Test Drive-Launch Pad

Learning Advantage, Inc. 16941 Keegan Ave., Arson, CA 90746. 800-381-0381. www.learningadvantage.com. $199.

Launch Pad is a sturdy 11x13-inch plastic, touch-sensitive surface. It uses speech, music, colorful illustrations, and a bit of imagination to present beginning reading and math content in a systematic yet enjoyable way.

The device is simple to use. Students plug an electronic cartridge into its side, slip one of the accompanying lesson cards onto its flat surface, and press the on/off button. Lights, music, and clear audio speech direct and correct students, who interact with different learning cards by pressing the sensitive pad surface, reinforcing correct answers.

The basic phonics program, for example, covers consonants and vowels, while the advanced program presents blends, contractions, endings, and more. The math program covers math readiness as well as basic addition and subtraction.

Each learning module consists of an electronic cartridge and 18–20 durable lesson cards. The cards are skill- or concept-focused lessons based on general curriculum standards. The way the device uses clear speech is a real plus. But it is a bit pricey. A basic unit with AC adapter costs $199, and each learning module—a cartridge with its associated cards—costs $49. But cost aside, the Launch Pad is a welcome addition to any primary classroom or media center.