TULLAHOMA, TN (WSMV) -
Another school district in Middle Tennessee is allowing its students to bring more than notebooks, pencils and text books to class.
Tullahoma schools are using a BYOD - or Bring Your Own Device - policy, and many believe those bulky books could soon become a thing of the past.
Students in teacher Aaron Miller's English class worked together on a class project Monday using just their tablets.
"We're all just working together, just seeing how we're going to do it. So, for me, it's really better for me, because we're just doing it right in class," said sophomore Stephen Young.
Students are not the only ones learning with new technology. It's also the first time Miller has taught such a lesson made possible by a wireless network throughout the school.
"Let's try things with this. As you read through it, if you don't know it you can get on the internet and look up that word," Miller said during the lesson.
The policy means students are encouraged, not discouraged, to bring wireless devices to class.
"If I can figure out a way to get the toys and gadgets they are used to using into the classroom to teach them some old school stuff, I love doing that," Miller said.
Each year, the school district spends nearly $400,000 in textbooks. But under the BYOD project in the coming years, school leaders plan to put that money toward buying things like buying tablets for students and hopefully improving how they learn in the classroom.
"Most digital text books are available free of charge. So we truly hope that we can move text book moneys that we are spending today to technology departments, and put equipment in our folks' hands to equip them for the future," said Superintendent Dan Lawson.
Lawson added school leaders hope to mostly do away with textbooks in grades 3 through 12 within the next few years. Instead, students would use digital books and online resources in the classroom and at home.
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