1. Motivating Students to Read with LightSail
Sandra Sigmon
Dr. Goetzel
ITEC 7445
July 13, 2015

2. What is LightSail Education?
LightSail Education was founded in 2012 to address critical educational challenges with efficient and effective digital solutions.
LightSail is an award-winning tablet-based literacy program that provides students with personalized tablet-based libraries.
It embeds assessments and analytics in students’ texts and monitors their Lexile measures, Common Core progress and reading habits.
Teachers receive real-time data along with tools designed to support literacy instruction practices in classrooms (Business Wire, 2013)

3. The LightSail Library
LightSail has “80, 000+ standards-aligned fiction and nonfictional texts.
The LightSail library offers the titles that students want to read, and teachers want to teach, including
Bestsellers and informational texts
Children’s classics, popular kids series and teen classics
Hi/lo books for reluctant readers and Spanish-language titles.
All books come complete with embedded assessments.” (lightsailed.com)

4. LightSail is Designed to Accelerate Reading Growth
“Readers are matched to books; a personalized library is based on reading level.
Every student is prompted to read texts at a just-right level to optimize growth.
Students are assessed as they read with assessments embedded within texts.
Daily progress is monitored with built-in questions for every text, including items from MetaMetrics (lexile framework).” (lightsailed.com)

5. LightSail Supports the Vision for Technology Use in the School/District
The vision of DCSD is to “prepare students to lead and succeed in a rapidly changing world.”
LightSail uses technology to motivate students to read and promote growth.
LightSail integrates “reading and writing activities to accelerate student literacy into an easy-to-use tablet solution.” (Business Wire)
LightSail fits in with the district’s vision to prepare students to lead and succeed, as it integrates reading literacy and technology literacy to increase student achievement.

6. Ages and Grade Level Ranges Appropriate for Using LightSail
“Students who can read independently can use LightSail.
LightSail fits all classrooms and supports K-12 reading programs.
It supports all student profiles and engages students of all reading levels and optimizes their rate of progress.” (lightsailed.com)

7. Equitable Access to Technology for All Students and Teachers
“LightSail supports all student profiles, engages students of all reading levels and optimizes their rate of progress, including
Below benchmark readers
English Language Learners,
Gifted and Talented Students
Reluctant Readers and
Students with Disabilities.” (lightsailed.com)

8. LightSail Works With Any of the School District’s Literacy Models
LightSail is “designed to support any K-12 reading program, adapting to the way teachers already teach.
LightSail fits any curriculum, including differentiated instruction and independent reading.
It can be used to support independent reading, small group work and whole class instruction.” (lightsailed.com)

9. Hardware and Software Requirements
“LightSail is available for “all iPads with exception of the 1st generation iPad and iPad Air 2.
Schools do not need a device for every student; easily fits into 1:1 and shared device models
Schools can support up to five students on a single device.
Students have a unique login, and can access LightSail sharing the same iPad over course of day.” (lightsailed.com)

10. Hardware and Software Requirements cont’d
“Takes less than 5 minutes to setup
Tech Notes: iOS 6 and up. iPad 2 and later.
Plans for additional versions and iPad Air 2 support for the school year.
Version for Android, Chromebooks, and HTML5 coming soon.” (lightsailed.com)

11. Technical Support
There is a page on LightSail’s website for technical support.
Teachers can submit technical questions and can upload a screenshot or video of the issue they are experiencing.
Answers to commonly asked questions, such as password and login resets, adding a new student, and steps to resolve general problems with the app are included on the webpage.

12. Limitations LightSail is currently only available for use on iPads.
“LightSail is designed for use by teachers and students in K-12 classroom, and currently there is not a version that can be used by individual readers.
May develop versions for home school students and individual readers.” (lightsailed.com)

13. Costs and Funding
LightSail for does not provide cost of app on their website.
“LightSail is eligible for targeted federal, state, and local funding sources.
It is also an excellent candidate for private funding sources.
Many of these funds may be available to schools to use towards the purchase of LightSail through an application process.” (lightsailed.com)
Title I schools may be able to use Title I funds to purchase software.

14. Professional Learning Support
“Teachers and administrators have access to an extensive professional learning forum that includes a blog, training videos, and specialized information geared toward teachers and administrators.
Users can also submit and review extensive field notes on using LightSail in the classroom.” (lightsail.com) 

15. How the Technology Can Be Used By Teachers in the Classroom
“All texts come with complete assessments – teachers are not required to create any materials before getting started.
Instant classroom data for teachers provides real-time insight into reading comprehension as well as behavior, such as reading time and pages read.
Control features can be turned on/off at the class or student level, allowing teachers to adapt LightSail to their instructional needs.” (lightsailed.com)

16. How the Technology Can Be Used By Teachers in the classroom cont’d
“When teachers log in, they see what students are doing, thinking and understanding.
Teachers receive alerts about student reading behavior on the dashboard – can see if students are off-task or selecting books outside appropriate lexile ban.
Teachers are provided a picture of class performance – can identify struggling students and can see how students are doing on the embedded assessments and can drill down on specific standards.” (lightedsailed.com)

