BeeBoard

Digital and calaborative classroom bulletin board.

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Inspiration

BeeBoard was inspired by my Mom, a kindergarten teacher. Covid-19 is raising a lot of questions about what school will look like come September, but one thing that changed regardless is a digital presence in the classroom. A lot of the solutions for kids in schools seem to be part-time learning or smaller classes and I wanted to create a product that would allow students to still collaborate even if they are still at home in a fun way.

When I went to help my mom pack up her classroom, we had to go out into the hallways and take down all the bulletin boards. I immediately remember how fun it was walking through the halls and seeing your work on display for everyone to see, and was sad that may not be possible this year. We always had fun themes and drawings depending on the season or holiday, and there was a sense of pride when spotting your creations. I thought it would be great to create a website that allows students to still show off their artwork, like on a bulletin board, but in a digital way.

The reason I decided to create a website, rather than an app, is because of a policy in our county that gives all students K-12 access to a laptop. We can, therefore, assume all students will have the necessary hardware to work with a website, but may not have access to a smartphone. Perhaps in the future an app can be integrated, but website seemed a better foundation for now.

What it does

*As A Student * BeeBoard will allow students to print off coloring sheets picked by their teacher, to fit the theme of their board, color them in and then upload them to a class bulletin board, or BeeBoard. For example for a winter-themed board, a teacher may choose snowmen and snowflakes to be colored in. Students print off and color in the predetermined sheets and return to the site to add to upload. BeeBoard uses a laptop camera to scan the picture and upload it to the class bulletin board. Students add their name, and a short video description of their project for all to see, and the project is added to the board along with classmates

As A Teacher BeeBoard allows teachers to create new themed boards, and have accompanying coloring sheets to print off to complete the theme. Send a link to students to allow them to join the board, and add their own creations. Upload a class list in order to see easily who has completed the assignment and who still needs to turn in. The board is also sharable (read-only) so that once completed, It can be shared with family and friends to enjoy.

How I built it

The site is currently built using Node.js, React, Redux, and Express with a Postgres Database.

Challenges I ran into

In a short time, finding a way to scan the picture was difficult. For now, the ability to upload a picture exists, but with a file upload. For smaller children, I want to make it an easy and seamless process. I intend to keep working on BeeBoard after the hackathon

Accomplishments that I'm proud of

I'm proud that I was able to create a tool to help students in such a strange time, especially younger ones who are missing out on key moments in the classroom. They may not be able to see their work in the halls, but they can still digitally show it off to their grandparents and fellow classmates.

What's next for BeeBoard

For Students

  • ability to scan pictures
  • ability to choose a picture to color and print it off
  • ability to make a video to attach to upload

For Teachers -ability to create different themed boards -ability to choose different pictures to print off -ability to upload student list to compare who has turned in assignments

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