As a middle school teacher, I have often struggled to find balance in my instruction. Throughout the years, I have noticed students are becoming less and less engaged in learning. I knew that if I were to continue teaching, I would have to find a way to motivate my students to learn as well as engage them in the process of learning. This led to my decision in creating my compelling question - How can I help middle school readers see the value in learning through the integration of technology and literacy? Although the question has changed slightly throughout my experiences at NCSU, the answer, although seemingly simple, remained the same - allow students to have choice and a voice in their learning experiences. Donalynn Miller stated, “Students will read if we give them the books, the time, and the enthusiastic encouragement to do so. If we make them wait for the one unit a year in which they are allowed to choose their own books and become readers, they may never read at all. To keep our students reading, we have to let them” (The Book Whisperer: Awakening the Inner Reader in Every Child). Allowing my students to choose the learning method that best suits each of them as individuals has meant relinquishing control in my classroom and allowing my students to guide their own instruction. While I am the expert in the field of literacy in my classroom, they are the experts of their own needs. It is my responsibility to guide them in the learning process by allowing them to experience the successes and failures they so deeply require to become successful readers and writers who are prepared for the every changing world we live in.