About the Project

Inspiration

Learning a new language often starts off simple, but as more tenses are introduced, it becomes difficult to keep track of the variations. We wanted to create a fun, visually appealing, and interactive platform to make learning more engaging while improving memory retention.

What It Does

b.shell is an interactive trivia-style platform designed to help learners master French verb conjugation. Inspired by platforms such as Kahoot, users are presented with questions and must select the correct answer.

To enhance accessibility, the platform reads questions aloud and supports voice commands, allowing learners to practice pronunciation. A scoring system keeps track of progress, making it ideal for both individual learners and classroom settings, where friendly competition can boost motivation.

How We Built It

Frontend: HTML, CSS, and JavaScript
Speech Recognition: Google Chrome’s Web Speech API
Backend: Implemented a database to store questions and user progress

Challenges We Faced

Finding a free API that met our needs
Using a database for the first time and integrating it with our platform

Accomplishments We're Proud Of

Some of our team members worked on frontend development for the first time
Learned how to use APIs and integrate them into a functional web app
Successfully brought a project to life during a hackathon

What We Learned

Frontend development skills
How to use the Google Chrome Web Speech API
Setting up and managing a database

What's Next for b.shell

Expanding the question bank with varying difficulty levels to better suit learners at different stages
Implementing a score-sharing feature to encourage competition and engagement among users

Credits to Chris for the name inspiration!