TSN Visual Communication Solutions

Remember the school bulletin board? That cluttered corkboard filled with flyers, schedules, announcements and student artwork was once the pulse of school communication. It was where students, teachers and staff connected with the daily rhythm of campus life.

While these boards still hold a place in many schools, the spirit of school communication has found new energy with TSN Visual Communication Solutions.

It reimagines the traditional bulletin board with vibrant digital displays. More than just announcements, each screen becomes a vivid canvas, telling stories reinforcing positive community values that all schools and parents strive for. It also invites active participation between students and staff.

“We believe that a better-informed and engaged student is a better citizen, and that begins with empowering young minds in elementary, middle and high schools,” says Michael Broyles, founder and CEO. “Our platform fosters that connection and engagement, helping schools build a positive culture where students are better informed and actively involved in meaningful ways. We do this in a dynamic way that is familiar to students.”

Technology has moved beyond slides and presentations; students expect and deserve more. These older approaches and technologies still serve their purposes—as integrated features. But they no longer work as complete standalone solutions.

An elementary school principal witnessed this firsthand during a reading challenge. Initially, student participation was low. However, the event quickly gained momentum after using TSN’s platform to feature pictures of students who met their reading goals. The moment the first student saw her photo on the school’s digital screens with a congratulatory message, excitement spread.

Other students soon hit their goals, eager to see their faces on the screen. What started as an individual challenge evolved into a school-wide success with increased parent involvement. This brings student participation and success to the forefront and makes that the foundation for a positive and uplifting school culture.

This is what TSN does, and what makes it stand out among other educational visual communication solutions. By celebrating students and their accomplishments, it helps schools shape a narrative that reflects their values, fostering pride and participation.

Communication that Reaches Every Corner of the School Community

TSN’s platform empowers schools to tailor content that resonates with their diverse communication needs and audiences—students, staff and parents alike. Its pre-created content libraries addressing various topics enable schools to quickly deliver materials based on grade level.

For instance, while high-schoolers might engage with an anti-bullying video, the appropriate message for elementary students might be an image of animated characters holding hands with the message, ‘Be a Friend.’ Bringing this flexibility allows schools to craft messages that resonate with every student.

The platform also accommodates the complex communication needs of K-12 schools based on the location within the campus. The system is built with multiple layers to achieve this, offering sets of ‘connections’ that focus content delivery on specific areas.

These connections include Campus Connect for hallways and common areas, Classroom Connect for interactive classroom panels, Athletic Connect for sports facilities and Cafeteria Connect for menu boards. A modular platform design ensures each department benefits from relevant messaging and avoids overlap with specific tools and features designed for the specific use case, user base and audience type of each connection.

Departments within the school feel empowered to manage their content effectively using TSN. For example, food services staff use Cafeteria Connect to display menus, nutritional information and daily specials.

Likewise, coaches use Athletic Connect to share motivational messages, game schedules and athlete spotlights in locker rooms and gyms, creating a focused and inspiring environment for their teams. These dedicated communication channels make sure the correct information always reaches the right audience at the right time and place.

Enhanced Safety with Seamless Security Integration

While TSN excels at fostering a positive school culture and engaging students, it also recognizes the critical importance of safety. The platform integrates with leading safety and security providers, including Centegix, Crisis Go, Raptor and Alertus. This integration elevates TSN as a critical component of a school’s safety infrastructure.

In the event of an emergency, every screen on campus can instantly become an alert system. Whether a lockdown, evacuation, or any other emergency situation, TSN is prepared to share crucial information with everyone immediately, maximizing awareness and enabling a swift, coordinated response. This capability enhances the safety of students and staff, and provides peace of mind for parents and the wider community.

Empowering Student Voices

Students, too, have a voice in the content on their campus screens. Using the Student Projects module, schools engage students in creating videos, graphics or messages on topics such as school pride or leadership.

“There’s nothing more powerful than students talking about the right things among other students,” says Broyles, emphasizing the impact of peer-driven content.

