Drones in Education: Starting a Drone Program in K-12 Classrooms

Image via Shutterstock

Launching a drone program for K-12 students will take some consideration. You must consider the drones education objective for your classroom. Before making any moves on investing in the hardware, K-12 schools ought to take some essential steps to enhance their drone programs’ success getting off the ground.

There is a rise in the curve of K-12 schools introducing drones into the classroom. Experimental cases show how useful unattended vehicles are when teaching science, technology, art, mathematics, and engineering skills. With the students’ positivity of minds at the thought of flying robots in the classroom, teachers will require support systems to understand how to implement technology in their lesson plans.

Duane Roberson, Director of Career and Technical Education and Concurrent Enrollment, speaking to EdTech Magazine, said, “It is easy to attract students and hook them with the coolness of flying drones. The burden is on us to show them the career connection — that a drone is a tool and that many industries use it.”

Before purchasing a drone, educators should identify the need, audience, and purpose of the student engagement and achievement of the course standard or objective.

Image via Shutterstock

Things to Consider Before Launching a Drone Program in Classrooms

Licensing

Teachers should consider acquiring a license as a Federal Aviation Administration Part 107-certified remote pilot to ensure they understand the safety and all the rules and regulations on drones. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) does not require certification for educational use.

Safety

Teachers should learn where they can and cannot fly drones. This will help maintain safe airspace for the teachers, students, and others. We are responsible for flying within the FAA guidelines and regulations.

Picking a Drone

Additionally, teachers should decide on a drone to complete the objective for their course or program. In picking a drone, you should ask questions like:

Where will we be flying?
Is there enough space to fly the size drone you have looking to fly?
Does the drone have to be registered with the FAA because of the size?
How many drones will I need per student?
Is there an age requirement for the drone?
What media quality will you need?

Learn More About Starting a Drone Program for K-12 Classrooms

Get more information on how to create a budget for a classroom drone program, how to fund an educational drone program, and the benefits of teaching using drones in our white paper, “Starting a Drone Program in K-12”.