Tablets are certainly the current hot item in educational technology. Teachers are willing to forgo some functionality in exchange for portability and a smaller price tag. The leader in this emerging category is clearly the iPad. Apple has hit it out of the park with this device, selling it before consumers even realized they wanted such a tool.
One of the reasons for iPad's success is its extensive collection of applications. Here's a list of the 40 Most Awesome iPad Applications for Science Students. And remember, this is just the beginning of tablet computing.