The Discover Drones kits, created by the PCS Edventures team, are all amazing classroom resources. As drones remain important tools in our economy, creating educational experiences around their applications, uses, and capabilities are now very valuable in schools. Perhaps the best part is that drone education fits within different STEAM umbrellas. Due to the emergence of programmable drones, for example, teachers can focus on coding. They could also use drones in a photography class or geography class. There's even the opportunity to create classes centered entirely on teaching students about drone features. In any case, the Discover Drones kits offer educators a truly robust solution to help take STEM learning in any direction.
These classroom drone kits are super helpful in STEM and CTE programs, particularly. And, with their two latest Discover Drones kits, learning becomes even more exciting. Known as the Premium Packages, these two options are available in a 7-pack or a 10-pack. Whether teachers utilize them in their classroom or after school, they create far greater in-depth learning experiences than the original Discover Drones packs. They are, however, equally effective at engaging students in real-world lessons. The notable educational upside along with the hands-on nature of the drones certainly remains strong as well because one of its biggest selling points is the fact that students can assemble the drones themselves.
Digital Discover Drones content for educators.
In terms of age, the sweet spot for these drones and the accompanying curricula is in Grades 7-12. Each of the Discover Drones kits comes with tons of student and educator materials and students can use them at a ratio of 3:1 (three students per drone). The 10-pack can serve a class of up to 30 students while the 7-pack is suitable for as many as 21. The included resources are the educator guide, LABCards, Droneology course, and FPV Freerider access. Starting with the educator guides, this content helps teachers facilitate different learning opportunties with their Discover Drones kits. It also serves as a handbook that can help educators become both drone ambassadors and expert pilots. It's best for them to review all the content before launching lessons and they will learn everything from flight guidelines to piloting the drones, real-world connections, and more.
Also, among all the student resources, the LABCards help educators create a completely student-centered experience. They include instructions for step-by-step projects and afford educators with more flexibility to facilitate and coach students rather than showing them everything. Students can use the LABCards to lead their own independent work and discovery. They'll start with the Droneology course to boost knowledge on key elements of piloting. From there, they'll receive some training on the Freerider flight simulator and then explore a final design project. Participating in this project is their opportunity to apply what they've learned and show their teachers how they can use these skills in open-ended problem solving.
The Droneology PD course for teachers.
Then, we have the Droneology course and FPV Freerider software. To supplement the hands-on portion of learning with the Discover Drones system, the Droneology app features digital resources that help fill in any gaps. It's fast-paced and interactive, which is great for preparing pilots of all skill levels to take to the skies. Throughout the course, students will learn more about key drone topics, including safety, regulations, flying basics, and many of the ways drones can be used.
Finally, with the FPV Freerider tool, they can run flight simulations as they complete their training. Logging hours on this flight simulator before piloting a physical drone is actually a requirement within the Discover Drones curriculum—a unique and useful touch. Using a Windows, Mac, or Linux computer, students can perfect their skills without running the risk of incurring a crash. Plus, since they'll have a truly first-person view (FPV), it's even more valuable.
What's in the Discover Drones kits?
As for the physical components in each Discover Drones kit, the list is quite extensive. They come with the drones (seven or 10), all tools that students need to assemble them, two spare motors per drone, two LiPo batteries per drone, radio controllers, FPV goggles, safety glasses, controllers for the flight simulator, and a lot more. They also come with the LABCards, an educator guide, and storage bins. To find the full parts list for each kit (there's plenty more inside them), click below to visit our store.
With the drones and the carefully designed curricula, students also have the chance to learn key habits of mind. Strategically outlined by the PCS Edventures team, these include applying past knowledge to new situations, managing any impulses, practicing persistance and accuracy, taking responsible risks, thinking independently, and communicating clearly. Plus, students could develop other soft skills and information-age skills as well, like communication, collaboration, creativity, innovation, initiative, and self-direction.
STEAM and CTE lessons with the Discover Drones solutions.
Though their Premium Packages are geared more towards middle and high school students, there are also other drone solutions for younger students. The Ready, Set, Drone! program, Coding with Drones program, and Exploring STEAM Careers program can be used in Grades 4-8 to help provide these students with an important foundational understanding. The PCS team also offers STEM labs with curricula for students in Grades 3-4 or Grades 5-6. They can use the materials found in each of the other kits to complete various STEM lessons on coding, including in Java and Swift, and artistic expression.
There are also curriculum maps available to educators. These help them scale the curricular offerings up or down to meet students' needs and abilities. In fact, it's also very helpful for covering all the most important content quickly—in a short summer camp, for example—or stretching it out to include all the details over the duration of a semester-long unit, even helping teachers create connections to other key subject matter.
As we've said, the guides are very valuable and they're also written directly by the PCS team. They include unique insights that help both students and teachers build confidence in using these drones. The Discover Drones content, in particular, isn't necessarily geared towards coding instruction, however. It is a bit more for helping educators focus on getting students to understand basic functions and uses of drones.
Building skills for the future.
With the skills they learn, students can eventually become ready to succeed as commercially viable pilots. This, of course, is a great way to connect the Discover Drones system to CTE classes or the school STEM curriculum. It ends up being a fairly technical endeavor for students since the different elements that make up the overall experience go a long way in helping them build their piloting skills. Also, they should start to build a more in-depth understanding of the drone technology along the way.
Finally, in addition to the amazing educational content, the hands-on portion of learning is also quite user-friendly. Since students engineer the drones themselves, the PCS Edventures team has made this as easy as possible. In each of the kits, the parts needed for assembly are all included. They all connect very easily and come apart without any struggle. They have small, yellow, one-way connectors to help kids plug each part in correctly. Each piece only fits one way, which helps eliminate potential electronics and safety risks as kids build the drones. Best of all, there's no soldering required to build the Discover Drones products.
Using Discover Drones solutions in the classroom or afterschool programs.
There's a lot that goes into making these drone education kits optimal for classroom learning, afterschool STEM programs, or camps. If you have any questions about the Discover Drones kits, including these two robust options, feel free to contact us. You can explore the Premium Packages below and find more STEM solutions from PCS Edventures on our store. For more on STEM education and innovative teaching, follow us on Twitter and Instagram. Subscribe to our newsletter, too, for all of our latest product offerings. And, please feel free to share this post within your STEM education community.
