Reigniting a Love for Reading with AI and Avatars with Lawton Smith, CEO of Literal

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Lawton Smith is a literacy advocate focused on adolescent reading engagement and the co-founder and CEO of Literal (LiteralApp.com). Praised as a “game changer”, a “Top Tech for Advanced Learners of ELA”, and awarded a rare five stars out-of-five for “Student Engagement” by Common Sense Media, Literal is an all-in-one digital reading platform for modern classrooms that is fundamentally changing what it means to read books on screens.

💡 5 Things You’ll Learn in This Episode:

1. Why reading scores have declined for over a decade
2. How Literal makes classic texts engaging through chat-based formats
3. The impact of long-form reading on soft skills and mental health
4. How AI is used to scaffold texts with translation, rephrasing, and leveling
5. Why playful, personalized reading boosts student engagement

✨ Episode Highlights:

[00:01:17] What Literal is and how it's addressing the reading crisis
[00:04:45] Key factors behind the long-term decline in reading
[00:09:45] Adapting books to match students’ media habits
[00:16:20] Lawton’s personal journey losing and regaining reading focus
[00:23:12] Turning novels into chat conversations with avatars
[00:32:56] Expanding the Literal library beyond public domain
[00:36:31] How AI powers Literal’s reading support tools

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🎉 Presenting Sponsor:

This season of Edtech Insiders is once again brought to you by Tuck Advisors, the M&A firm for EdTech companies. Run by serial entrepreneurs with over 25 years of experience founding, investing in, and selling companies, Tuck believes you deserve M&A advisors who work as hard as you do.

Chapters

1. Reigniting a Love for Reading with AI and Avatars with Lawton Smith, CEO of Literal (00:00:00)

2. What Literal is and how it's addressing the reading crisis (00:01:35)

3. Key factors behind the long-term decline in reading (00:05:03)

4. Adapting books to match students’ media habits (00:10:03)

5. Lawton’s personal journey losing and regaining reading focus (00:16:38)

6. Turning novels into chat conversations with avatars (00:23:30)

7. Expanding the Literal library beyond public domain (00:33:37)

8. How AI powers Literal’s reading support tools (00:37:12)