About Notedly
Notedly spawned out of and was the winner of Startup Weekend Seattle EDU, in October 2011. Our team identified the lack of individuals connection between students and teachers during their formative years, as those are crucial in terms of social, emotional and academic development. We saw the need for positive reinforcement and feedback to students beyond the school walls through means the students already use, such as text messages. while keeping their parents in the loop.
The Team
Amy Lin
Amy leads product development and design for Notedly. A computer science graduate from the University of Southern California and a Seattle native, she is always thinking about how education can be improved through the usage of technology. She is the lead organizer of the next Seattle Startup Weekend and founder of the Seattle EdTech meetup group. She loves to build teams and products; ensuring she is constantly learning and improving herself along the way. The startup world is where she comes alive.
Jamie Burns
Jamie provides the educator voice and connections for Notedly and is a hustler extraordinare anywhere else she is needed. A Seattle native and a graduate from Washington public schools, she is finishing up her Masters in Teaching so she can give back to the system that shaped her. She is passionate about education, and finding ways to utilize technology to help student's succeed. In an ever increasingly regulated, standardized test based educational system, she believes that there is a need for more 'Notedly' moments.
Gabriel Cebrian
Gabriel is the lead programmer for Notedly. Gabriel was born and raised in Havana, Cuba but have also lived in Miami, Fl , Barcelona, Spain and Atlanta, GA. He now works at Microsoft. Gabriel likes to spend his time reading about tech news and learning emerging technologies. He also has a passion for startup and the "business side of startups".
Steven Pell
Steven is the other programmer for Notedly. He grew up in the Seattle area and studied computer science at the University of Washington, and he has worked as a developer for Microsoft since graduating in 2011. He is passionate about web programming and enjoys spending free time exploring the latest web technologies.
Our Notedly Moments
Amy Lin
Raised in an Asian household, I have always been a diligent student. However, it wasn't until high school when a teacher recognized that my diligence in completing assignments wasn't necessarily connected with my interest in the subject material. This teacher wanted me to discover what my interests were and not solely focus on grades. Through her, I learned that I enjoy building things where I can creatively express myself. That knowledge propelled me to design games and build websites as a young child and ignited my passion in technology which has stayed with me all these years.
Jamie Burns
The first standout moment I had with a teacher was in the 6th grade when Mr. Jorgensen, "Mr. J." came up with individual nicknames for each one of his students. These weren't just nicknames. They actually encompassed parts of our personalities, strengths he saw in each one of us, something that would help inspire us as students. My nickname, 'Philly', stood for my strong communicative skills and the fact that I could argue my point with such vigor that others would follow in tow. He said he could see me as Philadelphia attorney one day.
Up until that point, I am sure that teachers noted my academic strengths, my report cards, test scores etc. but this was the first time, that a teacher looked a bit deeper, took note of who I was as a person, and encouraged me on that path. That nickname stuck with me for life, and has most definitely played a role in the person I now am. While I did not go on to become that attorney, I did pick a major in college that utilized those skills, and later decided to get into education in an effort to be the Mr. J to my future students.
Gabriel Burns
Although I didn't grow up in the United States, education still was an important part of my upbringing. My fondest memory of Cuban schools involved my Grade 8 math teacher. At the time, I was an outspoken teenage boy who had a difficult time paying attention in class. While the rest of my teachers would punish me for misbehaving in class, my math teacher knew something else was going on. When he first asked me to stay after school, I thought I would be disciplined... again. Instead, we immediately went to the sports field to shoot basketball. Through the game of basketball, I learned about math principles like angles, velocity, etc. but most of all, this teacher provided me with an outlet to develop and express myself.
Steven Pell
My high school computer teacher, Mr. Meyer, noticed that I was progressing through the curriculum in his programming class more quickly than most students. Not wanting me to become bored or lose interest in the class, he approached me one day and offered to let me work independently on more in-depth programming projects. His class quickly became my favorite, as I was able to work at my own pace on projects that I was interested in. By taking note of my strengths and encouraging me to pursue them in his class, he helped me discover my passion for technology that has become a major part of my life and career.