Recently, while researching innovative ideas to engage students using STEM, I came across a series of YouTube videos created by teachers using drones to help students learn various skills while keeping them captivated to learn more.  

Watching the excitement on the faces of the children in the videos piqued my interest, and I quickly found myself binge-watching more as I began to wonder how I could adapt a drone curriculum to use as a fun learning experience for my students.

That familiar educator anxiety set in as I began working on incorporating drone technology in the classroom. I had never touched a drone and had no idea how to fly one, and I’m far from a coding expert. As a STEM educator, I know you’ve felt similarly about some of your lessons. Hopefully, this article will help ease your fears and take advantage of using drones to help students learn dynamic new skills.

Each year, more and more K-12 educators worldwide are choosing to incorporate drones in the classroom to teach students about career opportunities in technology, as well as lessons in coding, science, art, engineering, technology, and mathematics.

While adding this to your curriculum is appealing to students, teachers may require more assistance in incorporating this technology into their lesson plans. These 7 tips should help you navigate from drone novice to expert in no time.

7 Tips for Creating a Successful Drone Lesson Plan

1. Research

While there are a variety of educational drones available, it’s essential to keep in mind a few things when selecting the one that is right for you. First, you’ll need to know where and how you plan to use it. Will you need an indoor-only drone, or will you take your lessons outdoors?

Next, you’ll need to research the apps necessary for using the drone you choose. Don’t be afraid to watch a variety of YouTube videos until you feel confident in what the drone can do so that you can better understand and answer questions for your students.

In my research, I found that the Tello and Robomaster Tello Talent were perfect for my students, and both were created for educational purposes. If you decide to use one of these, the Native Tello app will be valuable in helping you better understand your drone. The beginner's guide includes advanced smart flight options, flight tutorials, and installation instructions for propellers and propeller guards.

2. Get familiar with your drone’s coding applications

When looking for the right drone, I came across the DroneBlocks coding application, which made it incredibly simple to introduce drone coding to my students. They came up with many unique ideas thanks to the DroneBlocks app that allows you to program or code Tello drones using drag-and-drop block programming. The DroneBlocks drag-and-drop feature allows users to create custom flight logic and algorithms and can be downloaded for iOS, Android, and Chrome. (More information about the DroneBlock application can be found by clicking here.)

3. Purchase Spare Drone Parts

This seems like a no-brainer, but you may not think about it until it’s too late. In my research (and my own experience,) I found that the three most critical spare parts to have on hand were batteries, propellers, and propeller guards. The battery life of entry-level drones is about 6-8 minutes of flight time, and the batteries charge in about an hour. If you have back-to-back classes, you’ll need to charge the used battery while using the spare to continue the lesson with each class. I recommend having at least three batteries on hand and fully charged, just in case.

In addition to extra batteries, I recommend at least 5 extra propellers and 2 extra guards. These can be easily broken in flight, so having spares is essential.  

4. Get Organized

You’ve done all your research, and your drones and spare parts have arrived! Before jumping right in, get your equipment organized and save yourself stress by getting things in order ahead of time. One of the most beneficial things I saw in my research that helped my students and I was keeping two storage bins for batteries. I started each day with fully charged batteries in one bin marked “New” and had an easily accessible empty bin labeled “used” nearby for students to deposit used batteries in at the end of class. This allowed me to prep and recharge the used batteries during the next class.

I also had a designated place for drones to be kept in the classroom when not in use and a space nearby with spare propellers and guards so broken parts could be easily swapped out for new ones before a flight.  

5. Highlight Proper Safety Measures

As with any STEM classroom, each student must have a pair of goggles before beginning a lesson. This is especially important when working with drones. When I suggested extra propellers, it was because when they break, there is a high probability of a piece flying away, breaking, or dislodging. Additionally, students with long hair should keep it tied back so as not to get it stuck in a propeller.  

6. Divide and Conquer  

As each drone emits signals that connect to a controller or application, too many overlapping signals can result in a student’s drone accidentally following the flight path set for another student’s drone. For this reason, it’s beneficial to divide your class into groups of 3 or 4 and assign one drone to each group. If possible, give students additional space (like taking the lesson outdoors) to decrease the likelihood of crossed signals. Once you have teams, assign roles to the students and have them switch roles throughout the lesson to allow them to practice different parts of coding, controlling, and troubleshooting.  

7. Real World Application  

Last but not least, apply your lessons to real-world drone usage to give students a peek into how they could use drones outside the classroom in their future careers and daily lives. Children can design an airborne package delivery system, create a flight path to market real estate, or improve structural engineering. Depending on the age of your students, you can cater the lessons to what is developmentally appropriate. Use your imagination! If you’re teaching various ages, have older students create ideas for how younger students can use drones-get creative!

Drones are used in various industries like real estate and delivery services, and our partners at NYPA even use drones to check transmission lines. Drones have incredible benefits in STEM as they allow children to see science, technology, engineering and mathematics working cohesively together in real-world scenarios that they can get excited and curious about. It also helps them prepare for careers in rapidly expanding industries. These hands-on experiences will teach children how accelerometers, gyroscopes, magnetometers, and barometers work. They’ll be able to examine drone-related electronics like motors, ESCs, batteries, flight controllers, and more.

In addition to the STEM benefits, using drones in the classroom teaches students critical thinking, communication, and collaboration skills and supports practical applications of computer science.

I hope this article has given you a sense of excitement to begin planning your drone lessons for your students.

If you’re looking for more professional development for you or your team to create an interactive drone or STEM curriculum, contact WhyMaker today.

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