Video game controller

The Diffusion Simulation Game turned out to be quite different from what I expected. I was anticipating a more animated, interactive game with less text and more engagement, but instead, it was a list of school employees with little markers. At first, I felt frustrated-I had read the instructions and thought I understood the process, but I wasn’t having any success convincing people to adopt the new technology. In hindsight, I think I rushed through the interactions without fully focusing on building trust and respect with the ‘adopters.’ Slowing down and ensuring that each person understood the change seemed to be key.

One mistake I made was not using the lunchmates, social, or committees diagrams as much as I should have. I kept forgetting they were available at the top of the screen, which likely impacted my progress. By the end of my 30 minutes, I had convinced two adopters-the Foreign Language Teacher and the Home Ec Teacher-and I was just one point away from convincing the Math Teacher, Science Teacher, and Science Chairman. The strategy that worked best for me was engaging with everyone frequently, but this consumed a lot of time and left fewer weeks to complete the task.

A few important lessons I took away from the game were to take my time, get to know the individuals I’m trying to influence, and be patient with implementing changes. Additionally, using the resources available, like the interaction and committee diagrams, would have been a much smarter approach than just winging it.

Overall, while I found the concept interesting, the game itself felt a bit dry due to the lack of visual engagement, which is something I personally enjoy in a game. Still, it made me realize the importance of understanding your audience when introducing new technologies. For my Technology Integration Project, this translates into the need to engage students by asking for their input on the tutorial videos and gathering feedback on what information they’d like to see included. This approach can help ensure the technology meets their needs more effectively.

 

References:

City of Barrie. (2024). Game on! 2024 [image]. Retrieved from https://www.barrie.ca/community-recreation-environment/community-events/game-on

Indiana University, Department of Instructional Systems Technology. (2019). Diffusion simulation game. Retrieved from https://diffusion.iu.edu/