TEACHER’S BOOK

Photo credit: S.Maier

ABOUT THE AUTHORDr Karen Joyce is a Senior Lecturer in remote sensing and spatial science at James Cook University in Cairns, Australia. She holds a Ph. D in geographical sciences from the University of Queensland where she used aerial cameras and satellites to map coral reefs. She has been mapping all sorts of different environments as part of academia, government, industry, and the military since the late 1990’s.

Karen has been using drones for mapping since 2013. She started learning to fly with mini drones and now flies a range of drones with different types of cameras. She has always been aware that as a female she was part of the minority in the field, so is now embarking on a mission for gender equality in Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths (STEM) careers through the world of drones and She Flies.

Photo credit: C.RoelfsemaPhoto credit: C.Roelfsema

Photo credit: C.Roelfsema

3 SHE FLIES TEACHER’S BOOK

SHOULD WE GETA DRONE FOROUR SCHOOL?

Did you know that the ‘new drone economy’ is estimated to be worth tens to hundreds of billions of dollars by 2020, providing about 10% of future jobs? As you are probably aware, drones currently service a huge range of industries from environmental conservation, to retail delivery, to mining. Drones have the potential to play a huge part in the global economy, though particularly in rural and regional environments where access is limited many areas.

As I was leaving my primary school in the late 1980’s, the Principal had just invested in a school computer. Although I never saw it, I remember the announcement so clearly as it was such a big deal at the time. Thirty years later, I own several myself, and they are core to my business and personal life. I truly believe that drones and robots in general will reach this same level of commonality

in our lives. They have such wide ranging uses and the sooner our children are able to engage with the technology, the better equipped they will be to innovate with it into the future.

Australia’s National Innovation and Science Agenda (www.innovation.gov.au) clearly recognises the importance of digital technologies and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths) more broadly. Disturbingly, it reports that despite future jobs requiring these skills, fewer Australian students are enrolling in these subjects at school. We need to respond with learning activities and equipment that captures the imagination of our children. Wonderfully we can do just that with drones.

The beauty of working with drones is that we can implement problem based learning across a range of different disciplines. Sure, they can be used to teach electronics and computer programing. But of course those topics will not interest every child. The trick is to diversify your use of the technology to match the interests of your students. They can then learn to apply the technology in a wide range of situations. With our She Flies program we hope to inspire you and your students to do just that.

So yes, I think you should consider drones for your school. Become an early adopter of the technology, and equip your students with skills needed for their future careers. And in the bigger picture - be a part of building an innovative economy.

Did you know that the ‘new drone economy’ is estimated to be worth tens to hundreds of billions of dollars by 2020, providing about 10% of future jobs?

The trick is to diversify your use of the technology to match

the interests of your students.

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DO WE NEED A SCHOOL DRONE

POLICY?

In short, I believe the answer is yes. We have policies and procedures around everything we do these days, and the reality is that drones are no different. While drones can certainly be fun, they can also cause injury and/or damage if handled incorrectly. Therefore it is important for teachers and students alike to be aware of their associated risks and how to behave responsibly when using them.

We recommend a number of important items to consider when developing your school’s policy (in no particular order):

Thoroughly understand the legislation governing when, where, and how drones can be flown in your location. In Australia, the Civil Aviation Safety Authority regulates drone use (see https://www.casa.gov.au/aircraft/landing-page/flying-drones-australia).You should also check with your local council to see if they have additional restrictions.

Will you need to have someone at your school holding a certified Remote Pilot Licence (RePL)? If you are hoping to fly a craft heavier than 2kg, you will definitely need a license (see CASA link above). If you are looking at craft smaller than this, CASA doesn’t require you to have a license, but it will be difficult to get public liability insurance. Please keep an eye the She Flies website for a list of recommended training providers.

PartnershipsAs you get started, you may wish to partner with a local company who can demonstrate their use of larger craft (and perhaps share data), while you incorporate the safer minidrones into classroom learning. As part of the She Flies program, you will have access to our alumni, and we can help you network through the community of drone users, which is a great way to get support and find out about new ideas.

InsuranceWhat level of insurance do you need to be covered for the types of activities you wish to undertake? If you are only flying relatively cheap drones, it may not be worth insuring for the craft itself, but public liability will definitely need to be considered.

