I think that we shouldn't make a fuss about this, as people will soon realise that it's stupid, and won't bother enforcing it.

It's good for introducing concepts, and should keep students' attention. It sounds like you are trying to cover a lot, and I hope that you don't just expect the students to read through a book to gain understanding - i.e. you can do a lot just by bringing in an old computer and pulling it apart. As some others have pointed out, the internet is full of material. I would suggest having a look for video tutorials on the web, and that way students don't need textbooks at all - you can just refer them to the appropriate sites and tutorials