The ShiraX Challenges: Challenge H - "The Foundation"

Background

Global Learning XPRIZE is a competition challenging teams to develop open-source software that will enable children with limited access to schooling to teach themselves basic reading, writing and arithmetic. XPRIZE, a non-profit organization, is the world’s leader in designing and managing incentive prize competitions for the benefit of humanity.

Midnight Illusions Ltd. is a +20 year strong digital media solutions company specializing in award-winning start-to-finish mobile application development services for all major mobile platforms.

The Global Learning XPRIZE is a crowdsourced problem designed for the world to solve. Midnight Illusions has taken on the challenge of addressing this problem by crowdsourcing the solution.

We have conceptually developed our solution, known as The ShiraX System™, from the ground up specifically for the Global Learning XPRIZE competition.  The System will not only achieve the competition goals but has massive potential to greatly exceed them.  And we look forward to adding YOU to our team by working together to fully realize this System!

What is The ShiraX System™ ?

The Cocktail Party One-Liner

The ShiraX System™ is a web-based magic toolbox that will allow anyone to easily create and share their educational app with the world.

The Geek Meetup Two-Liner

The Super Helpful Intelligent Resource Architect (Shira) X System™ (or simply, “ShiraX”) is an open source layperson-friendly modular platform that facilitates the creation of educational apps for Android, iOS, Web, PC, and Mac deployment.

ShiraX blends a highly-intuitive User Interface (UI) with strong User Experience (UX) design principles and strong MVC architecture at its core.

Challenge H - "The Foundation"

Click the "Guidelines" tab for more information about this specific Challenge.

Prize Payout Structure

PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS AN INDIRECTLY FUNDED CHALLENGE
Awarding of any prizes in any of The ShiraX Challenges is contingent on the Midnight Illusions Ltd. team being chosen as either a Finalist or Winner in the Global Learning XPRIZE.

The following breaks down the potential prize amount ranges:

Submissions and Team Invites

We will evaluate all submissions, comparing against this Challenge's technical requirements and all other judging factors.  See the Guidelines tab for this Challenge for more information.

Innovator submissions will be short-listed and organized by the top performing submission, onward.  The Top Innovator will be contacted first.  A list of Finalists will also be assembled, in the event that the Top Innovator is unable to continue.

An invitation will be sent to the Top Innovator submission for this Challenge to officially join Team "Midnight Illusions" in the Global Learning XPRIZE Challenge.  The Innovator must meet all Global Learning XPRIZE requirements and sign both an agreement with Midnight Illusions Ltd. and a Team Member agreement with Global Learning XPRIZE.  All documentation and forms will be supplied.  

Should the top Innovator decline the invite, the invitation will then be sent to the Finalist(s) in the order of their evaluation in this Challenge.

Open Source.  Variable IP.

Should our team earn the status of Finalist or Winner, our collective software solution will be open sourced to the world.  As per Global Learning XPRIZE regulations, IP is retained by the team (Midnight Illusions).

Shoud our team not earn Finalist or Winner status, our collective software solution will still be open sourced to the world.  You, the Innovator, will retain the IP related to your code.

Post-HeroX Challenge &
Global Learning XPRIZE Timeline

The ShiraX Challenges on HeroX represent one key component of our solution submission to Global Learning XPRIZE.  After the winners are announced for each HeroX Challenge, with your assistance as an official Team Member we will continue to enhance the System, while our team educators load in English and Swahili content, to meet the requirements of Global Learning XPRIZE.  This process will occur from mid-Sept to end of October 2016.  We officially submit to XPRIZE before November 1, 2016.

After submission, we wait to hear back from Global Learning XPRIZE to learn if we have made it the semi-finalist level (currently March 1, 2017).  In the interim, solution development will continue, as we are able to submit updated software at each evaluation milestone.

Should (no....WHEN!) we make it to the Finalist announcement (currently July 10, 2017), we will arrange prize payout with each ShriaX Challenges HeroX sub-challenge Winner, as per the "Finalist" Prize Payout Structure outlined above.  Solution development will further continue, with our assistance as an official Teal Member from July 2017 to September 2018.  We will have several opportunities to submitted updated code while our solution is being tested in the field (with appox. 800 children in several villages in Tanzania), further enhancing our opportunity to fully win Global Learning XPRIZE.