Legislation

Licensing

5 SHE FLIES TEACHER’S BOOK

Training

School Policies

What level of training will you require your staff and students to undertake before they are able to use the drones? You could develop an internal school license system to ensure the drones are operated safely and only by those with experience to do so. Perhaps you need to consider developing a small training package or even implementing a ‘drone leaders’ program where the more experienced students coach the beginners. You could also incorporate a system with ‘L’ and ‘P’ plates for example. Undertaking a She Flies drone day is a great way to kick start your training.

How will your drone usage become part of, or inform your school’s OH&S policy? If you are using a camera drone, which most of them are nowadays, remember to consider potential privacy implications.

The She Flies team has been working with drones of all sizes for several years and can help guide you through the process to get you up and flying.

Flight LocationsCreate a map (or get the students to do it!) showing the areas where you will allow flight on your campus, and under what conditions. This may just be in a gymnasium to start with for example.

OwnershipWho owns the drone? Is it a general school asset, or will it belong to a specific class or teacher? Depending on how you incorporate the drone into learning activities, it might make sense to be looked after by the Geography teacher (for example). Or if you have several drones and want them used across the school, the library might be a great space to have them accessible (and borrowed?).

Photo credit: S.Maier

6 SHE FLIES TEACHER’S BOOK

COOL IDEAS FOR USING A DRONE

AT SCHOOL?

I have met with many teachers (and indeed government and private organisations) who would like to include drones in their learning plans. Many already acknowledge that that is the way of the future but sometimes just don’t know how to get started and what sorts of activities will engage their students. Just to get you started, here are some ideas:

We designed She Flies to showcase a number of different activities that use drones to build STEM skills in a fun and hands on way. There are so many different ways to engage with this technology that we’d like to challenge you and your students to open your imaginations and see how we can build on this list.

ACTIVITY DESCRIPTION SKILLS LEARNED

MiniatureMapping

SynchronisedDancing / Swarms

TargetPractice

Racing

NoteDelivery

Create aMovie

Build a lego (or similar) replica of an environment, at least lm2.

Use the drone to teach the principles of aerial photography and mapping.

Use a number of drones and get the students to either manually pilot

them in a routine, or use Tynker to code them.

Use a drone with a shooting mechanism to shoot pellets at

a target.

Create an obstacle course and get the students to time how long it

takes them to complete it.

Use a drone that has a claw to get students to pass notes to each other.

Get the students to use a combination of drone and non-drone footage to make a short movie to tell

a story.

Estimating and testing the required flying height, calculating scale, understanding pixel resolution,

measuring distance.

Choreography planning, teamwork, hand-eye co-ordination, coding.

Spatial awareness, hand-eyeco-ordination, safety and risk.

Safety and risk, piloting skills, depth perception, spatial awareness,

calculating speed.

Safety and risk, precision piloting skills, depth perception, spatial

awareness, link to real life delivery scenarios and the inherent

challenges.

Piloting, coding, stable flight, storytelling / communication, teamwork, project planning,

artistic angles, creative imaging, video editing.

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WHICH DRONE SHOULD WE BUY?

There are a multitude of drones on the market that it can be quite overwhelming when starting out! Your first, and perhaps most challenging task will be to reconcile your budget with your planned use (see ‘what are some cool ideas for using a drone at school’). Like many things, you really do get what you pay for, so if you have a large budget, then fabulous! But as with most schools, I’m sure you will be trying to make the most out of something small (consider fundraising, government grants, sponsorship…).

That’s not to say that you can only get in the game if you have a lot of money. On the contrary. One of the most exciting things about drone technology is how cheap it is becoming. Prices are constantly falling and new models are frequently being released, so it’s difficult to give suggestions on specific makes or models that won’t be outdated. Here are my top questions to consider:

a. How much money do you have? Do you need to set aside some of this budget for ongoing repairs, maintenance, and spare parts?b. What is your primary use case? Consider photography, videography, mapping, racing, coding, building.c. In line with your use, what sort of accessories will you need? These may include camera, gimbal, shooter, grabber, prop guards, carry case, additional batteries, chargers, tablet and / or controller.d. Will you need specialist software to code or process data? If so, will open source or freeware suffice? If not, are there educational licenses available? The Tynker app is free and incredible for getting your students to start coding the drones.e. Where do you intend to fly – indoors or outdoors? If outdoors, what are the weather conditions like (especially winds)? (Don’t forget to check licensing regulations etc. if flying outdoors). How long would you like to fly for (time / distance)?f. How many drones would you like?

