5 things and you are good to go.
As a development communication student who is currently taking DEVC 10 and DEVC 11, I would say that the five most essential items that a DevCom student must have are items needed for note taking and data gathering. Especially in DEVC 11, we need tools that will help us look for and gather data such as the primary source and secondary source information that will be needed for straight news and the succeeding exercises in the lab. Aside from that, note taking tools are needed, of course, during the lecture and discussion in both DEVC 10 and DEVC 11
1) Phone
Using our very own smartphone can be really helpful in doing data gathering. Inside that device are various apps that you can use in gathering data from people, in the web, or even in the place or setting. For instance, if you need a recorded interview from the person, you may use the audio recorder of your phone to record the voice of the respondent. If an audio-visual footage is needed, you may use the camera to record the respondents. Aside from that, you may also use the Notes app to input important information while doing the interview or during fieldwork. Finally, if you are in need of additional information for your data, you may use the Browser app to surf the web (given that you have internet connection). Our phone is a multipurpose device that you can use in data gathering, it is also handy and portable at the same time (which is an advantage everyone when going out)
Aside from that, our phone is used for communication purposes, which is in fact its main purpose. While you can call people in the traditional manner, online chats or video chats are mostly preferred by everyone especially those who have the Messenger app (or Viber) for its convenience and farther reach to people.
2) Camera
While our smartphones already have a camera attached in it’s body, having a separate camera such as a Digital Camera, SLR, or DSLR can be very essential in doing a photoshoot or a video footage. The quality of production is higher in a professional camera compared to a camera phone. If you are in need of a video footage of higher raw quality and is professional looking, a professional camera aforementioned earlier is what you will be needing. One of its advantages over phone cameras is its ability to shoot higher quality video or photo in low light conditions. Moreover, in terms of color and overall detail, the professional camera can produce better videos or images than a phone camera.
3) Laptop/Computer
A working laptop (or a desktop) is also a must for a devcom student. In editing you photos or videos, you will be needing a laptop or a desktop in order to do that. Aside from that, the laptop is useful in many other ways such as creating documents, papers, or thesis (in the future), making slide presentations for a report or defense, as well as posters, infographics, and publicity materials for your events or projects. Like the smartphone, you can do a lot of things in your laptop or desktop as it enables you to run several softwares that caters to services mentioned above. While laptops are less handy and portable than smartphones, you can do a lot more stuff in your laptop than in your smartphone.
4&5) Pen and Paper
What happens if there is no internet connection, or all of your devices run out of battery life? Then your go to items would be the pen and paper. It is the earliest, if not, one of the earliest tools used in gathering information. This is evident in a class setting where we use our pen and paper in note taking as well as copying what is shown in the slide presentation of our professor. Though technologies like smartphones and laptops already exists, the pen and paper is still the most effective way of note taking because more information can be retained by our brain if we write it. Also, in choosing the type of paper to use in class, yellow pad is highly recommended because when our professors suddenly conducts a surprise quiz or bonus quiz, they usually ask for a 1/4 sheet of yellow paper. It is also cheaper than your spiral notebooks by the way!
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