It must be a slow time for administrators. They have been sending out notices to faculty, twice so far today, concerning instructor obligations should they assign content that requires an eBook reader. The notice itself offered no specifics (I bite my tongue), but I did locate the federal document (pdf) which appears to have been initially released a year ago. Evidently, we have discovered a concern or maybe no one used an ebook last year.
What is wrong with ebooks/ebook readers? It occurs to me, based on my experience with the Kindle, that ebooks can be more flexible than a traditional book. For example, the Kindle will read the text to me. Perhaps this is not the case with all readers. The document identifies other issues that may require accommodations. Some students have difficulty learning from written material even if they have adequate vision and may require additional assistance.
Part of my confusion regarding the sudden interest of local administrators in ebooks is that I did not receive a similar message indicating that I should be aware of the limitations of conventional text books – the books that cannot read themselves to you and may also be difficult for some students to understand. Maybe when things really slow down we will receive information regarding the limitations of books.