Utilizing Drones as Learning Aids for Education

Drones, once considered a novelty, are now becoming an integral part of modern education, offering a unique and engaging way to learn various concepts.

For young students, toy drones designed for indoor flights provide an exciting introduction to the world of drones. These drones, suitable for beginners, can help improve hand-eye coordination, reaction time, spatial awareness, and decision-making skills. For older students with a keen interest in coding, drones compatible with coding platforms offer a more advanced learning experience.

Drones come in a wide range of prices and levels of sophistication, making them accessible for various age groups and skill levels. The Ryze Tello, for instance, is an inexpensive drone that not only provides a platform for young students to learn about drone flight but also serves as a platform for learning basic coding. With the Ryze Tello, students can create simple projects such as autonomous flight, face or object tracking, and controls via hand and body gestures.

Drones are not just fun and engaging; they also offer a "learning by doing" strategy that boosts the learning experience. Furthermore, they can be used to demonstrate various physical concepts, such as gravity, lift, Newton's laws of motion, and angular velocity.

As students progress, they can move on to prosumer drones with high-end cameras and autonomous flight capabilities. These drones offer photography and filmmaking opportunities that provide unique perspectives and a wider field of view.

The motors in drones provide lessons on the difference between brushed and brushless motors, and the value of micro-stepping versus full-step operation for stepper signals. Moreover, the Electronic Speed Controller (ESC) of a drone is an excellent demonstration of feedback systems.

Drones are expected to continue being part of the modern world, and using them as education tools can improve lives and prepare students for future industries. In Germany, while specific schools offering drone courses for children may not be explicitly listed, practical drone training is available through programs such as DJI Academy courses, and some schools may incorporate drones into extracurricular or special interest projects.

Drones can also be used to make rudimentary maps of familiar places, such as school grounds or neighborhoods, to develop basic navigation and map reading skills. Lessons on relevant drone rules, flight safety standards, airspace classifications, and air traffic communication can be given to students who are comfortable with drone flight.

Furthermore, drones can serve as a gateway to learning about basic aviation concepts, which are not typically covered in schools. Learning about drone flight can foster skills in technology use, physics (flight dynamics), geography (mapping), and computer science (programming drones), contributing to subjects like science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).

As drone technology continues to evolve, it is clear that they will play a significant role in education, offering a fun, engaging, and practical way to learn a wide range of concepts.