Kristin Donley teaches students who have felt completely disconnected in school or just dropped out. They鈥檙e not an easy bunch to motivate.
But Donley has found a surprising hook: drones.
鈥淚 quickly recognized that these kids needed something to inspire them,鈥� said Donley, who teaches at Arapahoe Ridge High School, an alternative school in Boulder, Colo., and presented her work June 24 at the International Society for Technology in Education鈥檚 annual conference here. 鈥淚 wanted to bring something that was relevant, something they鈥檇 heard a lot about, that they think is interesting, but have probably never touched.鈥�
She partnered with a local post-secondary institution, Front Range Community College, which sent its students to help Donley鈥檚 classes use computer coding to fly drones through a maze.
Donley鈥檚 students already knew drones were delivering everything from to . They were also aware that the , including in the current conflict between Russia and Ukraine.
And because many of her students鈥� parents are agricultural workers, they鈥檇 heard . Some even asked Donley how they could get a license to operate those drones. At least a few of Donley鈥檚 students have gone on to get credentials in flying drones.
鈥淣ormally, when they would come to school, they would be on their phones, and you couldn鈥檛 get those phones away from them,鈥� Donley said. But during the drone activities, 鈥渢heir phones went down.鈥�
Drones spur students to problem-solve and collaborate
Carole Geruso, an educational technology specialist for the Glens Falls City School District near Albany, N.Y., also tapped into enthusiasm for drones, with a very different group of students: 5th graders.
This past school year, she taught a five-week introductory course on drones to sections of about two dozen students. Only a handful in each class had experience flying drones on their own.
Most of their stories went something like this: 鈥淚 had a drone for a week, and then I flew it up into a tree,鈥� Geruso joked.
With Geruso鈥檚 help, they learned to write code to fly drones around the school library.
Working with drones taught students skills beyond coding and computer science, she said. When three kids share one drone, 鈥渢hey have to collaborate,鈥� Geruso said. 鈥淭hey have to troubleshoot together on a huge scale.鈥�
Many teachers believe they can鈥檛 bring drones into the classroom because they鈥檙e costly, both teachers said. But Donley was able to find a simple model for about $90 online.
Other teachers who have incorporated drones into their instruction say safety can be a logistical challenge and recommend goggles or glasses to protect students鈥� eyes from flying drones. And schools that use more sophisticated drone technology have to consider liability concerns.
Geruso鈥檚 district invested in two sets of 10 drones. But she recommends educators whose districts can鈥檛 afford drones consider borrowing a set from a local vocational education program, or look into grants.
Geruso鈥檚 final piece of advice for educators considering teaching with drones? 鈥淛ump in,鈥� she said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 worth it.鈥�
