I just heard about Readathon 2012:

12 publishers, 24 bloggers and several people across the world are joining hands to get thousands of kids reading over 6 weeks this Summer. This Readathon, for the youngest and emerging readers, is powered by MeMeTales Reader app and website. Every week, kids get access to a free book they can read and have fun with. Parents enjoy a new activity pack with a host of relevant activities, carefully prepared by educators and publishers every single week.

More…

(Source: mediabistro.com)

D.C. Library Staff Tests iPad Services App - The Digital Shift →

The latest report in Library Journal’s Patron Profiles series is out: Mobile Devices, Mobile Content and Library Apps

A great summary is up at The Digital Shift.

News: Read the daily edition of the Congressional Record on your iPad

Now There’s a Congressional Record App for That
by Andrew Weber

I am very excited that today marks the launch of the Congressional Record App presented by the Library of Congress, an initiative of the House leadership under the guidance of the Committee on House Administration.  The goal of this new free app is straightforward – easily read the daily edition of the Congressional Record on your iPad (and maybe save a few trees in the process).  Just like the Library of Congress does with THOMAS, we are pulling together data from our  partners: the Office of the Clerk of the U.S. House of Representatives, the Office of the Secretary of the Senate, and the Government Printing Office.

In the iTunes App Store, we describe the app as being able to:

• Browse editions of the Congressional Record by date: January 4, 1995 (the 104th Congress, 1st Session) to the present
• Perform keyword searches within individual documents or sections within documents
• Share documents via email
• Save documents to your preferred iPad PDF reader
• Identify the latest bills and resolutions considered daily on the floor of the U.S. House of Representatives
• Identify the latest bills, resolutions, treaties, and nominations considered daily on the floor of the U.S. Senate

Want even more details about what the Congressional Record is?  See the About the Congressional Record page in THOMAS.

Previously: There’s a Congressional App for That

5 iPad Apps Every Teacher Should Have →

world-shaker:

I’m cool with this list (though it still lists a lot of the common ones) for two reasons:

1) There actually are some interesting apps on here.

2) There are more than five apps.

Here’s a sample:

Pi83 Graphing Calculator A simple calculator isn’t enough for most math students once they hit high school, so having a graphing calculator handy is always welcome. And since Pi83 Graphing Calculator, which mimics Texas Instruments’ Ti-83 graphing calculator, costs just 99 cents.  Never be outsmarted by your students again.

WorldBook – This Day in History. This interactive calendar is powered by World Book Encyclopedia and features historical information for each day of the year.  Struggling for a lesson idea today or just need to fill in 10 minutes with some great facts from history.

Cram Cram is designed specifically to help students study for a big test. The app allows them to create multiple-choice quizzes and study guides with a flash-card-like system. The app even randomizes the answers to ensure students aren’t memorizing a particular option.  Best of all for teachers it has a massive bank of online tests you can access and administer.  Don’t sit up all night planning or correcting a test again.

Nice!

pewinternet:

Half of Adult Cell Phone Owners Have Apps on Their Phones

Our latest report explores recent trends in app downloads: Who uses apps? What do they download? Who pays for apps—and how much? Read more…

Another great tidbit from the report, as reported by TechJournal:

In February of 2010, Pew Internet reported for the first time that laptops had overtaken desktops in popularity among 18-29 year-olds, and in the current survey, laptop ownership (57%) has equaled desktop ownership (55%) for the full adult population.