"There is a parable about the blind men and the elephant that originates from India. In the parable, there are six old men who were born blind, relying on the words of others and their own imagination to picture what the world looks like. They learned that the Rajah's daughter rode an elephant wherever she went. The old men argued about elephants and what they might be like, and why it was the chosen animal for their leader's daughter. The arguments went on for days, and finally, the villagers grew tired of the noise coming from the old men. So, they were led to the Rajah's palace to experience the elephant. Each blind man went up to the elephant and described their experience:
Old man #1: "The elephant is smooth and solid like a stone wall, full of power!"
Old man #2: "The elephant is like a giant snake" (touching the trunk).
Old man #3: "(Touching the Tusk) This creature is sharp and deadly like a spear."
Old man #4: "This is a really large cow!"
Old man #5: (Touching the ear) "This creature is like a magic carpet that can fly over mountains!"
Old man #6: (Touching the tail): "An elephant is nothing more than an old piece of rope!"
After each had shared their perspective, they sat and argued about the true definition of an elephant and what it was.
"Snake!" "Cow!" "Tree!" "Magic Carpet!"
The old men continued their argument as they had in their own town. Finally, the Rajah, awakened from his rest, came to the old men and said, "Each of you touched a different part of a very large animal. Perhaps all of you are right, none of you are wrong, and you simply have to combine your stories to truly understand the elephant."
And the six old blind men were able to combine their perspectives to truly understand what an elephant was like.
The elephant in any edtech conversation room seems to be Digital Citizenship. Like the six old men, we are floundering around, asking:
"Whose responsibility is it?"
"What class should it be taught in?"
"Where do we get the curriculum?"
"How do we grade digital citizenship?"
"Can we just create an acceptable use policy and call it good?"
We have to be better. We are only understanding a fraction of the online world compared to what the old men were understanding about the elephant. AI is here, and there are more tools coming. Kids need guidance to use the internet, just like they need guidance on how to make a Pop-Tart, ride a bike, get a job, drive a car, and take care of a plant.
The question is, who is going to describe the elephant first?"
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