Josh, Jesse, and Chris are three friends who all have a strong passion for education. Chris, a current teacher, and Josh, a former teacher, know firsthand the challenge of helping students remember material and learn well. In fact, when Josh taught middle school math, he didn’t realize that research-backed techniques already exist to improve content retention. After he left teaching, he wondered about the other teachers who still don’t know about these resources. In response, he got together with Chris to create a support tool so that all teachers can access these techniques for their classrooms. With Josh’s new background in software engineering and the rise of technology use in schools, they created their brainchild app – Podsie.
Podsie guides teachers in figuring out optimal review schedules that help kids actively retrieve learned information. The goal is efficient review so that students expand their knowledge quickly without forgetting it all just as quickly. In fact, the review schedules are tailored to every kid’s needs.
Each student has a “personal deck,” or a library of knowledge that they currently have. Teachers create assignments and questions, and once the student finishes an assignment, an automated schedule is created for optimal review times. The process repeats itself, generating data that enables teachers to track each kid’s progress.
Jesse joined the duo a year after the app was made, lending his own software engineering expertise to help rebuild the app. Podsie had a limited beta run last year with 5 teachers and 350 students, including Chris’ classroom. He found that knowledge retention increased with app use, observing that his students scored 88% on a district-level assessment compared to the average 65%. Now, the number of teachers and students using Podsie has grown, and the team is aiming for an official June 2021 app launch date. They’re currently working on receiving more feedback, making any improvements, and coaching teachers in navigating the app’s features. Their goal is to file as a 501(c)(3) nonprofit in the spring of 2021 so that any school, especially in under-resourced communities, can use Podsie.
Podsie’s name comes from a play on “seed pod” to represent the team’s desire to nurture kids’ learning and their growth in schools. This app was created by people who understand the struggles of teachers everywhere, and it empowers both teachers and students by serving as a resource for better, more effective learning. Best of luck to Josh, Chris, and Jesse as they send Podsie off into the world.
How you can support Podsie:
-Donate here to help Podsie grow: https://www.podsie.org/donate/
-Let your teacher friends know about this incredible resource! Sign up here for the launch date details: https://www.podsie.org/#sign-up
-Follow them on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/podsieorg/
-Reach out to your school boards so that Podsie can introduce themselves!
