LIVING LEARNING IN A TECH WORLD

by


To prepare:

  • Review Saki’s The Open Window (written, audio, and video).
  • Think about your reaction to the different forms of the story and what it might mean for you as a learner.
  • Consider how humans use their perspective to understand new experiences by imagining the details of a story.

 

 

 

 

Post a response to the following prompts (at least 200-300 words);

  • Consider the imagery you created in your mind as you interacted with the written version of The Open Window.  Describe this imagery and discuss whether it helped you understand the story. Did the imagery or imagined tone change when you listened to the audio?  How?
  • After watching the video, have you changed your mind about the stories or the characters? If so, describe the change and why you think this happened?
  • Since technology has made it easier to share visual versions of written works, does that impact our need to “see to believe” or influence how easily we understand material we have read but not seen?

Respond with a comment that asks for clarification or provides support for two of your classmates.

Response 1

While reading The Open Window, I immediately had images of a young girl who lacked good intentions. She may have partaken in evil events based on the description of her being self-possessed. In my mind, I imagined her as a creepy-looking girl, preying on this anxious gentleman, her next victim. It was until I read the end of the story that I found out that she was lying about the events. Hearing the tale enhanced my imagery of the interactions because of the sound of the character’s voices.

I enjoyed the video. Recently, I read a book called Where the Crawdads Sing and then saw the movie based on the book. Despite what I expected, the film did not meet my expectations. I was not impressed with the actors who played the characters, and the movie did not provide some key events. Despite having similar expectations for The Open Window, I found it a well-produced video. I loved the characters selected for the possessed girl and the nervous guy. I also connected with the story more because of the eerie music and surroundings. As a result, my initial impression of the story’s narrative was the same, but it captured my attention more.

Using visuals when reading and listening to audio can help you understand what’s happening. When you read or hear descriptive material, you can sense the mood and connect with what’s happening. Seeing does, however, provide a better understanding of what is happening. By watching the characters’ body language, you can see what they are feeling and how their environment affects how they express themselves.

 

Response2:

At the very beginning of reading The Open Window, I pictured an easily annoyed teenager. As I continued reading, I felt the pain of losing three family members. As the story continued about why they keep the window open, it brought back the feelings of losing my father. I was 17, and he went to work one day and never came home. I watched the front door for him for months on end. I was sure he would come home, and he never did.

After listening to the audio, it changed the image in my head slightly. It sounds more like the three men that returned are ghosts and a figment of the aunt’s imagination. After watching the video, The Open Doors, it completely changed my perspective. The three men went to war and were not, in fact, dead.

I believe that technology has made understanding some writings even easier. I believe that it is hard for a lot of us to picture what is going on without a lot of details. While I read the piece, I pictured the child as a bratty teenager, I thought the three men had died, but after watching the video, it completely changed my perspective. The child wasn’t bratty she was missing her uncles. The men, in fact, went off to war, which is why they were gone for so long. I would never have put that together without the video.