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Sketchup is remarkably user-friendly! Technology in the classroom is a great tool... it motivates students, stimulates learning, and often levels the playing field. Sketchup is a terrific example... there were gasps of delight and exclamations of enthusiasm as Brian demonstrated just a few of the basics. We all wondered why we had spent so much time with pencil and paper... this looked to be a whole lot more fun and more versatile. Needless to say, every child wanted to try it and they were all able to quickly master a few simple steps with Brian's guidance. I think they would have gladly designed an entire city had we given them time!"

As a teacher, I saw a multitude of curriculum connections; geometry, measurement, logic, problem solving, art, perspective... the list goes on and on.

Other than having the upper hand with digital distribution, an Apple tablet can compensate for other e-book readers' shortcomings. In a previous story, Wired.com polled students on their interest in Amazon's large-format Kindle DX reader. Several of them said they couldn't imagine ditching textbooks for a Kindle DX, foreseeing challenges with tasks such as notetaking, highlighting and switching between books while writing essays.

Assuming its computing powers and interface design are anything like the iPhone's, a touchscreen tablet would make these student-oriented tasks as easy as a few swipes and taps -- far more pleasant than clunking around with the Kindle's cheap buttons and sluggish interface. Plus, we would imagine students would be able to type their papers on the tablet.

There's huge potential in a tablet if Apple can pull this off. The challenge lies in establishing the right partnerships. If Apple weaves e-books into the iTunes Store, will book publishers hop on board? Given Apple's success in numbers, we think so.