The secular and modern societies gave foundations for a new system of education and a new kind of autodidacts. While the number of schools and students rose from one century to the other, so did the number of autodidacts. The industrial revolution produced new educational tools used in schools, universities and outside academic circles to create a post-modern era that gave birth to the World Wide Web and encyclopaedic data banks such as Wikipedia. As this concept becomes more widespread and popular, web locations such as Udacity and Khan Academy are developed as learning centers for many people to actively and freely learn together. The Alliance for Self-Directed Education (ASDE) is also formed to publicize and provide guidance or support for self-directed education.