Teaching the Educational Value Filtered Technologies

At the NYC DOE social networking sites are usually filtered, but I think it is important to provide professional development to teachers about how we can harness the power of these tools in education. I do this through classes and communication to educators across the city, but I've found that many educators are very uncomfortable when it comes to ensuring their students know how to use banned or filtered tools safely, appropriately and educationally since they are not allowed in schools. I recently blogged about this in my post Social Networking for Innovative Educators.

I'm wondering what others think or have experienced in relation to teaching or promoting the educational value of filtered technologies that are not accessible in school. If you have a chance, check out my blog posts to see my take on it, or just share your experience.

I really appreciate the opportunity to find out what others around the globe are experiencing.