Our Platform Fosters That Connection And Engagement, Helping Schools Build A Positive Culture Where Students Are Better Informed And Actively Involved In Meaningful Ways

After a teacher review, students’ work is proudly displayed throughout the school, celebrating their achievements for classmates, family and friends to enjoy. This fosters a more profound sense of ownership and engagement, enabling students to express their creativity and contribute to the school’s messaging.

TSN’s platform has proven particularly effective in promoting Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs at the high school level, where awareness and enrollment can be challenging. Recognizing that many students may not fully understand the breadth of opportunities available, TSN encourages schools to use student-created content to highlight these programs.

One high school took this to heart, tasking its audiovisual class with producing videos that spotlighted various CTE courses. These weren’t just essential informational videos; they featured engaging interviews with students actively participating in the programs. A standout example was the football team captain, who shared his enthusiasm for culinary arts, calling it the ‘most fun class’ he had ever taken. This district took it a step further by sharing student-created CTE information at the middle school level, building excitement with students heading to high school. Early exposure even sparked interest in younger students, giving them a glimpse into the exciting opportunities awaiting them in high school.

Displaying these student-created videos on screens throughout the district had a powerful impact. The school generated increased interest and excitement by showcasing relatable peer testimonials and CTE enrollment jumped by 10 percent the following year.

The students who produced the videos also gained valuable hands-on experience in video production, interviewing and editing—skills tied to the CTE curriculum. TSN’s ‘Student Project Portal’ makes managing student-created content simple. Broyles says, “Schools have hundreds and in some cases thousands of the most creative resources roaming their halls. By giving schools a tool to tap into this resource, you have better content and the students get a voice and take ownership in building and maintaining the culture of their school. TSN is more than just digital signage, we are a resource to make schools a more positive and fulfilling environment. Communication is critical and we are the delivery mechanism for effective communication.”

A Platform Designed for Proactive Educators

TSN’s platform is crafted to empower educators with a user-friendly, intuitive interface that feels natural from the start. Unlike other systems that require extensive training, TSN is designed for quick adoption—allowing educators to focus more on engaging students than on learning a new tool.

“We can train a whole room in 30 to 45 minutes,” says Broyles, highlighting its ease of use.

That said, the platform also smoothly integrates into educators’ daily routines, making it a valuable asset rather than an extra task to manage.

School feedback is the driving force behind the platform’s evolution. Every tool and feature is built with direct input from educators, ensuring it genuinely supports their needs.

“We didn’t just create a tool we thought schools needed—we built it around what they told us they needed,” Broyles explains. This collaboration has made TSN adaptable and practical for schools of all sizes, across the country.

A case in point is how TSN effectively used its downtime during COVID-19 to incorporate years of accumulated educator feedback into a major platform upgrade. By diving into the suggestions, the team developed a solution better suited to meet the real-world demands of today’s educational landscape.

TSN continually refines the platform, responding to evolving school needs by integrating requested tools like Google Slides and enhancing Google Calendar functionality. Schools thus rely on its system to stay up to date with their requirements, with new features rolled out smoothly and supported by support materials like video guides, documentation or optional training sessions. Integrations with various CAP providers such as Centigex, CRisisGo, Informacast, Raptor and others make TSN’s solution a tool to increase safety throughout a school district.

More Than Software, Building Lasting Partnerships

The strength of TSN lies not only in its technology but in its people. “We have incredible people, and they love going the extra mile,” says Broyles.

Whether addressing an issue or showing up on-site to assist, the team ensures any challenge is met with swift and personal attention. While no company is without the occasional hurdles, TSN takes pride in proactively resolving any hiccups, reinforcing the trust schools place in them.

“Our mission is to make our customers happy, and we ensure our platform aligns with that goal,” Broyles affirms.

But TSN’s mission goes beyond technology. They see their platform as a bridge to something larger—a way for schools to build a foundation that nurtures a vibrant, inclusive environment beyond classroom walls, inspiring a shared sense of purpose and connection throughout the community.