The Puerto Rican came home with two parakeets this evening. (Like, but not, the one pictured.)
— February 4, 2013 Facebook Posting

The past couple of days, I have been showing students a posting I made in Facebook about the two new additions to our growing family; two parakeets whom have joined the three dogs, four fish, and turtle who already share a home with me and the Puerto Rican.

In one class, a student asked if I knew that the Puerto Rican was bringing parakeets home. (Not really, but he did ask to borrow my car so he could meet the parakeet lady.) In another class, I was asked if the parakeets had names. (If they do, I have not been told their names yet.) And in another class, a student commented that she thinks she would like the Puerto Rican because he likes animals. (He is kind to animals.)

The exchange about the parakeets only lasted a couple of minutes in each class, but it was not idle conversation wasting class time. After showing my posting, I pointed out the comment I made to it:

Photo Credit: Nichole Mays
http://www.flickr.com/people/mnicolem/

I then joked that I am so obsessive about academic integrity that I could not simply search the Internet to find a photograph of a parakeet to post in Facebook. I had to find a photograph of a parakeet that had been released under a creative commons license that permitted me to legally post it. “To make matters worse,” I continued, “I had to cite my source—even in Facebook.” As my students laughed, I deadpanned, “I might be a tad deranged, but you are now stuck with me.”

My little story about the Puerto Rican’s parakeets underscored the importance of proper documentation and academic integrity that I had already introduced in class and which I will continue to stress throughout the semester. However, the story of the parakeets—and my obsessive need to cite the source of a photograph posted in Facebook—gives students an emotional connection to rather abstract concepts; a connection that helps them learn the material.

The dry rules of documentation are now enmeshed with two parakeets, three dogs, four fish, a turtle, a slightly quirky professor, and the Puerto Rican who collects animals. Who can forget that?

–Steven L. Berg, PhD