17. Accessing Student Data on LightSail Dashboard
“Teacher and student dashboards offer easy-to-read feedback on students’ achievements and needs.
Teachers using the app have real-time access to data on all of their students’ reading progress.
Teachers can also use the app to send messages and schedule conferences with students.
Administrators can also view teachers’ interactions with students and view students’ progress in each teacher’s classes.” (lightsailed.com)

18. Student Engagement
“As they read, students can define words and hear sections of the texts read aloud.
Student word walls support vocabulary acquisition.
Helps students make meaning of their own data and empowers their development as readers.
Students can chat with teachers about text (write notes to share their thoughts).” (lightsailed.com)

19. Student Engagement cont’d
“Reading portfolio allows students to track their progress as they grow as readers.
Progress Dashboards for students allows everyone to see student progress – students see their own progress updated with every reading session.
They see their progress towards goals and different badges they have earned within LightSail.” (lightsailed.com)

20. How LightSail Meets Content and Technology Standards
Students have the option to “align their thoughts to a standard or a LightSail reading strategy.
This practice helps to develop a students metacognition and promotes cognitive flexibility with the standard.
Teachers can access individual student data in real-time.
Teachers can monitor progress against common core standards and other standards.” (lightsailed.com)

21. LightSail Supports Learning Goals and Meets the Diverse Needs of All Students
“Personalized Reading Library is based on grade level – books are organized by Lexile measure.
Students are presented titles in their zones of proximal development.
Students are assessed as they read – assessments are embedded within texts.
Daily progress is monitored with built-in questions for every text.
Standards-aligned questions provide insight into comprehension as well as writing skills.” (lightsailed.com)

22. LightSail Promotes Communication
“Students record their thoughts directly in texts and these annotations can be accessed both inside and outside of texts.
Teachers see annotations in real-time and can respond to students thoughts in LightSail.
When teachers assign students to groups, they can respond to each other thoughts directly in the texts creating instant dialogue.
Teachers can use student portfolios of recent thoughts, which makes preparation for conferences easy and efficient.” (lightsail.com)

23. Promotes Communication Locally and Globally with Students, Parents, Peers and the Larger Community
LightSail offers “students tablet-based libraries of over 80, 000 standards-aligned texts representing more than 400 publishers.
Company plans to launch parent portal to help schools stay engaged with parents.” (EdSurge)
Currently working with New York City Department of Education, Chicago Public Schools, Denver Public Schools and numerous rural and suburban school districts.

24. Awards and Endorsements
“Support from the Gates Foundation allowed LightSail Education to refine the product and prove its efficacy both in and out of the classroom.
LightSail took top honors in the Gates Literacy Courseware Challenge, 2013
Named top new education technology company at the prestigious SXSW V2V competition 2013.” (District Administration)

25. Awards and Endorsements cont’d
District Administration Reader’s Choice Top 100 Product, 2014
Common Sense Media Best Ed Tech of 2014
ASU+GSV Winner, Return On Education VentureED Award 2015
Common Sense Media Top Picks, Back to School 2014
Best of ISTE Winner 2014
Common Sense Media Top Picks for Common Core
The Journal 5 Most Popular Educational Apps 2014

26. Reviews on Effectiveness of LightSail
ISTE described LightSail as one of 11 ed tech tools worth noting in 2013.
“Teachers, principals, coaches, and superindents in New York schools impressed by students’ reading and writing progress with LightSail.
Reported increase in teachers' confidence in delivering Common Core-aligned literacy instruction.” (District Administration)

27. Plan for Implementation of Technology
LightSail fits in with the school district’s vision to prepare students for college and career readiness.
LightSail integrates reading with technology to promote student achievement.
Data will be presented to school leadership to show how LightSail can accelerate literacy and promote growth.

28. A Plan for Implementation cont’d
A plan for implementation would include
Assessing the current number of iPads already available in each school
Budget for funding needed to subscribe to LightSail per app
Strategies to integrate technology for students
Training and ongoing professional development for teachers to effectively integrate LightSail to support teaching and learning

29. Reflections
I chose LightSail as an emerging technology because it is a literacy program that uses technology to motivate students to read. It personalizes reading for students and embeds assessments in the texts to monitor their progress. LightSail meets the diverse needs of students and supports teachers in the way that they teach. As I evaluated this emerging technology, I learned that assessing an emerging technology to determine whether it is effective and efficient, aligns with the standards, supports the school’s goals, meets the needs of all students, and supports teachers’ use of technology are all important components of the evaluation process.

30. References Cited LightSail (2015). Home-LightSail. Retrieved from
Business Wire (2013). LightSail Education Launches Adaptive
Literacy Program in K-12 Schools. Retrieved from
LightSail-Education-Launches-Adaptive-Literacy-Program-
K-12#.VaCQDcvbLIU

31. References Cited
Madda, Mary Jo ( 2015). LightSail Raises 3.5 Million for
Tablet-Based Libraries. EdSurge. Retrieved from
www. edsurge.com/n/ lightsail-raises-3-5-
million-for-tablet-based-libraries
Riddell, R. (2014) ISTE round-up:11 ed tech tools worth noting.
Education Dive. Retrieved from
com/news/iste-round-up-11-ed-tech-tools-worthnoting/
283198/

32. References Cited Williams, Lauren (2013). LightSail Education launches
adaptive literacy program in K-12 schools. District
Administration. Retrieved from
htp://
education-launches-adaptive-literacy-program-k-12-schools