Category: Programming

LearnMinder is a SmartPhone app that blocks internet access until a homework / coding challenge is solved.

It is intended to be installed on a child’s smartphone. Parent can set up a topic that the child needs to practice. Every time the child wants to play or browse the Internet, she/he has to first solve a challenge custom tailored to current skill level. When the challenge is solved – child can use the Internet again.

The whole challenge is presented in a narrative that “the Internet is broken” and child needs to fix a bug in the software to use it. In the process, it learns, that all services it enjoys using are created by someone, maintained constantly and it is not magical black box.

Day by day, challenge by challenge the child gets more comfortable in thinking how the websites / services / games are designed and that sometimes it’s actually more fun to create these products than to use them.

Future integrations include

• Coding lessons
• Duolingo – foreign language lessons
• Fintess tracker – training workouts

Current state

This application will be integrated with code.org and released under Open Source license.

I decided to re-write it in React Native to iron out some kinks.

How this app came to be – EUhackathon

In 2015 I had a pleasure to participate in EUhackathon. It was a splendid 2-day hackathon held in Brussels with a theme

Tools to help teach kids digital skills

During this event I created “Interfixer“, which I’m now rebranding as “LearnMinder”

During presentations, along with a fully functioning demo, I presented:

And I won!

This was a huge surprise for me, but the Jury decided that my application was best, and as a single participants, I won the 2015 edition of EU Hackathon 🙂 (You can read more here)

I met some AMAZING people (this was such a whirlwind!)