Fun and learning about drone technology collide in three-session drone class
With a title like “Take to the Skies With Drones,” it’s hard to imagine a bunch of kids wouldn’t have some fun while learning about a piece of technology that is becoming increasingly popular in today’s world.
And judging by all the giggling that could be heard from the hallway outside of Room 143 at Tracy Area High School on Monday, plenty of fun was had by six fifth- through-seventh graders who signed up for the class.
The Tracy Community Education course has already held two of three sessions, with the final one coming Monday where kids will take the next step in controlling their drone.
“This is the first time they’ve had an afternoon class with me and having exposure to 4-H programing,” said Sam Jens, Extension educator, 4-H Youth Development. “They all have interest in being able to fly drones. Two of them actually have a drone at home that they fly around, but they are really inserted in learning about careers with drones and how to better fly them and control them.”
Jens told the kids that drones are currently being used by Amazon to deliver packages, farmers to scout their fields and law enforcement to locate missing items from above.
“What I hope to get out of this is exposure to coding and how that works for drones and robotics,” said Jens. “They get exposure to career opportunities in the future that might give them a spark for a career. Just to have an opportunity to explore a new tool that they can utilize in the future.”
Jens mentioned that people can earn a drone’s pilot’s license — the University of North Dakota has a class on drones — or unmanned aircraft.
“This is expected to be a career of the future,” he said. “It’s just going to gain in popularity. The class has elements of 4-H, and we talk about the 4-H experience, that 4-H isn’t just about the county fair, we also expose them through things like this through 4-H.”
Jens said he appreciates having the opportunity to share his passion of STEM activities as he teaches the kids how to use a scientific method to problem solve and work through issues.
“They learn to work through issues by using their critical thinking skills,” he said. “To be able to solve problems as opposed to being told what the answer’s going to be to solve their problem.”
This past Monday, the kids got a chance to code and fly small drones for short periods from laptops. Next week, they will be flying larger drones equipped with cameras.
“They are going to learn to fly them through a point of view,” Jens said. “They will be able to see what their drone sees through the camera, and they will do a search-and-rescue mission, so they’ll have to work together as a team.”
Jens paid $2,300 for 10 drones and four Cromebooks with a grant from the Marshall Area Community foundation and the Southwest Initiative Foundation.
