Inspiration
As developers of Bit Project, a student organization making computer science accessible, we hold a lot of workshops. In fact, we hosted one at HackDavis on Introduction to APIs. However, we found that a lot of students were too shy to ask questions and had a hard time following along with the material. Workshops are the most effective way for students and aspiring developers to be exposed to developer tools and modern frameworks. However, most workshops are run in much the same way. A powerpoint with an overly caffeinated developer advocate doing their best to keep everyone engaged.
This is why we created FollowAlong.io. It allows students to interact with the presenter and ask questions to create a more engaging learning experience.
What it does
We empower students to teach other students in a collaborative and interactive learning environment. We do this through a live presentation platform where presenters can share their screen, their webcam, and answer live questions while performing a workshop.
How I built it
We built the backend in Python Flask with WebRTC technology. We build the frontend in React.js
Challenges we ran into
- We ran into implementing WebRTC because of compatibility issues.
- We learned that the internet has set strict rules on encryption standards for streaming audio and video across multiple platforms.
- We had multiple issues related to the docker deployment of our container.
- We had a react error that wouldn't let us communicate with the Postgres Database
- The microphone would echo, which would lead to painful miscommunications and blown out eardrums
- User information couldn't be transmitted with Twilio API
- Deploying repository to Google Cloud was difficult to figure out. It was a multi-hour ordeal.
- We had a challenge of staying up because we were so tired.
Accomplishments that I'm proud of
I am proud of building a working product that can be used to accomplish its intended purpose. With our current deployment, users are able to login and interact with other students while learning new things.
What I learned
I learned how to better communicate with my teammates, build a good strategy to debug, while having a lot of fun! Our team got boba together at 9pm and 60 Chicken Nuggets at 1:30am.
What's next for FollowAlong.io
We didn't get to finish the full frontend due to time constraints. We are looking forward to adding more features, such as authentication and user profile creation.
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