Teaching with drones in education holds tons of possibilities that range from introducing piloting basics to helping students explore drone uses and careers as well as how coding fits in. Whether in STEM programs, a dedicated drone class, or in CTE courses, students can explore practical STEM concepts, gain hands-on experience, and a lot more. When it comes to the best drones for education, however, knowing what you're looking for is incredibly important. There are some big names, like the Parrot Mambo Fly and the Sky Viper line, but our team has certain requirements when it comes to our recommendations.
When it comes to drones in the classroom, there are several factors educators might want to consider. The first of those has to do with grade levels and the comfortability children have with these tools. Though they can use drones in many different ways, it's often best to wait until middle school before integrating them in the STEM curriculum. By high school, however, lots of students—especially those in career and technical programs—may be comfortable with piloting drones. And, the good news is that educational drones are, by nature, easy for students to operate.
Best features of educational drones.
Educators don't necessarily need classroom drones with all these features but, realistically, they'll want to ensure they have a few. Many consumer drones require users to manually control their flight paths—often using a remote control. Typically, for STEM education, however, educators will look for the programmable drones. When students can program a drone themselves, they can gain valuable experience with creating flight plans and, more importantly, with building their coding skills. This versatility is also appealing to 21st century educators because of the opportunity for kids to develop computer science skills and learn about the real-world uses of drones and piloting at the same time.
Another key thing to look for in drones for STEM learning is its makeup. Finding drones that are lightweight, compact, and affordable is ideal in most educational settings. It doesn't happen super frequently but, when students are new to piloting drones, there's a greater risk for crashes. For this reason, most drones for the classroom are typically extra durable and also don't include many breakable components. Plus, the smaller and more compact they are, the easier they are for students to use in any classroom environments—either indoors or outdoors—and the easier they are to store. Beyond that, many educators (and students) like to make sure their drones have high-quality cameras for recording photos and videos.
Benefits for middle and high school students.
Integrating drones with these features in STEM and CTE courses can help students develop key skills and real-world readiness. We know that hard skills, like computer programming, are still incredibly beneficial for kids to learn. Using these devices in the classroom can certainly help in this regard but these activities can also help with soft skills development, too. So, when programming drones or using them in photography or videography, students must first plan safe and efficient flight paths. This helps them incorporate design thinking and, most likely, collaboration—two of the most relevant real-world skills today. In their planning, they'll also learn the importance of drone safety and why variables, like wind speed, the brightness of the Sun, and the machine's power are all important.
When it comes to soft skills and drones, some that students might learn are communication, collaboration, adaptability, and critical thinking. They might also routinely share one between two or three of them, which means collaboration is often key in lessons. This also, as you may guess, involves a lot of quick, clear, and efficient communication. Students need to be sure they program their drone on the right path (literally) and, if any issues arise, like a battery draining more quickly than expected, they have to work together to find a solution to get it back safely on the ground. If nothing else, it's the perfect opportunity to see what it's like to adapt to real-world challenges on the fly.
Careers and industries involving drones.
Especially for CTE students, understanding the impact drones will continue to have on various industries is also important. Chances are, students might not be fully aware of all the ways people in different industries use these devices and they might not even be thinking about some of the industries in which they are most common. At the top of the list, there's military and police work—popular potential career options with CTE students. Helping them explore examples of using drones in these fields can be super helpful and inspiring. From there, there's, of course, security and surveillance along with architecture, surveying, and geography-related options to consider.
Nowadays, there are also drones popping up as delivery tools—a real glimpse into how this technology is evolving. Students might find it appealing to learn how these industries work and how many different types of items could wind up coming to them on an unmanned aircraft in the near future. Beyond keeping us safe and providing convenience, professionals in some other relevant industries are starting to use drones more frequently. These include real estate (for shooting unique photos), construction (for capturing the important angles and even potentially delivering supplies), and telecommunications (for creating temporary cellphone towers in isolated areas or those affected by disasters).
Classroom drones for students to use.
Now that we have built things up, let's talk about our top picks for classroom drones. First on our list of the best drones for education is the DJI Tello EDU. Different from the Tello Drone, this is specifically for kids to use in building STEM and technology skills. The Tello EDU is programmable and has a long-lasting battery, photo and video capabilities, and different modes for maneuvering. Students could try Tello EDU coding in Scratch, Swift, or Python and the drones are available individually or in class packs of five, 10, or 15 units. There's also the RoboMaster TT (Tello Talent) drone from DJI. More for seasoned pilots and programmers, this drone enables students to code in a graphical environment, using Python, or with Arduino features. It also has a programmable LED matrix, intelligent awareness, and other various upgrades.
Next, we have a few Discover Drones Premium Packs from PCS Edventures. These classroom solutions feature the RubiQ educational drones and, unlike the Tello EDU, students can build these ones themselves. The Premium Packs come as two different options: the 7-pack or 10-pack. Each contains the components students need to build the drones along with tons of accessories. These include batteries, controllers, FPV goggles, battery chargers, directions, and more. Lessons involve kids building, training, flying, and racing, helping them develop real-world skills and culminating with a final design project.
Other solutions for students.
The third and final option on our list are the Discover Drones Club and Classroom Packs—also from PCS Edventures. These kits also come with RubiQ drones but, after building them, students can focus more on the mechanics, electronics, and the physical science that goes into piloting them. They come with many of the same materials as the Premium Packs but with a greater emphasis on learning the science. This helps students create connections between drones and careers when using these kits. The Club Pack supports 10 students and the Classroom Pack supports up to 25 with over 30 hours of curriculum.
If you have interest in creating a drone program in your school, we hope this guide helps. If you have any further questions or want more details on these solutions, please contact our team any time. You can find our entire list of educational drones on our store and below. There's also the DroneBlocks curriculum and PD tools, which helps educators learn to teach using the Tello EDU. It features fun project ideas, interactive guides, and a virtual Tello simulator. Whether you want to introduce students to coding with drones or just educate them on piloting and the benefits these machines provide, the opportunities for real-world lessons are extremely extensive. Follow us on Twitter and Instagram for more on all things STEM education.
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