A 1-man project created during HackGT 8 - 2021
Video Presentation: https://youtu.be/wmo58AI7Kg0
Disclaimer
This project does not necessarily reflect my thoughts and opinions surrounding NFTs. This was just a project where I was trying to learn a little bit about web development and one of the themes brought up by NCR (event sponsor) was NFTs and cryptocurrency.
Inspiration
NFTs are exploding in popularity at the moment. However, it's mostly NFTs created by artists who create music and visual arts. I haven't seen NFTs and Cryptocurrencies being implemented into school environments yet, so why not start a new, unique platform to allow for students to create their own content and sell it as NFTs to the internet? This allows students to get exposed to the new part of the internet that is blockchain, crypto, and NFTs.
What it does
eduNFT is a website/online marketplace platform. Users who are students can use their .edu emails to sign up. They can upload, create, and list their own NFTs for other people on the internet to buy using cryptocurrency. These can include all kinds of content including software, art, school work, and more (discussions regarding ethics and regulations surrounding school policies may come up in the future). Overall, eduNFT allows for students to show off and auction/sell their creative work online and be introduced to what NFTs are and what cryptocurrency is.
How we built it
We first brainstormed what the site might look like using Figma. Then, we built the site using Webflow. We then embedded tools with the help of Coinbase to handle payments and linked elements together in code in the HTML files in order to make navigation and site functionality possible.
Challenges we ran into
While the site in its current state might be a good demo/proof-of-concept showcase of the idea, there is functionality that hasn't been implemented yet due to lack of knowledge as a first year and time constraints. We haven't learned anything yet about database-related work, API usage, or any back-end development which are concepts that would have been very useful in this project. Thus, limited technical knowledge was a challenge in this project.
Accomplishments that we're proud of
We are proud that website still works well enough in order to show an idea of what the final website might look like, and the user can still navigate the site well even though there is limited functionality.
What we learned
We gained experience on basic web development, brainstorming, UI design, using Git and GitHub. A huge accomplishment here would be that we attended our very first Hackathon!
What's next for eduNFTs - Online, open-market platform for Student's NFTs
If the site gains enough support, we will continue developing the site as we learn more about backend development, the blockchain, and more. I truly believe that this would be a good idea for students as their creative work may be rewarded with cryptocurrency in the future.