With the start of a new school year, 1,000 fifth and sixth graders in New Jersey's fourth-largest school district will return to the classroom equipped with smartphones.

The initiative, part of a pilot mobile learning program that began with 100 students, is a cooperative venture among Toms River Regional Schools, Verizon and GoKnow Inc., which develops educational software for mobile devices.

The idea is that putting the mobile devices in the hands of students helps them manage their school work in the classroom and on the go. With roughly 17,400 students in four communities, the Toms River district is the largest in the country using mobile learning devices.

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