Raleigh school first in county to use eReaders

North Forest Pines Elementary has 18 Nook Colors, Barnes & Noble's newest electronic reader, which reads like a book but looks and feels like a tablet computer.

“It’s reading, which is one of my favorite things, and it’s also technology, and they just combine it into one thing,” said fifth-grader Sydney Parsons.

Six Nooks stay in the media center, while the others are used for an after-school book club. Teachers say the tablets make reading interactive.

“It just adds a level of excitement to it, because it’s new and different,” said teacher Kristen Argent.

The Nook allows students to do things regular books cannot – highlight text and look up words in a built-in dictionary.

The Nook Color is about $250 each, and the school’s were paid for with media center and PTA funds.

There is a cost to download a book, which can be shared on multiple Nooks. However, students can check out Wake County Library books for free on the Nook.

This doesn’t mean real books will be shelved entirely.

“I don’t think one replaces the other or takes place of the other,” Argent said.

“I just like the feel of turning the pages,” Sydney said.

North Forest Pines Elementary School hopes to buy more Nook Colors to use in the classroom. Barnes & Noble says it's talking with other area schools interested in buying the eReaders.