Should (no...WHEN!) we make it to the Global Learning XPRIZE Grand Prize announcement that team Midnight Illusions has W-O-N (currently April 2019), we will arrange prize payout with each ShiraX Challenges HeroX sub-challenge Winner, as per the "Winner" Prize Payout structure outlined above.

And of course, we'll have to arrange some sort of massive party to celebrate!  ;)

Additional Rules

Who can participate:
The Challenge is open to individuals and teams. To be eligible to compete, you must comply with all the terms of the Challenge as defined in the Challenge-Specific Agreement.

Selection of Winner:
Based on the winning criteria, one or more prizes will be allocated, pending the performance of the Midnight Illusions team in the Global Learning XPRIZE.  See "Prize Payout Structure", above.  In the case of a tie, the winner will be selected at the discretion of the Judging Panel.

Submissions:
All Team submission materials must be submitted online on or before August 12, 2016 at 11:59pm EST. No submissions will be accepted after this time. Incomplete submissions will not be accepted. All submissions must be received online, via the Challenge website, and all uploads can be in PDF format only. Submission reporting requirements are detailed in Judging.

Challenge Guidelines are subject to change. Registered competitors will receive notification when changes are made, however, we highly encourage you to visit the Challenge Site often to review updates.

The ShiraX Challenges are an ambitious plan for compassionate coders to
create a self-teaching educational system that will significantly improve
the status quo of impoverished girls around the world,
by providing hope, freedom, and possibility.

Join  •  Code  •  Innovate  •  Win!

Technical Code Requirements

Technical code requirements for all ShiraX System components are listed below.

• Code runs on PHP 5.6 or higher
• Renders to a web browser as HTML5 and CSS3.  Responsive (mobile) layout.
• JavaScript allowed
• MySQL Database

Also please note the following:

• Flash is not permitted
• Java is permitted, however:
  • Preferential treatment will be given to solutions that do not include Java programming.

Code Development Outlines

Please review the information below to learn more about the requirements for each coding component of this Challenge, which has 5 components:

H1.  Project Manager
H2.  Template Manager
H3.  Media Library Manager
H4.  Alphabet and Number Manager
H5.  Word and Sentence Manager

For reference, in this Guideline:

"ShiraX" - Refers to The ShiraX System™
"Creator" - Refers to the user of the system, who typically will have a non-tech. background
 

H1.  Project Manager

General Overview

This component allows Creators to start or manage Projects.  There is also an option to add one or more Collaborators to an existing Project.

Component Outline

• Create New Project
  • Single Project
    • Project Name
    • Project Description
    • Project Image
    • Select from “Mobile Project”, “Tablet Project”, or “Both”
  • Add to Existing Project, ie, Project Collection
• Combine Project
  • Select individual projects and combine into a Project Collection
• Open Existing Project
  • Select from a List of ongoing Projects, that have been previously created.  Or...
    • Import Project from local computer
    • Import from website URL
    • Import from Dropbox
    • Import from Google Drive
  • Once the Project is opened, the Creator is taken to Project Flow
• Project Flow
  • Visual representation (thumbnails) of all content screens
    • Drag and drop screens to reorganize
      • Updates screen logic for prev/next screen, as applicable
  • Display links to various other ShiraX components:
    • Template Manager
    • Alphabet and Phoneme Manager
    • Word and Sentence Manager
    • Content Category/Type Manager
    • Level Manager
    • Content Creation System
    • Testing Manager
• Delete Project (icon beside Project Name)
  • Moves Project to Trash
• Share Project (icon beside Project Name)
  • Allow Master Creator to invite other Collaborators to project
    • Assign read/edit permissions to Collaborator.  Default is edit.
    • Send invite email to collaborator, with web link
      • Show status of invited Collaborators (invite sent, accepted)
• Export Project
  • Save to local computer
  • File format and structure TBD
• Trashed Projects
  • Browse Projects
  • Option to permanently delete Project, ie, “Empty Trash”
• Project is always being saved.  
  • Similar process to Google Drive.  
  • Logic in place to display notification should a file read/write error occur.

H2.  Template Manager

General Overview

When the Creator is building a Project, there will be many instances of repetition, e.g., building multiple math screens, english screens, etc.  The Template Manager simplifies this process by both providing pre-existing template layouts for language / mathematics / story, as well as allowing the Creator to build custom templates.

