11/2/2011 1:30:00 PM400 CMSD students given NOOK Color e-readers, devices to replace standard textbooks

By: Ted Kortan, newsnet5.com

CLEVELAND - 400 Barnes and Noble NOOK e-readers were distributed Wednesday to Cleveland Metropolitan School District students.

The "Bookshelf Project" initiative was kicked off with a morning ceremony at Mound K-8 School in the Slavic Village neighborhood on Cleveland's southeast side.

Over 200 sixth, seventh and eighth grade students from Mound gathered in the school auditorium with CMSD management, community leaders and program developers, as part of the roll out ceremony. They were joined by students from nearby Washington Park Environmental Studies Academy, where all 165 students will also receive the NOOK Color e-readers.

CMSD CEO Eric Gordon said the pilot program is the first of its kind in the country -- and aims at replacing standard textbooks with class-leading digital texts and materials designed specifically for the NOOKS.

According to the CMSD, the 400 e-readers were purchased at a discount through a grant from the Third Federal Foundation.  Bookshelf Project partners said another grant requests funding from the U.S. Department of Education so NOOKS can be purchased for all sixth through twelfth grade students in the Cleveland system.

The content for the WiFi-enabled devices is being provided by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.

Students will each receive their NOOK Color Wednesday afternoon, as well as a protective case and backpack. The devices will be used in the classroom and taken home each night.

Each student's parent has signed to accept responsibility for their e-reader. Each NOOK has to be returned to the district at the end of the school year.  <<Full Story