Inspiration
Educators often rely on centralized data networks for remote teaching and distributing files to students. However, schools in underprivileged communities often do not have the necessary resources to maintain a central server to distribute files, and they are often both costly and inefficient. We wanted to change these traditional, centralized server system and experiment with a decentralized file storage to create a more effective, IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) information network. With decentralized networks, our system addresses a lack of global internet access for students in underprivileged communities by allowing file distribution to live on a local network of devices.
What it does
The program allows students and teachers to file share on a Peer-to-Peer (P2P) and implement a IPFS (InterPlanetary File System) network. P2P networks make more efficient use of bandwidth than a centralized database, because files are shared directly between users instead of going through a central server. In addition to facilitating file-sharing in areas with low internet resources, our we utilized the Twilio Sendgrid API to notify students each time that a file is uploaded by the teacher, and provides a Content Identifier to access the file on IPFS.
How we built it
We used Next.js to build the frontend and Express.js to build the backend for our API calls. Additionally, we used MongoDB to store data for students, teachers, and classes. Finally, we used IPFS to store and distribute files.
Challenges we ran into
There was lots of technical difficulty with navigating Twilio and working out the automated emailling system to implement the reminder function. We initially couldn't run the APIs that we programmed on the domain/server we created. However, we were able to get through this by consulting mentors and programming and implemented an additional express file.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We were able to create a backend and frontend that are both able to work together and implement a file-sharing service using IPFS. We also made a autonomous system that can email students automatically.
What we learned
We learned how IPFS data structures worked. How to make our own server, DNS, and run our code on the domain.
What's next for EdBlock
Develop a Land Area Network (LAN network) for rural school districts so that students and teachers can share files with each other without access to the global internet and traditional servers. (see slideshow: https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1AWFR0UEZ3NBi8W04uCgkNGMovDwHm_xRZ-3Zk3TC8-E/edit#slide=id.g14b54d13dba_2_4)
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