To Facebook students or not? To Tweet them, yes or no?

Peter Kupfer has made it difficult for his physics students to claim they didn't know about a homework assignment. Not only does Kupfer outline the assignment during class at Lake Zurich High School in Illinois, he also Tweets a daily reminder to his followers on Twitter. On Facebook, he posts a status update and occasionally provides extra details on his fan page. "I, personally, am not worried about sharing (online) space with students," he said. "The kids can talk to me, and I find it a useful avenue to communicate."

But as teachers like Kupfer increasingly are connecting with their students online, school districts are working to define appropriate ways for teachers and students to communicate outside the classroom. It's a murky area with a variety of questions.

The Illinois school code requires that districts develop polices for social networking and teach students how to safely use chat rooms, e-mail and instant messaging. Some districts have responded with vague policies open for interpretation. Others have banned all use of social media between teachers and students. Read the article in The Chicago Tribune online.