Buhay Devcom: Essentials 2019

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UPLB is the battlefield,

BS Development Communication is the battle,

equipment and tools are the weapons.

One cannot simply go to battle without any weapons if they aim to win, right? The same thing applies to BS Development Communication. In my one-month stay so far in UPLB, I’ve been using tools that I find essential to survive the course – to enjoy as well.

First things first. You’re gonna need a laptop.

Laptop. It is where most of your activities will be accomplished. Essays, position papers, reaction papers, posters, pamphlets, news, and the likes. You’re gonna need not just any laptop, it should have a video card and an intel core i5 or higher for better performance when using editing software such as Indesign, Photoshop, Premiere, and Audition – that you will be using a lot in the course.

The second thing you’re gonna need is a smartphone.

Smartphone. You need its audio-recording capabilities, communication capabilities, and photo-capturing capabilities. Since the course will require you to go outside of the campus to conduct interviews for news writing exercises, you’re gonna need a smartphone to record the interview and to document as well.

Note: Preferably, a camera would give off better quality photos. However, with the ever-improving technology, smartphones can already produce quality photos. Either of the two would suffice.

Third, a portable microphone.

Portable Microphone. The course will require you to solicit opinions from the mass as well as from the expert in a specific field. The better the quality of the audio, the easier it is to transcribe. Transcription is a common output in the course so it will be more convenient to have a portable microphone with you when conducting interviews to have clear and crisp audio.

Fourth, storage devices.

External drive and USB OTG. From documents to audio files, a storage device is needed to safe-keep such files needed for the course. An external drive is highly essential despite the unlimited storage provided by the UP System. Not just an external drive but also an OTG that makes the transfer of files from a smartphone to a laptop or vice versa easier.

Note: If you already have an external drive before college, it is better to have a separate one for academic purposes especially when you’re faced with situations wherein you have to lend your external drive for a group project. You don’t want your group mates to see your files, right?

Lastly, you’re gonna need a pen and a notebook.

Any form of paper would do. In BS Development Communication, there will be tons of writing activities. You can make use of a notebook or any paper, in general, to list down any important information deemed valuable for your exercises. I recommend a dotted notebook so that you can make a calendar – wherein you can keep track of the exams, requirements and the likes.