When you are just starting out, I recommend going for something small until you gain confidence and get a better idea of how the drones will fit into your curriculum. I like the Parrot MiniDrones for this reason. They are well priced and are stable when flying indoors, which is critical if you want to contain your activities to a gymnasium or similar. They still have little cameras in them so you can start to build photographic skills. They also work well with the Tynker programming app, so your students can get into coding straight away. My five year old son loves using this!

One of the best confidence building activities is to get a drone that doesn’t actually fly. For example, the Parrot jumping MiniDrones are great for this. Students and teachers can build confidence first in piloting them without having to consider the vertical dimension. These are also safer to use as they don’t have propellers. Students can still program these with Tynker.

8 SHE FLIES TEACHER’S BOOK

HOW DO I GET MORE STUDENTS INVOLVED WITH

DRONES?

So you bought a drone for your class / school and perhaps you’re not finding the students to be as enthusiastic as you’d hoped. What can you do to get your students more involved? I’ve developed a list of considerations and things for you to try that will assist you to build your school’s drone economy.

WhyLead with your ‘why’. Understand why drones are important to you and share this with them. Here’s a really great Ted talk that highlights the importance of ‘why’.(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sioZd3AxmnE)

The Big PictureRecognise that drones are part of a ‘system’ and that the actual flight part is not exciting for everyone. But that doesn’t mean that another aspect isn’t exciting.(e.g. video editing, building…)

Student InterestsWhat do your students already enjoy doing? Fit the drones into their currect interests.(see what are some ideas on page 6)

Room to MoveDo you have an appropriate learning space where students feel like they can confidently experiment with the drones without fear of being criticised for making noise, making marks on the walls, scratching artworks, or breaking a light?

9 SHE FLIES TEACHER’S BOOK

Baby StepsEncourage the students to start on the smallest drones with the easiest tasks to build their confidence.

Crashing is OKLet your students know crashing is OK, as long as they are not being silly and that appropriate safety measures are in place to avoid injury or damage to other property. It’s really not the end of the world, and they won’t be punished.

Crashes are Learning OpportunitiesSee crashes as a learning opportunity and talk about them. How and why did they crash? What could they have done to prevent it? What would they do differently next time? How can they share that knowledge with their peers so that their mistake isn’t repeated?

Role ModelsBuild positive and diverse role models, particularly within the student body itself. Kids in particular are empowered to do things when they see someone like themselves already doing it.

Develop the CurriculumBuild drone technology into the curriculum. No need to force them to be used, but when students have competing priorities and the only opportunity they have to use the drone is in their lunch time, it’s always going to be tough to get them engaged. You will only ever get the most ‘hard-core’ interested student giving up their free time.

Gradual IntroductionConsider using drones in your classes as incidental to start with, rather than core. By this I mean that you don’t need to have a subject called ‘flying drones’ but you might have a photography class that explores different viewpoints of which a drone is just one. This will gradually get students familiar with seeing drones, understanding potential applications and start to build their confidence.

AccessibilityIs the drone space readily available and accessible, or is it in the deepest darkest dungeon of the school? If you are a co-ed school, is the space appropriately ‘decorated’ as gender neutral? Do you need to consider ‘girl only’ times?

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DRONE CAMPS INNORTHERN AUSTRALIA

Thanks to the Australian Government Department of Industry, Innovation, and Science, She Flies Drone Camps are coming to Northern Australia in 2017! We will be running camps in Cairns, Darwin, and the Pilbara for high school girls.

Make sure that you sign up to our newsletter to be the first to receive camp details (www.sheflies.com.au/contact).

The camps are also supported through partnerships with James Cook University, Remote Research Ranges, Rust490, Department of Environment and Energy, and Charles Darwin University.

E D U C A T I O N

P R O F E S S I O N A L

MISSION

CONTACT

We believe that gender equality in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM) careers builds a stronger economy.

DR KAREN JOYCEChief Education Officer

einfo@sheflies.com.au

www.sheflies.com.au

THE PROCESS TOWARDS EQUALITY IS SIMPLE

She Flies generates conversation around gender equality in STEM, using the

world of drones to inspire and provide a platform for change to occur.

She Flies builds high quality STEM leadership and learning opportunities

through drone education.

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