Richard as in Dick as in Dick Tracy

Here’s me … or my wrist anyway … the other day when I got this new tool/toy – as an experiment…

New School.

Sorry for the slightly blurred image. It wasn’t easy getting my Samsung GS4 to focus and after a dozen shots this is what YOU get. My new Samsung Gear2. I wasn’t sure I was going to like it – too geeky perhaps – but I think I do like it. We’ll see. It’s early.

Hey – I just answered a call from my wife from this – the day after I opened the package. I don’t think she even knew I was talking in to her while on this new device. It was different … talking to my wrist.

I get message alerts from all my chosen message sources – so I can be as masochistic as I wish – in terms of being plugged into the network. I can look at appointments, my list of contacts; I can pretty much connect with what’s on my Smartphone. I can take photos and videos. Here is one of my first photos – once I learned how to aim.

But I’ve only begun my experiment.

And as I do I will be thinking along the lines of what the next few generations should be able to do even better and what new things it can do.

It’s early in this.

My Experiment

Of course my main interest is to determine the potential “affordances” as well as – and maybe even more importantly – the constraints – of something like this – for what you might call Performance Support and I would call Performance Enablers.

For this is just one of the sub-sets of enablers IMO.

It’s just one of the supports required – perhaps achievable by many means in addition to this new means. Many means to an end or ends.

Is this a means to the ends?

Is it a better means to the ends – and to what ends?

Please look at the next diagram. This is my frame of mind in framing my experiment.

If you had a tool like this – for their are many brands and soon to be more – what spines on the fishbone might be better enabled with tools such as these?

How does this fit Guy’s Performance Fishbone?

Not just enabled – but BETTER ENABLED?

It itself is a Tool/Equipment item, linked to others items in other categories/spines.

They provide access to Data/Information and perhaps things that develop awareness, knowledge and skills.

Not skills in welding, but maybe everything else in terms of awareness and knowledge. And maybe someday – skills in welding.

But what else could it be a sub-set to – in this frame of reference? This logic framework?

Or in your equivalent framework.

Time to use your imagination.

The Watch Is No Longer Just The One or Two Dimensional Device

First there was Time.

Later, Date was added.

Time and Date.

Now there is so much more.

And of course – THIS TOO SHALL CHANGE.

This tool, this enabler shall and will change.

It shall EVOLVE.

Perhaps even MORPH.

Until it DIES.

This tool will evolve and morph and then either die when displaced, or it will continue to morph and morph….

So I won’t get into labeling this as Mobile Learning Cubed or anything.

It’s early in this.

It’s just another tool found on this step on the forward path of technology advancements – and then it involves the collective us to find the utility of them.

For work and/or for play and/or for health reasons.

The pursuit of them all.

Pursuing Performance.

For Performance Improvement.

Here’s Dick… once he modernized from the 2-Way Wrist Radio of my youth…

Still – even modernized – it’s Old School – given what today is on the other end – ends – of these new communication tools.

But back in the day in the day it was quite futuristic.

And I would guess it would have kindled the imaginations and dreams of many of what was possible.

Stay tuned for future reports from my experiment – in the PIP – Performance Improvement Potential for tools such as this – and their limitations – for those who too easily become uber enamored. This isn’t the key to Nirvana.

And … JSYK … technology world … While I don’t think there was anything from that Fred Flintstone era that I’m still waiting on … I am still waiting for that George Jetson Flying Car.

It’s no longer early in that.

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