When should eBooks begin?

So far in my college career, I have only had an online eTextbook once; and all through middle and high school I never had one. Perhaps that was because eTextbooks were not yet common or easily accessible. Much about whether or not to use them is left to personal preference. But for me, the biggest question is when children should be using those eTextbooks in class? When should technology become the front-runner in how children learn?

I've become all too familiar with the videos of very young children who are confused with how a book works. Although often these are of children probably only a year ago, I feel like it is testament to how children are learning and seeing the world today. Rather than learning to do something by hand, a computer is doing it all for them. For the most part, the books young kids will use are picture books or simple text books that, in my opinion, do not need to be digitized. I realize that the larger books required in high school and college can be made more convenient by online access, and it also makes research much easier by being able to do a search of the book - rather than use the index.

So at what age do we allow children to begin to rely heavily on technology? Obviously some of that is left up to the parents: when they give their child a cell phone, iPad, eReader, or laptop is completely up to them. However, whether or not that will be a primary tool within our classrooms is left up to us as educators. It all depends on how the technology is integrated. Are we using technology just to satisfy the requirements of the state or are we using them to actually enhance learning?