Laptops, smartphones, power banks – these are some of the tools that students value, regardless of their course. Competency in these tools is important in the field of development communication, but why? In this article, we’ll be contextualizing their use in the life of a DevCom student.
1. The Laptop
Practically speaking, laptops make things easier to do. You won’t need to borrow other people’s laptops, go to the library or computer shops and print documents from there, and you can keep your personal files with you as you travel.
In the DevCom context, what once was a luxury item is now a necessity. Communication-related studies must keep up with the state of technology, seeing as how media has evolved over the years. In here you’ll most likely be putting your notes, presentations, documents, recordings, photographs, and videos.
2. The Smartphone
Considering its ability to fit in your pockets, the smartphone has now become one of the most versatile pieces of technology. Uses in the field of DevCom include the following:
- Photography
- Voice and video recording
- Livestreaming
- Map and location search
- Mobile photo and video editing
- Web search
- Note-taking
- Communication (texting and calling)
- Access to social media
- …and more!
Your proficiency in smartphones can greatly improve your output in journalism classes and more. Investing time in learning these skills will be very much worth it in the long run.
3. The External Drive
While external drives are known to be one’s saviors of space, these see further use DevCom as the bridge for your files between your devices. They come in several forms, such as the large, passport-sized drives, and the thumb drives that are much more portable. I highly recommend that you get USB On-the-Go (OTG) compatible thumb drives, because not only are they compatible with computers; they can also plug right into smartphones. You can also get separate adapters for external drives that don’t have the specific connectors for phones.
4. The Power Bank
We all dread the moment our phones run out of juice. On normal days, that means one less way to access the internet or communicate with people – but it’s a lot more troublesome when you’re out on the field.
While many phones these days come shipped with large-capacity batteries, some DevCom work will require us to be away from charging stations for extended periods of time. This is important to remember especially if you need to do a lot of battery-draining activities, such as live streaming or covering events through live social media posts.
Note that having a power bank around can other people might they need it. Who knows? You might just help someone cover an important story that you as group would not have been able to otherwise, or even help keep them away from danger by providing them with a means to communicate with home base.
That’s one way to build social capital.
5. The Pen and Paper
Finally, this duo deserves a spot in this list for a few obvious reasons. One, you’ll need these for note taking and for quizzes in class. Two, they don’t require batteries or other pieces of equipment to operate.
More overlooked is how you can quickly jot down notes on paper while doing interviews so you can verify things that you might not be able to understand properly in the recordings. Remember that you can also create drawings and diagrams to aid your note taking.
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