As a student, I remember the hassle of having to carry heavy textbooks in my school bag each day and this wouldn't have helped my back at all.
I was reading an article in the June 2016 issue of ACCESS by Martin Gray (Library Manager, Singleton High School) looking at the role of eTextbooks in the classroom and its a big step forward.
At the moment, I have only encountered the pdf versions of existing print editions. This is handy in terms of allowing portability and access but can create copyright issues. It's easy to create a pdf copy of any textbook or to print out 30 copies of a chapter from a computer or publish a chapter on a learning module like Moodle or Schoology or Haiku (Waverley College) and let the students download the files.
The big challenge is working around the formats and devices. Some providers will may have eTextbooks in one format, but not in another. This creates hassles for schools especially where a BYOD policy is in place. As Gray pointed out, its not easy to transfer from system e.g. Apple to Windows and vice versa. The question is also raised - Do we use eReaders or Tablets or both? Cost is the issue and asking students to buy two devices is cost prohibitive
It is encouraging how eTextbooks could allow for a more immersive experience as opposed to either reading or summarising the content and completing the activities that are attached. The ability to play audio, video and provide links to other resources give greater scope for one to engage in learning.
