s as much about social learning as it is social news gathering. In fact, the site is so overrun with great educational sections you can patch together to give yourself a pretty decent education. It’s even got its own university.
So here are some of the best educational sections — or subreddits — on the site. Happy learning.
Ask Science
For instance, r/askscience, asks questions like: Do butterflies and caterpillars share the same brain? If a softball sized black hole were created on the surface of the Earth, what would be the process of events? What’s the difference between sugars in fruits vs. those in candy/soda/processed foods?
These are just a few of the thousands of questions that make up r/askscience, arguably the best representative of Reddit’s educational hivemind. With 55,000 subscribers and about 900 scientists, the section is bursting with knowledge and curious minds.
The scientific responses aren’t just informed and erudite, they’re often quite thorough. When one person recently asked what was meant by the phrase “A gravitational pull so strong that not even light can escape,” for instance, it launched a long-winded debate on the properties of black holes.
If you’re intimidated by big scientific minds, don’t be afraid to jump in. The section’s moderators emphasize that “there are no stupid questions with good intent” — just make sure you read the guidelines before posting.
The section r/askcience has also spawned a good dozen or so similar sections, such as r/AskHistorians, r/AskSocialScience, and so on. Check out that full list in the sidebar.
University of Reddit
At the r/UniversityofReddit, Reddit’s educational potential goes beyond specific answers targeting specific questions. University of Reddit, is a user-created website that aims to “become a community for anyone looking to teach or learn.” The subreddit and its affiliated website offer actual classes with real teachers and — gasp! — homework.
Granted you won’t necessarily know who’s teaching the classes or what the teacher’s qualifications are. This isn’t anything close to an accredited institution, and you won’t be getting any kind of degree. It’s purely learning for learning’s sake — the lessons are free, after all. And they actually cover a broad range of subjects.
Current classes include introduction to Web design, introduction to American literature, and human anatomy and physiology. Want to get started? All you need is a Reddit login.
I Want to Learn
While University of Reddit mostly offers courses that touch on broad and often academic subjects, r/IWantToLearn keeps things focused on specific tasks. This subreddits targets people “looking for help starting a major project or learning a new skill.” These vary from “I want to learn how to give a compliment” to “I want to learn all about mixed drinks and to eloquently discuss/order them.”
Language Learning
The section r/LanguageLearning is a great hub for general language learning strategies and a whole lot of language-learning resources (If you’re looking for a specific language, try here). Some recent posts have included how to learn two languages at the same time and tips on maintaining focus on over a long period of time. Users of r/LanguageLearning also recently created a French-speaking circle on Google+.
Homework Help
If you’re in a last-minute crunch and need someone to do you’re homework ASAP — well, don’t go to r/HomeworkHelp. That’s not ethical. And, besides, as the subreddit creators declare in the sidebar: “We may not do it for you, but we can give you hints.” So this isn’t you’re secret weapon for cheating on your homework. It is, however, a great resource if you’re stuck in a rut and need some gentle prodding in the right direction — users tend to respond quickly and thoroughly.
Photo by woodleywonderworks