Templates will most commonly be accessed via the Content Creation System, which is the central system that the Creator will use to develop content.

Component Outline

• Create a new Template
  • Name
  • Description
  • Image
    • Opens Media Library Manager
  • Type
    • Content Creation Templates
      • Language
      • Mathematics
      • Storytelling
      • Social Interaction
      • Open Ended
    • Testing Template
      • Writing
      • Comprehension
      • Math
  • Trigger Template Editor
    • Same interface as Content Entry Manager
    • Prominently inform the Creator that they are in TEMPLATE CREATION mode, so they don’t think they’re entering general content.
  • Save Template
• Template Index
  • List of Templates, showing Name, Image thumbnail, and Type
    • Divided into "Content Creation" templates and "Testing" Templates
  • Icons to edit or delete Template

H3.  Media Library Manager

General Overview

ShiraX will launch with a comprehensive image/audio library set.  All content is royalty-free and licensed for unlimited usage and distribution.  If a Creator wishes to add their own image or audio, they can easily do this as well.

Component Outline

IMAGES

• ShiraX Core Image Library
  • Access the ShiraX Core (Midnight Illusions Ltd. Server) and index and display raster/vector images
    • Vector:  .ai, .eps, .pdf, .svg
    • Raster:  .jpg, .png, .gif (animated)
    • Upon selection, save server image file to local server
• Local Machine - add an image from the Creator’s local machine
  • Add via “Browse…” button
  • Add by drag-and-drop onto screen
  • Checks image for suitable resolution size.
    • Notifies user if image is too small
    • Notifies user if image is not RGB
  • Prompt for a “name” for the image file
  • Default to the filename
  • System assigns an image asset ID to the image
  • System prepares image in multiple resolutions, e.g., 50% smaller
    • For deployment across multiple Android resolutions.
  • Index and display image (thumbnail) in “My Recent Media” tab of the Media Library Manager
  • Delete image
• Dropbox - Add image from Dropbox
• Google Drive - Add image from Google Drive
   

AUDIO

• ShiraX Core Audio Library
  • Access the ShiraX Core (Midnight Illusions Ltd. Server) and index and display .ogg audio files
    • Upon selection, save server audio file to local server
• Local Machine - add an audio file from the Creator’s local machine
  • Add via “Browse…” button
  • Add by drag-and-drop onto screen
  • Prompt for a “name” for the audio file.
    • Default to the filename
  • System assigns an audio asset ID to the audio
  • Index and display audio in “My Recent Media” tab of the Media Library Manager
• Dropbox - Add image from Dropbox
• Google Drive - Add image from Google Drive
• Record audio
  • Record audio from the Creator’s microphone on their local machine.
  • Prompt for a “name for the recorded audio file
  • System assigns an audio asset ID to the audio
    • Save to server
      • Index and display audio in “Personal Recordings” tab of the Media Library Manager

H4.  Alphabet and Number Manager

General Overview

One of the core features of ShiraX is language and mathematics learning.  To this end, the Creator must be able to add in letter/number characters from any language.  

In addition, ShiraX accommodates multiple unique sounds (phonemes) per character.  As a result, complex phonetic alphabets such as English, with its 26 letters but 44 phonemes, can be properly set up.  

Once all character information is entered for a language set, ShiraX will then facilitate the various teaching and testing pedagogies required to ensure learners acquire a sound understanding of each character and number for the language.

