Teachers: What would you do with $25,000 in new technology?

 

ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover celebrates 10 years of changing classrooms, lives

For nine years, ORAU’s Extreme Classroom Makeover has provided winning teachers throughout East Tennessee the opportunity to outfit their classrooms with $25,000 in new technology. From smart boards to laptops and just about everything in between, Extreme Classroom Makeover not only changes classrooms, it has changed the lives of students and teachers alike.

Kyle Roach, seventh-grade math teacher at Rutledge Middle School and winner of the 2017 Extreme Classroom Makeover, purchased Chromebooks, smart whiteboards, video editing software, and more for his classroom. He believes winning Extreme Classroom Makeover will not only impact his students but how he teaches as well, a press release said.

“The technology we purchased has allowed me to increase student interactivity,” Roach said. “Math is a visual subject. The students have taken abstract ideas like fractions and created visual representations. They are excited to share their creations and they are able to go back to what they have created, which has helped with retention of crucial skills. There have been many ‘aha’ moments—some from the kids and most from me, as I have learned new ways to introduce skills.”

Applications for the 10th Extreme Classroom Makeover competition are now being accepted. The contest is open to public school math and science teachers who teach third through 10th grades at schools within a 50-mile radius of Oak Ridge.

Entrants are required to submit a full application and a 3-4 minute video that illustrates potential uses of technology and the need for technology in their classrooms. Deadline for full application and video entries is January 19, 2018. Winners, including runners up and people’s choice, will be announced at the end of March/early April.

For more information on the ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover contest, visit http://www.orau.org/center-for-science-education/classroom-makeover.

ORAU said a YouTube video announces that applications are open: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rwpjPKpeElc.

Also, to coincide with Extreme Classroom Makeover, ORAU is launching an #ExtremeTeacher campaign on social media, where they will ask teachers to tell how they connect with their students, use technology, etc. ORAU will be giving away a prize each month between now and late March/early April, when they announce the Extreme Classroom Makeover winner.