For once neither question nor answer, but a mini preview of coming distractions of sorts.

The long hoped-for Inkling app for iPad has been released into the open corral of the AppStore. A free app for viewing dynamic documents (created using a companion app of which not much is yet known) complete with shareable annotation function: "ability to discuss passages of a book with other students or professors. By selecting a piece of text you can leave a note for others to read and develop a conversation around the text."

This sounds good on, er, paper (and screen, too), but I wonder why isn't this a global function of the iOS itself, rather than that of a single app? If this goes on, soon we will have umpteen incompatible annotations schema, one for each native app, with no means of exchange of notes between them (sorry for repeating myself, I've been going on about this for quite some time.)

Company promo also hopes to "solve [student textbooks] problem by reducing the cost of the digital textbooks as compared to their paper counterparts and by allowing students to buy books one chapter at a time." Fine by me, but, once they're through with them, will the students be able to resell their books/ recoup their investment? Something tells me NOT – in effect they'll be buying lifetime non-transferable reading licences, rather than textbooks as such.

More promises promises: tuaw.com/2010/08/23/textbooks-for-ipad-progress-with-inkling. Neither TUAW nor NYT Bits mention a most important advantage of electronic media: they weight nothing in comparison with physical paper instances, ergo a whole semester's worth can be schlepped around easily. Less weight translates to less effort means less energy required to carry them around equals lower food intake leads to lesser risk of obesity etc (far-ranging that but not without merit.)

Emantras’ Frog Dissection is the first of its kind to hit the app store. This app is for educators and learners alike; anyone who wants to practice before or instead of an actual dissection. http://www.punflay.com/frog-dissection-appstore.html

Here's the wiki for an iPad trial at Trinity Lutheran College in Australia. We are trialing the effectiveness of iPads in education and I will be using this site regularly to look for and share ideas throughout our trial. http://tlcipad.wikispaces.com/

Here's a wiki page of The School District of Palm Beach County's pilot program starting this fall. http://www.palmbeachschooltalk.com/groups/ipadpilot/ It has a great list of apps for all grade levels.

I do iPad Development and am currently working with 2 major school districts to provide iPad software. If anyone has an idea or need for your iPad educational situation, you can find me on twitter @beninati. I'd love to chat.

This isn't content per se, but you should put Inkling on your radar. It's basically authorware for iPad.

I'll be making Practica, the iPhone/iPod Touch app for music students to manage their practice sessions available for the iPad when it comes out. Additionally, there will be a teacher's edition to manage their students and the students' assigments.