Oak Ridge Today

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

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A photo of last year’s winner in the ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover contest, Kyle Roach, a seventh-grade teacher at Rutledge Middle School, with some of the school’s students. (Photo by ORAU)

A photo of last year’s winner in the ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover contest, Kyle Roach, a seventh-grade teacher at Rutledge Middle School, with some of the school’s students. (Photo by ORAU)

 

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.” [Read more…]

ORAU awards two teachers with $5,000 Extreme Classroom Makeover grants

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Donna Widner and her students at Oliver Springs Middle School received a $5,000 grant as runners-up in the 2017 ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover competition. (Photo by ORAU)

Donna Widner and her students at Oliver Springs Middle School received a $5,000 grant as runners-up in the 2017 ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover competition. (Photo by ORAU)

 

Oliver Springs Middle School in Roane County and Shannondale Elementary School in Knox County have been announced as runners-up in the 2017 ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover competition during surprise classroom visits, according to a press release on Friday.

ORAU made surprise visits to the two schools and their students and teachers, and presented each with a $5,000 grant as runners-up in the competition.

April Lamb, a STEM teacher at Shannondale Elementary School in Knox County, and Donna Widner, a math teacher at Oliver Springs Middle School in Roane County, will use the grants to outfit their classrooms with new technology. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. [Read more…]

ORAU awards $25,000 Extreme Classroom Makeover to Rutledge Middle School

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Kyle Roach and his students at Rutlege Middle School are pictured above after being announced winner of the 2017 ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover on Thursday, April 20, 2017. (Photo by ORAU)

Kyle Roach and his students at Rutlege Middle School are pictured above after being announced winner of the 2017 ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover on Thursday, April 20, 2017. (Photo by ORAU)

 

Kyle Roach, seventh-grade math teacher at Rutledge Middle School, believes that every student should be taught the necessary skills to empower them as they pursue a higher education. This vision, along with the idea that the school’s current technology is outdated, was the main theme in a video submitted for the 2017 ORAU Extreme Classroom Makeover Contest.

Roach’s goal of having the necessary tools to help empower students and excite them about math-related subjects was realized Thursday as ORAU President Andy Page presented Roach with a $25,000 technology makeover during a surprise assembly announcement. The funding is part of ORAU’s annual Extreme Classroom Makeover competition, now in its ninth year, a press release said.

In the winning video, Roach and his students made a case for purchasing laptops and computer software to update their “archaic communication devices,” better known as whiteboards. Roach explained that he would use the computer software to create interactive math manipulatives to assist students in learning difficult skills.

“Our nation’s teachers have the difficult but important task of educating the next generation STEM workforce,” Page said in the press release. “ORAU believes that through programs like the Extreme Classroom Makeover, we can help standout teachers like Mr. Roach by providing them with necessary materials to engage and excited students in the areas of science, engineering, technology, and math.” [Read more…]