Maury County schools have decided to move to a technology-based curriculum which will allow students to use laptops and tablets in place of textbooks.
Books still line the shelves of classrooms in Maury County. However, In Matt Yuhas's class, the students tend to use their cell phones and tablet devices more than the books.
His way of teaching and instant online interaction will soon become more of the norm for students and teachers in Maury County.
On Tuesday Director of Schools Dr. Chris Marczak announced the DIPLOMA initiative. It stands for Digital Integration Plan for Learning Mobile and Accessibility. It means eventually every student in Maury County Schools could have their own laptop computer to further their education.
"We get rid of the haves and have nots. Every kid has the exact same device," Marczak said.
Students in grades 3 through 12 will be able to take the laptops home. Grades K through 2 will use the laptops inside the classroom.
The district is now working on having wi-fi hot spots available to check out at school libraries. Community businesses are also looking to provide a place for students to have wi-if and wold access.
Marczak said it's his hope that every school in the district will choose to utilize the program. For now four schools are included in the first phase; Mt. Pleasant High School, Mt. Pleasant Middle School, Mt. Pleasant Elementary School and Hampshire Unit School.
The goal is to have the laptop in the hands of students by Spring Break.
