Competitive Calligraphy: Digital, Remote, Real-time Character Writing Competitions

[ChinaMan_B]

Hello fellow Chinese learners, I am Briun Greene, Founder of a new education technology startup called Babel Dabble. We create software that specializes in the gamification of foreign language learning, and the first language on our platform is Chinese! What we have created is the world’s first real-time, digital, and global competitive calligraphy platform. Competitive calligraphy means Chinese character writing competitions, real-team means that multiple users and classrooms see the same prompts at the same time regardless of location, digital means that responses will be tracked on a digital canvas through trackpad or touchscreen, and global means that any individual user or classroom can connect and compete with any other user or classroom, motivating users to engage and cultivate their own competitive advantage to compete. It is extremely fun, and I encourage everyone to check it out!

 

Registration is free for the time being, as we are in the middle of creating a mobile app and fixing bugs, but the main attraction works very well, which are the digital character writing competitions. Feel free to write me with bugs that you find or suggestions of what you would like to see incorporated into the software that would make it especially valuable for you. Special thanks to Shaunak Kishore and Mike Love for their support and guidance during the conception of Babel Dabble.

 

Until the software has in-app messaging, I have created a WeChat group called Babel Dabble Competitive Calligraphy Challengers so that users can find one another and practice. *Please* change your name in the group to the username or name used to register on www.babeldabble.com so that people can find you on the platform and invite you to matches! Please invite friends and encourage them to register and compete, or practice by themselves with our innovative and unique practice mode, until they feel ready to compete. Lastly, don’t be shy about announcing when you are ready for competitions and the level you wish to compete at on the channel (HSK 1-6), you can also compete with custom lists that you make yourself.

 

Attached to this post is an image of the WeChat group QR Code. Feel free to direct message me here or my email address at briun@babeldabble.com if you need instructions or any clarification, or want to compete, I'm always ready! It is a progressive webapp at the moment, so not downloadable from app stores, you must access through browser and URL. It works on mobile devices very well, tablets are my favorite but mobile devices are great also (refresh required after initial login). If using on a desktop, best to have an additional piece of hardware like a Wacom Bamboo tablet. Lastly, the software works best with Chrome and Safari browsers, it does not work well with internet explorer, and other browsers have not yet been tested. When registering, ignore the invite token section.

 

Enjoy, and I look forward to your feedback and match invitations (Briun8505)!

 

Best,

Briun

 

https://www.babeldabble.com

[roddy]

Approved *one* of your posts - please don't post the same thing more than once, or PM users unless invited. 

 

This one might be worth a look, folks. 

[BriunG]

Noted, thanks 

[roddy]

And stick to one account!

 

Oh, and also welcome to the site, we're friendly really ;-)

[vellocet]

It's a pity that handwriting is nearly obsolete in the face of ubiquitous computers and phones with pinyin and voice input.  

[roddy]

You want to be careful, @Hofmann has taken out contracts on people for less.

 

It's clear there's still strong interest in learning to write among Chinese learners. I suspect the removal of barriers to that process which technology allows means there's more enthusiasm for it now than when computers and phones barely existed. These people look to have an interesting idea, funding, and some solid folk on board. Next Skritter? Maybe.

[somethingfunny]

Let me know when the app is ready.

[imron]

I'd like to have some idea of what the interface is like and how it worked without needing to register.

[BriunG]

@imron and anyone else interested, please have a look at this link to see a compilation of videos that show the user interface, the software in action, and user engagement reactions

 

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1S8wX9ntIcKM8jjniCH-wdpMR1URYYX1x?usp=sharing

[happy_hyaena]

Just wanted to chime in and say that there's already a language learning app called Babbel, in case people start mixing the two up.

[mikelove]

Haven't gotten to play with this yet, but have been PMing with Briun about it for a while (though I really don't know if I've been able to add much - appreciate the shout-out though :-)) and what I've seen so far looks exciting. I believe the core is adapted from the increasingly-popular Inkstone app, so if you're looking for "competitive Skritter" this might be that. Will provide further thoughts once I've tried it.