I have been teaching at the same school for almost 25 years! I am dually certified in reading K-12 and English Education 7-12. When I began at Sweet Home, I was a reading teacher and remained a push-in type teacher to all content areas for seven years. Over those years, I was asked to teach some of the basic level students (students who were either emotionally disturbed, special education or those who were too disruptive) either an American Lit course, a ninth grade English course or an elective. At that time homogenous grouping was popular. The one way I found to engage them was through using technology in my lessons. When I was asked by administration to teach 11th grade and 12th grade classes, and to teach students who would be taking the "new" Regents many years ago, I continued to implement the latest technological advances into my lessons. To this day, I continue to advance my students in using programs, software, apps, and technological devices that they normally do not get a chance to utilize. With the oncoming Common Core assessment, it is essential that our students use technology to enhance their critical reading skills, and utilize websites, apps, and other software to assist them in becoming responsible citizens.