Drones are on course to play a huge role in future industries, making familiarity with flying them a plus for anybody who might be looking for a STEM job in the future. Now, however, flying drones involves more than just controlling its height and movements with a remote control. Some more advanced drones can be programmed to complete short flights, snap photos, and show students how coding and drones are related.
Before even bringing programming into the fold, drones can be used to teach students some very valuable 21st century skills and abilities. Students can maneuver them using a handheld controller, virtual controller on a connected device, and now through coding. Using one of these methods, kids can learn about some pretty incredible concepts for using drones in the real world, like flight mapping, photography, and, of course, flying the actual drone. Plus, they help us accomplish so much while they’re in the air and the added wrinkle of being programmable makes them much more appealing in education.
Before the emergence of programmable drones, traditional drones would afford students the opportunity to explore their local area. They could use them to research the terrain and maybe even pinpoint some local environmental concerns. Or, perhaps students could shoot some photos or brief videos to either confirm or deny a hypothesis they shared. Now, with the programming side of things much more in play, students can do a lot of these same things, but they’re able to load a program on to their drone that tells it where to fly, how long to stay airborne, and even when and where to snap pictures!
So, what are some of the easiest and best ways to bring programmable drones into STEM curricula? Educational manufacturers have made it pretty easy for teachers to do this with solutions that are both powerful and simple. In our minds, the three best for use in education are the Tello EDU drone from DJI, the Airblock from Makeblock, and the RubiQ from PCS Edventures.
Tello EDU Drone
With the Tello EDU, students can create programs that control its flight path. Using the intuitive Tello app, it's easy to code the drone's movements in Swift, Python, or Scratch! Plus, kids can make a swarm of up to four drones fly together! The Tello EDU, from industry leader, DJI, provides both teachers and students with an affordable way to bring this technology into education. Teachers can use the Tello EDU as early as third grade and it’s available on our store in single units, a small classroom pack, medium classroom pack, and large classroom pack!
Airblock Drone
Configurable in three different shapes, thee Airblock drone offers a very unique way of flying. Students can use simple block coding to control its flights and make it somersault, hover, or customize other stunts while it's in the air! It’s a great way to combine three crucial components of STEM education in engineering, programming, and drone flying. Students in Grades 6 and up can create simple or complex programs on the Makeblock app that they can use to fly the Airblock indoors our outdoors and gain some valuable, hands-on experience in the process. To order one, visit the Eduporium store!
RubiQ
With the RubiQ from PCS Edventures, students can engineer and fly their own programmable drone! It comes with build plans and an online guide and can be used to teach students about the economic potential of drones. It also empowers educators to take STEAM education further by letting kids build it themselves! The RubiQ is best for upper elementary, middle, or high school students and offers a sturdy option for bringing drones into the classroom. Plus, the RubiQ comes with all the parts and tools needed for building it as well as hard copies of the building plans. To buy a RubiQ drone, head to our store!
We truly believe that programming and piloting are terrific ways to engage students and leave them with incredibly valuable skills for the future. If you’re more in the market for a traditional drone to use in the classroom (without incorporating programming), you can find some of today’s top models on our store as well! If you have any questions about these drones, please feel free to reach out to us at support@eduporium.com or send us a message on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram!
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