In honor of Martin Luther King:

MLK Day in the US is the third Monday of January, this year, January 19, 2026

Ask a Tech Teacher’s 19-page two-lesson plan bundle to support your teaching of Martin Luther King (click for more information) is

66% off through Jan. 19, 2026

Lesson plans include:

• • • • an Event Chain of Dr. King’s impact on American history (adaptable to other historical events)
      • interpreting his words with a visual organizer

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5 Top Benefits of Adolescent Outpatient Programs for Mental Health

Adolescents facing mental health challenges often need consistent support without leaving their normal routines. Outpatient programs make this possible by combining professional care with the flexibility to stay connected to school, family, and friends. These programs help teens receive structured therapy and emotional support while maintaining daily stability at home.

Families often look for treatment options that fit real-life schedules and responsibilities. Outpatient programs meet this need by providing multiple forms of counseling and structured hours of care in a safe environment. This balanced approach encourages healing and growth while keeping the focus on progress and connection. (more…)

A lot of teacher-authors read both my Ask a Tech Teacher education blog and my writer’s blog, WordDreams. In this monthly column, I share a popular post from the past month: 

January 1st is Public Domain Day! This is an observance of when copyrights expire and works enter into the public domain–free for all to use. According to Public Domain Review, here are some of the newly available artistic works you might like a/o January 1, 2026:

The picture above is interactive on the website. If you click it, you enter Public Domain Review’s website and can then explore each of these new sources of inspiration, free to use.

A few recently released that caught my attention:

Copyright ©2026 askatechteacher.com – All rights reserved.

Here’s the sign-up link if the image above doesn’t work:

https://forms.aweber.com/form/07/1910174607.htm

“The content presented in this blog are the result of creative imagination and not intended for use, reproduction, or incorporation into any artificial intelligence training or machine learning systems without prior written consent from the author.”

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

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If you subscribe to my blog, you are eligible for specials on tech ed books, lesson plans, tips, and help every month. Here are some of the specials subscribers have received this past year:

• 5 for $25 on tech themed bundles
• Discount on Tech Tips
• Free Posters
• 50% off Sidebar Sponsorship
• Savings on Common Core math lessons
• Holiday project book
• Discount on Back to School Survival Kits

Here are some coming up in future months: (more…)

January marks Braille Literacy Month (January 4th is Braille Day) and a remarkable milestone: 200 years since Louis Braille developed his revolutionary code that continues to impact lives today. In 1824, at just 15 years old, Louis Braille created a tactile code that would open new worlds of literacy and learning.

Braille uses 63 combinations of raised dots to represent letters, numbers, punctuation, and contractions. Each cell has two columns of three dots. The left column is numbered 1, 2, 3 from top to bottom, and the right column is numbered 4, 5, 6. Each dot has a unique number.

Braille literacy websites (click for updated list of special needs websites for the vision challenged):

1. HumanWare–various writing/reading tools for the blind
2. JAWS
3. National Library Service for the Blind–free, from the Library of Congress
4. Natural reader–paste text into the dialogue box and the site reads it to you
5. Panopreter–text-to-speech
6. Snap n Read–select text and click speaker icon on the toolbar.

–image credit DepositPhotos

Here’s the sign-up link if the image above doesn’t work:

https://forms.aweber.com/form/07/1910174607.htm

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Copyright ©2026 worddreams.wordpress.com – All rights reserved.

“The content presented in this blog is the result of my creative imagination and not intended for use, reproduction, or incorporation into any artificial intelligence training or machine learning systems without prior written consent from the author.”

Jacqui Murray has been teaching K-18 technology for 30 years. She is the editor/author of over a hundred tech ed resources including a K-12 technology curriculum, K-8 keyboard curriculum, K-8 Digital Citizenship curriculum. She is an adjunct professor in tech ed, Master Teacher, freelance journalist on tech ed topics, and author of the tech thrillers, To Hunt a Sub and Twenty-four Days. You can find her resources at Structured Learning.

Here are the most-read posts last month:

1. Websites that Explain Elections
2.  Subscriber Special: November Holiday Project Book
3. National STEM Day Nov. 8th
4. Geography Awareness Week November 17-21
5. A Day to Remember Veterans
6. How to Graph in Excel
7. Create a Timecard in a Spreadsheet for Grade Two+
8. 8 Tips to Teach Tomorrow’s Students
9. Thanksgiving Activities That Keep You in Charge of Learning
10. What Makes a Great EdTech Teacher?

Here’s a preview of what’s coming up: (more…)

As children return to educational pursuits from the holidays, it’s a perfect time to reinforce routines that make learning fun and easy. The Ask a Tech Teacher crew has ideas on how to make this manageable and enjoyable for students and those who teach them:

How to Create a Balanced Learning Schedule for Kids

Creating a balanced learning schedule for kids is one of the most meaningful ways to support their growth, confidence, and curiosity. A well-planned routine helps children feel secure while allowing them enough flexibility to explore interests, rest their minds, and enjoy family time. Balance does not mean filling every hour with lessons. It means shaping a day that respects a child’s energy, attention span, and need for variety. When learning feels organized yet flexible, children are more likely to stay engaged and develop positive learning habits that last.

Photo by Vitaly Gariev on Unsplash

A thoughtful schedule also reduces stress for parents and caregivers. Instead of reacting to each day as it comes, you can guide learning with purpose. The goal is not perfection but consistency, clarity, and room for adjustment as your child grows and changes. (more…)

Since we started Ask a Tech Teacher fifteen years ago, we’ve had almost 6.3 million views and 3300 comments from about 11,500 followers who read some or all of our 2,454 articles on integrating technology into the classroom. This includes tech tips, website/app reviews, tech-in-ed pedagogy, how-tos, videos, and more. We have regular features like:

• • Weekly Websites and Tech Tips (sign up for the newsletter)
  • Edtech Reviews
  • Lesson plans

If you just arrived at Ask a Tech Teacher, start here.

Here are our top 10 lists of most popular posts and tips for 2025:

(more…)

Also on January 1st: It’s Public Domain Day! This is an observance of when copyrights expire and works enter into the public domain–free for all to use. According to Public Domain Review, here are some of the newly available artistic works you might like a/o January 1, 2026:

The picture above is interactive on the website. If you click it, you enter Public Domain Review’s website and can then explore each of these new sources of inspiration, free to use.

A few recently released that caught my attention: (more…)