Component Outline

• Create New Language
  • Enter the language name, e.g., “English”, or “Mandarin”
  • Manage characters (triggers Character Manager, below)
• Manage Existing Language
  • Modify language name
  • Manage characters (triggers Character Manager, below)
• Character Manager
  • Create New Single Character
    • Creator types in one character, or 
    • Selects from an onscreen list
    • Unicode, divided into language categories
      • System pulls the Unicode character name, and adds this as well
    • For letters, record or import a character sound (phoneme sound)
      • Optionally record additional character sounds, to accommodate for multi-phoneme characters, such as the letter “a” in English can be “/a/”, “/ā/”, “/ã/”, “/ä/”
        • Saved as .ogg file on server
      • Import character sound (phoneme sound)
        • .mp3, .aac, or .ogg
        • Saved as .ogg file on server 
    • For letters, record or import an example sound
      - to create an audio reference with the letter, e.g., “W” and a sound of running water
      • Record sound
        • Saves as .ogg file on server
      • Import example sound
        • .mp3, .aac, or .ogg
        • Saves as .ogg file on server
    • Add photo
      - to create a visual reference with the letter, e.g., “W” and a photo of a Waterfall
      • Opens Media Library Manager
    • System automatically fills in the command line call and displays this
      - e.g., “get letter a” or “get letter ش ”
  • Manage Existing Character
    • Change character name
    • Change Unicode name (if applicable)
    • Re-record character sound(s) (phoneme sound)
    • Re-import character sound (phoneme sound)
    • Re-record example sound
    • Re-import example sound
    • Replace character photo
    • Delete character
• Character Tracer
  • Present the character on the screen, in a large size
  • Creator tracers the character and the system records which part of the character is drawn first, second, third, etc.
  • System records the path that was used to draw the entire character.
    • This information will be used later when an end-user is asked to draw a character.  The user’s path must match the recorded path, with a 10-15% allowance for variation.
• Character Combinations, e.g., “aw” or “th”
  • Create New Character Combination
    • Creator types in a Character Combination
    • Record/Import character sound
      • Same workflow as “Single Character”, above
    • Record/Import example sound
      • Same workflow as “Single Character”, above
    • Add photo
      • Same workflow as “Single Character”, above
    • System automatically fills in the command line call and displays this
      - e.g., “get letter combo aw”
  • Manage Existing Character Combination
    • Same workflow as “Single Character”, above

H5.  Word and Sentence Manager

General Overview

As mentioned in Alphabet and Phoneme Manager, one of the core features of Shira is language learning.  Thus, in addition to the ability to add alphabet (character) letters and character combinations, the Creator can also add words and sentences.

Stretch Goal:  Create audio language packs to be available at the ShiraX Core (Midnight Illusions Ltd. Server) containing word lists and an audio recording of each word.  Target languages, in order of preference:  English, Spanish, Mandarin, Hindi/Urdu, Arabic, Portuguese.

Component Outline

• Word Manager
  • Create New Word
    (NOTE:  System must be able to handle LTR and RTL text entry)
    • Creator types in one word or selects from an onscreen list (if language is English)
      • System logic to associate the characters contained in the word with Creator-entered characters from the Alphabet Manager
        e.g., Creator types in “head” and system connects the “h”, “e”, “a”, and “d” characters from the Alphabet Manager to this word
    • Record word sound
      • Saved as .ogg file on server
    • Import word sound
      • .mp3, .aac, or .ogg
      • Saved as .ogg file on server
    • Add word image(s)
      • Triggers Media Library Manager
        • Ensure the Creator returns to this stage of the Create New Word process, once the image asset is chosen.
    • System automatically fills in the command line call and displays this
      - e.g., “get word head”
  • Word Index
    • List of currently entered words
    • Icons beside each word showing status of recorded sound or not, added image or not, manage word (see below), delete word
  • Manage Existing Word
    • Change word name
      • If the name is changed, e.g., from “head” to “feet”, flag the word and prompt the Creator to also change the word sound and images.
    • Re-record word sound
    • Re-import word sound
    • Delete word sound
    • Edit/delete word image(s)
• Sentence Manager
  • Create New Sentence
    • Creator enters words for sentence.
      • System logic to associate entered words with the word sound obtained from the Word Manager, above.
      • System flags words in the sentence for which there is currently no entry in the Word Manager and directs user to complete this step.
      • System automatically fills in the command line call and displays this
        - e.g., “get sentence how are you”
  • Sentence Index
    • List of currently entered sentences
    • Icons beside each sentence showing manage sentence (see below) or delete sentence
  • Manage Existing Sentence
    • Change words or word order
• Stretch Goal:  Language Packs
  • Connect with the ShiraX Core Server and download a list of available audio languages (likely an XML plist)
  • During “Create New Word” process, display the ShiraX Core audio languages available.
    • Creator clicks a language to access its audio database
      • System queries server for language-specific XML plist, containing the list of word names and the path to the audio file for each word.
        • Info. is saved locally.
    • Creator can search for a particular word.
      • AJAX auto-completes word as user types.
    • Creator finds word and confirms addition to the Project.
      • Project is now aware of the word.
      • Audio file is downloaded to the Project.

Judging Breakdown

Evaluation criteria that will be used to evaluate your Submission will be posted soon...