Knox County teacher wins high tech classroom makeover

There aren't too many things that could make students be ok with the fact that summer is quickly coming to a close. But when Tea King found out she was going to be in Mrs. Alvey's class for physical science, she was pretty thrilled about returning back to school.

"I was really happy, because in fifth grade we had the smart board, but we didn't' have all this cool stuff," she says.

Mrs. Alvey beat out 20 other teachers from around the region for a $25,000 technology upgrade to her classroom. Just a few days before classes begin, Alvey and her students are getting a chance to see the classroom's transformation.

Their new classroom is equipped with eight brand new computers, an active board with electronic flip charts, and 25 Ipod Touches equipped with internet access.

"The students can look on various sites and be able to get information right at their seats," Alvey says.

Last year, Alvey's former students put together a video explaining just why their classroom needed a technological revamp. Evan Hamilton remembers the one computer he and his peers shared.

"It made it harder when we needed to find information, because everyone had to keep taking turns, and that took up most of the class period," Evan says.

Evan came back to see his old classroom completely transformed from when he saw it last school year.

"I'm a little disappointed that I don't get to use any of it, but I'm sure they'll have fun with it too."

One of Tea's favorite new toys is the active expression gadget, which is a lot like a cell phone. It allows students to text in their answers during class.

"We believe that using technology in the classroom not only enables young people to learn better, but also provides more of an incentive for young people to enter careers in science and math," former Oak Ridge Associated Universities C.E.O. Homer Fisher says.

With her new tech-savvy classroom, Mrs. Alvey believes the possibilities are endless for her students.