Get Signal and start emailing your homework assignments, class notes, and much, much more!
Dec 3, 2009. Wilmington NC.
Roger Wyatt, President and CEO of Tynken Interactive announces Signal, a breakthrough in technology that allows teachers to post class notes, homework, schedules and a myriad of other content to their web pages by simply sending an email. All users need to do is type a code in the subject line, and the system directs the contents of the email to the appropriate section of their web page. "What is really great about this is that it turns the system on its head. What I kept hearing is that the majority of teachers don't have the time or desire to be web designers, and that they are therefore stuck either doing nothing or spending time learning new software" said Wyatt. "Now all they have to do is send an email, and the system does it for them. This saves a significant amount of time, and makes better, faster classroom communication very easy."
Not many teachers actually take the time to set up web pages for their classes - until now!
"I had been talking with teachers about some of their issues. One of the main ones was not having the time to learn software to maintain a teacher web page. In fact, only 10% of the teachers in any school create a teacher page when given the opportunity. They all said the same thing - "I don't have the time to learn a new system". Now they don't have to. This new system is unbelievably powerful. It is set it up to allow posting of just about anything - scores, schedules, menus, etc - in addition to class notes, homework, and the other class information" said Wyatt. "And there is no need for training - they just send an email for the instructions and the system emails them the user guide - all 1 page of it. So the technology coordinators don't need to spend any time training the teachers in using the application - there's no training required. And there are built-in safeguards. For example, if the teacher forgets to put a due date on the homework assignment, the system will not post it, but send an email asking for the due date before posting."
Included with Frequency education CMS platform
This breakthrough was an extension of the work that Tynken had been doing on their groundbreaking content management system that takes communication in general at educational institutions to a new level. Named Frequency, the new platform had been years in development, and came out of the gate looking vastly different from other CMS. "The last revolutionary development in user interface was 5 or more years ago with tabbed navigation. We knew there was a better way for users to get things done. Our interface is so intuitive, you won't believe how easy it is to put information on the web" says Wyatt. "Tabs are now very old-school, and it is about time".
Wavelength for all other class communications
Incorporated into Frequency is Wavelength, a platform for teachers, parents and students to share information and gauge learning progress. The tools available include class notes, homework assignments, class library, digital lockers, electronic homework submission, personal student calendars, sticky-note messaging, discussion boards and chat sessions. "Knowledge is power, for sure, and communication is the key to obtaining and retaining that knowledge" says Wyatt. "We wanted to develop a web platform that is so easy to use that the focus is on what is being communicated, not how".
Rave Reviews
As a result, Frequency is getting rave reviews from customers. David Deweese, Technology Director for Marlboro County Schools in South Carolina said "Frequency is great; it makes a lot of sense. We've found other systems to be too restrictive; you can do so much more with Frequency. And the best part? It is easy to use. If you know Word, Excel or Powerpoint, you can use Frequency. It is intuitive". Tynken Interactive is currently focusing on serving private and public schools in the Southeastern United States. For more information visit www.tynkeninteractive.com.
About the Company
Tynken Interactive, Inc. is a privately-held corporation focusing on developing high-productivity web-based software. Founded in 1999 as
Dragonfly Manor Design Studios by Roger Wyatt, the name was eventually changed to Tynken Interactive to better reflect the business's primary focus on software.
In February of 2004, Tynken Interactive released Blue Dasher v1, an original website platform for small businesses, to excellent reviews. In October, 2006, the company successfully released Blue Dasher - Enterprise Edition under a new category of software: "Website Ownership Software Suite". Since 2007, Tynken Interactive's primary focus has been on developing educational software, and perfecting the Frequency platform. For more information please visit tynkeninteractive.com. Roger Wyatt
Roger Wyatt, President and CEO of Tynken Interactive and developer of Frequency and Blue Dasher, graduated from Clemson University with a B.S. in Computer Science.
Prior to starting Tynken Interactive (formerly Dragonfly Manor Design Studios), Wyatt worked for Corning, Inc. at their Wilmington, NC plant developing software for the control of the splicing and coloring operations. While at Corning, he saw first-hand the problems that manufacturers face on a daily basis. That experience combined with his previous experience at VisionAir, a public safety software developer, brought about Blue Dasher.
"At VisionAir, we developed high-availability software that literally meant life-or-death for people. A 911 system cannot go down or lose data", said Wyatt.
Early in his career, Wyatt designed and developed the financial reporting system for Carolina Power and Light Company's Brunswick Nuclear Plant. He completed the project in a record 6 weeks, from design to rollout. The plant continued to use the system for a year after a new, corporate, reporting system was released.
Most recently, Wyatt has been spearheading the development of Frequency, a new generation of educational software that revolutionizes the user interface of web platforms.
"By creating an easier way for students and teachers to put their information on the web, we put the focus back on what is being taught, and everyone learns more and enjoys it more", said Wyatt.