Launching PS101 — Educational content organized to make the internet less of a hot mess

I could have done much better in school. The truth is that I never enjoyed things like textbooks, hall passes, school lunches, proms, yearbooks, and the social awkwardness that defined being a student but distracted from the purpose of learning. But, for all my past woes with school, my infatuation with learning that began in my late 20s and continues with me now into my 30s is much more interesting.

Today, I wake up and read before even getting out of bed and sometimes with just one eye open. I listen to podcasts on the way to work and often while working. I watch instructional videos, take online classes, code, sometimes write (this post counts), and leave documentaries on when doing weekend chores. The point is I really enjoy learning — I’m sure many of you here on Medium do as well.

Which begs the question, ‘What’s different about learning in my 30s than learning as a kid in school?’

The answer is obvious.

Today, I’m in love with learning because I’m in love with how I learn.

Today, I’m in love with learning because I’m in love with how I learn. I learn by mixing sources of knowledge and all sorts of content types. I can listen to a professor’s astronomy lecture recording, solve interactive problems on Codecademy, watch a how-to video on YouTube, read a blog post by an expert, or even have a conversation with someone in a forum. The internet is limitless and multi-dimensional in its ability to educate us.

Yet, at the same time, the internet is a hot mess when it comes to educating kids in schools and helping the teachers whose jobs it is to do so. Schools are structured with grades, subjects, topics, courses, exercises, and more. The internet is not. Our education system strives to create standards and a curriculum that guides progress and allows kids in the US to compete globally. The internet does not — but it has the potential to.

Launching PS101 : In Beta Today

PS101 helps teachers and their students discover new ways to learn by organizing disparate content across the web in one place and according to a curriculum. Today, we are in beta and focusing on Math grades K-8 to start.

If you come across, or if you create, educational content that you think will benefit others, pay it forward and submit a link to it on PS101.com.

That’s it! We’ll take it from there and organize each link by grade, subject, topic, and course and then post it within 24hrs for everyone else to discover and enjoy.

Share a link to a video, article, info-graph, audio clip, or anything you think will help and we’ll make sure it’s properly formatted for PS101. For example, here’s a video that shows how to plot linear equations made more discoverable once assigned to the curriculum — in this case 8th Grade > Math > Expressions & Equations > Linear Equations.

Over the years, I’ve come to realize that there are real differences and distinct challenges between school, education, and learning. For PS101, the ultimate goal is to help kids learn and we think the best way to start is by making great content more discoverable and tightly aligned with accepted curriculums. By doing so, students can go deeper into topics they’re learning in school, parents can better understand what’s being taught and what comes next, creators can produce more relevant content, and teachers can make each lesson more engaging and impactful.

I sincerely hope you enjoy using PS101 and that you discover something new each time you visit.

Hey Teacher! (Sign up)

PS101 aims to be as simple as possible, you don’t even need to signup in order to share links to great content. However, if you are a teacher we really do recommend signing up for your own account.

We talked to many teachers while creating PS101 and each one mentioned the endless hours of research spent searching for new material and methods to improve their craft. PS101 can save you time and help you uncover the best content to share with your students.

In the future, we aim to add features to help discover, save, and share great content with students while also creating the best network of likeminded educators.

Spread the word

Like this article to let others know about a new way to find great educational content today!

If you have suggestions, requests, or any feedback at all just email hey@ps101.com.