Apple announced the reinvention of the textbook last week when they launched iBooks 2.

Fast facts:

* 20,000 education apps built for iPad

* 100,000s of books in iBook store

* 1.5 million iPads are currently in use in educational institutions and schools

* iTunes U has seen over 700 million downloads

* Video, interactive features, search, common iPad “gestures” like pinch to zoom, swipe, and tap

* Portrait mode is optimized for reading

* Highlighting and note-taking

* Study cards from notes and glossary terms

* Textbooks not available on iPhone or iPod

* iBook Author only available for Mac

More information about iBooks is available at Apple’s website.

Genesis Technologies offers discounts of up to 85% for homeschoolers. This is a great way to get a discount on software.

Jay Ryan’s Celestial Almanack will have you looking up when you step outside at night.

Simplex Spelling Sight Words and Phonics 1 are great ways for children to learn to spell.

Video review of the Belkin TuneDok. It’s a great accessory for keeping your iPod or iPhone safe in your vehicle.

If you’d like to leave feedback about this or any other episode you can call and leave a voice mail by calling 518-290-0228, send email to [email protected], or leave a comment on the blog. Follow me on Twitter: @jwilkers.  Also follow the podcast on Twitter: @wiredhs.  Join the Facebook page over at http://facebook.com/wiredhs Music: Poofy Reel by Kevin Macleod.