Pitsco Education introduces middle school curriculum and arena for drones
The increasing popularity and utility of drones has led to interest both inside and outside the classroom. Proper training in drones and drone safety can prepare students for a multitude of careers such as drone pilots, software developers, construction inspectors, and more. Schools can now provide these connections with the newly developed drone curriculum, arena, and materials from Pitsco Education
“Drones have become an important tool for preparing students for entry into a host of burgeoning STEM careers,” said Pitsco Vice President of Education Matt Frankenbery. “We’re excited to be able to bring this next step in STEM education to the middle school classroom.”
Using drones in the classroom opens a new set of opportunities to make classes more relevant and engaging for students. And Pitsco offers a variety of options to get teachers and students started with drones. From the Tello EDU Drone 5- and 10-Packs to a Drone Arena and Drone Competition Curriculum, we’ve got your classroom flight plans covered.
The Flight Guide: Drone Competition Curriculum created by our team of education experts uses the excitement of competition to introduce students to the many uses drones have in today’s world through both manned and autonomous flight operation. Designed for Grades 6-8, the curriculum, correlated to ITEEA standards, consists of a guide with 12 activities and four competitions as well as resources such as career research links, preflight check, teacher notes, and a glossary with basic flight terms and drone principles.
As students progress through the activities, not only do they practice flying drones, they also learn about real-world FAA flying rules and safety regulations as well as the principles and terminology of quadcopter flight. Culminating competitions pose scenarios that enable students to test their new skills, perhaps rescuing victims from an explosion or capturing footage of a car accident, engaging teamwork and critical-thinking skills as well.
The curriculum has been written and tested using the Tello EDU drone, but it is open-ended, enabling teachers to use any drones available to the classroom.
Teachers ready to reach new heights should take advantage of the Drone Flight Guide Curriculum and Field Elements Kit which includes the Flight Guide: Drone Competition Curriculum, a teacher flight guide, 10 student flight guides, and all competition field elements necessary (drones not included) to start a competition. Options include:
- Tello EDU Drone 5-Pack and 10-Pack: Featuring best-in-class technology designed specifically for education, these drones enable students to use the remote control features of the Tello app and then easily transition to learn programming languages such as Scratch, Python®, and Swift.
- Drone Arenas: Available in 10′ x 10′ and 10′ x 20′, these arenas are engineered for drone flight, creating a safe and secure environment for learning, competition, and fun.
- Drone Flight Guide Curriculum and Field Elements Kit with Arena: All the essentials of the aforementioned kit with the addition of the 10′ x 20′ Drone Arena.
As part of our drone education continuum, Pitsco has also partnered with CrossFlight Sky Solutions to offer drone curriculum and training that can lead to federal certification.
