“Being literate in 2011 means being digitally literate,” says Chris Lehmann, principal of Science Leadership Academy, a public high school in Philadelphia that has been using social media since it opened in 2006.

Sheninger and others also say it is naïve to think that kids raised online will respond to school the same way as previous generations. “Kids are coming to us bored, disconnected, and it’s a challenge for us to figure out how to leverage the tools inherent in the real-time Web,” he says.

The American Library Association encourages schools and libraries to think twice before keeping kids off social media, saying such prohibition “does not teach safe behavior and leaves youth without the necessary knowledge and skills to protect their privacy or engage in responsible speech.” Their policy statement on the topic says that instead of restricting access, librarians and teachers “should educate minors to participate responsibly, ethically and safely.” —Social media finds place in classroom (USA Today)