For Amber Palmer’s fifth grade class at Bennion Elementary, history has a way of coming to life through a method you would not normally expect.

Scattered in different groups throughout the room, her students diligently work on tablet computers as they step into the lives of individuals from World War I and the Great Depression. Lessons that combine technology and the curriculum are becoming more and more common in schools, and many teachers like Amber are finding new ways to help students progress with the help of modern devices.

In recognition for her exceptional work in the classroom, Amber was selected as a recipient of the inaugural KUED/Salt Lake Tribune Teacher Innovation Award. She is among five teachers from along the Wasatch Front to receive the award.

Amber was chosen by an outside panel of 10 judges representing organizations such as the Utah Valley University, The Salt Lake City Library, and the Utah State Office Education. All the awardees were chosen for their ability to use technology as a means to effectively engage students and foster critical thinking and problem solving.

A half-hour program profiling the five winning teachers will air Thursday, May 29, 2014, at 7 p.m. on KUED.