Drones will be introduced into the STEAM curriculum for Hamilton Township Middle Schools in March and everyone is excited.
The term “drone” has been around since 1935 but the aircraft have really come to the forefront recently as radio, motor and battery improvements are progressing rapidly. Nearly everyone knows what a drone is, but not all know the uses and possible applications of these aircraft.
Indoor drones will be taking to the air in the Hamilton Schools district STEAM elective class, Applied Technology. A class which introduces Middle School students to real world applications of technology and the related careers to follow.
Beginning this March many students in Hamilton’s three middle schools — Grice, Crockett and Reynolds — will be hands-on flying drones on indoor missions based on real world applications.
STEAM stands for the disciplines of Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Mathematics. The STEAM approach brings a more real world, hands on, engagement in learning. As fast as technology is moving, the STEAM approach is one way education is trying to keep up.
Also known as Unmanned Aerial Vehicles or UAVs, these vehicles were developed by U.S. and English military as target practice tools and possibly for delivering ordinance against an enemy.
One of the drone program champions is Karen Gronikowski, supervisor of Mathematics Grades 6-12 and STEM/STEAM curriculum supervisor. The intro of this drone program to the Applied Technology class will be a first for a New Jersey school district. There are currently 215 students enrolled in the Applied Tech elective in the three district middle schools.
“The STEAM teachers have a two day training course then the course will be mostly student driven. There are simulations of real world applications or missions that the students must plan, execute, observe and document.”
Some of the other STEAM course offerings are Computer Science, Coding, Sustainable Energy, Honors Innovation and Design, CAD and Architectural Drawing and Robotics.
The drone curriculum was demonstrated to students, teachers and administrators in February at Grice Middle School. Inside the high ceiling technology room, Scott Buell, of the vendor Drone Legends, demonstrated flying the drones and all the current uses of such technology in the world today.
Buell spoke to the assembled students, teachers and administrators about how drones are currently used for:
Aerial photography for journalism, film and commercial uses;
Shipping and delivery to remote areas;
Gathering information for disaster management such as floods or earthquakes;
Thermal sensors for search and rescue operations;
Geographic mapping of inaccessible terrain and locations;
Building and other infrastructure safety inspections;
Precision crop monitoring;
Law enforcement and border control surveillance; and
Storm tracking and forecasting hurricanes and tornadoes.
The students and the faculty were both impressed.
“We saw that the students were engaged at the demo. It’s easy to engage the science kids, but we wish to engage the rest too. We aim to have a diverse group of students learning from the drones. There seems to be equal interest in female and male students which is very important.” says Gronikowski.
Starting this year with eighth graders, the district plans to extend the program to sixth and seventh grades in the next school year.
The 10 defined drone missions are based on real world actual scenarios and are designed to be 90 minutes long. The drone program also touches on the topics of the engineering design process, coding concepts, aerial video editing, math applications and of course drone piloting.
“This is a hands on course requiring the students to work in teams. Alternating responsibilities as the pilot, observer and data recorder, students will be problem solving in real time,” Gronikowski says.
Some examples of the missions that the students will simulate can be fighting forest fires, surveying an active volcano, medicine delivery and searching the planet Mars for signs of life. The NASA drone named Ingenuity flew on Mars in 2021 and was watched live by many globally back here on Earth.
While these are current examples of drone use, the drone market and drone careers are really poised for takeoff.
The drone vendor to the school district is Drone Legends Inc. of Marlton New Jersey. Founder Scott Buell performed the dynamic drone demo at Grice Middle School.
“By 2025 the drone services market will be $70 billion. This will be a huge field of employment and careers. Think about the applications, installing roofing, bridge inspection, law enforcement, the possibilities are endless.” Buell says.
“I was a tough kid growing up. I was not fond of school. I was the kid in the back of the class with his arms folded thinking I knew more than the teachers. I ended up in a character education type school. I learned differently than other kids. I learned emotionally. I needed to be excited,” he says.
Buell was using drones to film real estate for ads and presentations when in 2019, a friend asked him to do a demo at their child’s charter school in South Jersey.
“The kids were like moths to a flame. They were engaged and had a million questions. For me it was a life changing event. I began to plan a business where we could immerse kids in science and STEAM using drones. That is when we began Drone Legends, named because we believe every kid can be a legend, not just the science or math whiz kid. We believe that the magic of drones can entice kids toward STEAM and have fun doing it. It can be character building, especially with the teamwork needed,” Buell says.
Drone Legends has now instituted drone STEAM programs in more than 70 schools, summer science camps and for after school learning activities.
As this will be the first time this course runs in New Jersey, it will be interesting to see how well it works out. For now there is an excitement level with the teachers too. It is important to keep all parties engaged in the classroom.
Rob Porcella, a STEAM teacher at Reynolds Middle School says he loves how the Drone Legends program gives students real world situations to apply the use of a drone. “For instance, Mission 5: Medicine Delivery is about delivering medication to a remote location for someone in need. When I mentioned the program to our students, their ears perked up and I could see their excitement,” he says.
Also at Reynolds, teacher Audrey Barton says, “The learning opportunity connects to real world experiences. I believe the students will really enjoy working with the drones.”
As Hamilton School Superintendent Scott Rocco stated in a district press release, “As technology advances, so must our class offerings and programming. By engaging our eighth grade students in practical skill development and real scenarios associated with drones, we will wish to bring in additional cutting edge technology opportunities.”
Excitement is flying high. During the demo at Grice, public television station WHYY was in house to film a segment on the drone course for their television Movers and Makers series.
While these drones will be flown inside, and the missions simulated, the real world applications shown to the students will surely take them out into the real world with wider eyes and wider horizons. Ready for takeoff!
Scott Buell of Drone Legends provides drone-flying instructions to Grice Middle School students Amanda Dickson and Jack Haber. (Photo by Laura Geltch.),
