Yesterday, Apple announced that they will be holding a media event related to education next week; however they haven’t revealed much else at this point. The invite sent to news organizations featured a graphic shaped like an iPad. The portable iPad has gained popularity for educators and students at all levels by serving as an alternative to traditional textbooks and laptop computers.

The event, that takes place at the Guggenheim Museum next Thursday, will likely address its latest product updates and how they will benefit educators and learners. For online learners, this could be huge. The tablet has already revolutionized learning, in that it allows the classroom and its related materials to be portable.

While fantastic for mobility and convenience, some question their effectiveness as a learning tool. Penn State released a study of their approaches to online mathematics programs, with mixed results. Some of the problems found related to the rendering of mathematical symbols. In general, tablets are geared specifically towards the written word, meaning that students of online courses related to mathematics should be aware of potential issues when selecting a tablet PC.

This is just the beginning for tablets though. It will be interesting to see how they evolve, and how online programs adapt them into their course design and curriculum. How do you think tablets will evolve over the next year?