Imagine a computer screen in the shape of a globe 16 inches in diameter, on which plate tectonics, weather and other geographic and atmospheric phenomena come to interactive life.

What if you could mold flashing digital images into an orbiting ball so concepts such as cloud cover, climate zones and shifting continents are lifted out of their flat dimension and into the circular realm?

Imagine you are the lucky Loma Prieta Elementary students who actually get to use such a cool device in class.

Tech Closeup, a Bay Area technology program syndicated by national TV news networks, filmed The Magic Planet in action Thursday inside a fifth grade science class. It was a big day for the Summit Road district, which also welcomed three-time Olympic soccer star Brandi Chastain to kick off an annual fundraiser. "It is an exciting day," Superintendent Henry Castaniada said, adding that both events show "there is no limit to this school."

Using a state technology grant, the Loma Prieta Joint Union School District installed The Magic Planet six weeks ago after a parent who works for its founding company, Global Imagination, secured a discount. The Los Gatos company does not advertise its prices.

Supported by groundbreaking software, the globe takes students leaps and bounds ahead of textbook science or even regular computer-assisted learning by offering a real-time, visual representation of what the ever-changing Earth really looks like. On-board software downloads satellite weather information every three hours, and overlays it on the acrylic globe. Without The Magic Planet, "I don't think I would have learned as much," said fifth-grader Tessa Davis. "The visual aspect of learning about weather was better than reading about it."

The Magic Planet comes in sizes from 16 inches to 6 feet in diameter, and has been bought by museums and corporations. NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration have also invested in the gadget.

Loma Prieta technology teacher Sharon Regner said she is astounded by how The Magic Planet is "just hooking kids" and enriching their understanding of multi-dimensional concepts such as how weather patterns form. She said she eventually hopes to use Magic Planet to set up a webcast with students in other countries.

"We're just beginning to see what it can do," she said.