Take flight with these educational Drone brands
Drones aren’t just some fun toy with zero educational value - they can be used to teach a variety of concepts including engineering, circuitry, programming, mathematics, and much more. Drones have given humans the ability to visit hazardous and remote places while eliminating the risk of any danger to the individual operating the craft. They can also be used for a wide range of other purposes including aerial photography and racing competitions, in the near future, many are predicting that drones will be a primary form of transportation for mail and food delivery. The future of drone technology will be in the hands on the current generation of students as they build upon the resources that are available to them to create something that we never imagined before. Drones are appropriate for most supervised educational environments including classroom, afterschool, at-home, and makerspace settings. While drones might seem like age-appropriate technology for only high school students, there are STEM brands like RoboLink and Drone Legends that have made drones accessible to elementary students by designing safe and light weight products for in-door use. These introductory level drone resources are more likely to include a remote control or a visual drag-and-drop programming platform if students have not previously learned how to program a drone or robot. More advanced drones offered by STEM brands like PCS Edventures and OnPoynt Drone Solutions provide students with a real-world drone experience that enables them to learn advanced programming languages, perform experiments with onboard sensors, and reach speeds of 75 miles per hour if you are looking to start a racing club! Check out some of our educational drone kits below and view all of STEMfinity’s drone resources here.
RoboLink | CoDrone Mini Classroom Set
- Grades: 2+
- About: The CoDrone Mini Classroom Set is RoboLink’s smaller drone package that is offered at a more affordable price (compared to their CoDrone EDU Pack). This classroom set is best for introducing younger elementary students to programming with starter drones that require no assembly, and includes a remote control in case they are not ready to learn programming. The CoDrone Mini Classroom Set enables students with zero experience to progressively improve their programming skills by starting them with a simple drag-and-drop platform called Blockly and graduating them to the real-world advanced programming language Python. RoboLink created this classroom set with safety in mind as the CoDrone Mini is intended indoor use only and has a feather-light design that can fit in the palm of your hand. The CoDrone Mini Classroom Set offers over 16 hours of curriculum along with free online tutorials to learn how to program flight patterns and much more. RoboLink also has several other great drone kits and drone packages if you don’t need a classroom set, and they can be used in almost any learning environment with proper supervision.
Drone Legends | Drone Legends STEM Fundamentals - With Drones
- Grades: 4-8
- About: The Drone Legends STEM Fundamentals package is a turnkey solution for implementing educational drones into your makerspace, classroom, afterschool program, or summer camp. Drone Legends includes standards-aligned curriculum (Common Core, NGSS, CSTA, and ISTE) and unlimited online professional development to make implementation a breeze. Educators will support their students in real-world activities where they must solve problems, work together, and think creatively to solve challenges. Students will be exposed to relevant topics like science, engineering, math, and introduced to programming drones using a visual-based platform. The Drone Legends STEM Fundamentals package is unique in that it comes with an indoor building set that enables students to construct and modify obstacle courses to advance with their learning. This pack of six drones also includes building materials to construct obstacle courses, safety goggles, storage bins, student mission guides, educator lesson planners, and more! The STEM Fundamentals package requires a smart phone or a tablet to use as a controller for the drone and is not included.
PCS Edventures | Discover Drones Club Pack
- Grades: 7+
- About: The Discover Drones Club Pack offered by PCS Edventures is a comprehensive bundle that introduces students to safety regulations and procedures for unmanned aerial vehicles, and then progressing them from gaining comfortability on a training simulator before advancing them to flying their drones out of sight! After students master the controls of their drone, they will use First-Person View (FPV) goggles to experience flying their drones first-hand at 75 miles an hour. PCS Edventures makes it easy for educators to implement drone technology into their learning environment with their standards-aligned (NGSS) curriculum, educator guide, student lab cards, compartmentalized storage bins, and a drone pilot certification course to teach students everything they need to operate safely. The Discover Drones Club Pack is appropriate for almost all supervised learning environments including classrooms, afterschool programs, and at home.
OnPoynt Drone Solutions | Scout Mini Racing Drone Kits
- Grades: 9+
- About: OnPoynt Drone Solutions offers an all-in-one solution for implementing a drone racing program in your classroom or afterschool program. Drone racing is one of the fastest growing sports in education and will give your students the ability to compete in local and regional competitions throughout the US. This kit is STEM, sports, and fun all rolled into one! The Scout Mini Racing Drone is palm-sized and perfect for indoor racing and contains everything needed to start your racing club including drones, remote controller, First-Person View (FPV) goggles, racing gates, marker cones, safety equipment, and much more. OnPoynt Drone Solutions understands that it can be challenging for students to fly a drone for the first time, so they included a racing simulator to give them plenty of practice and get them comfortable with everything before officially launching. The Scout Mini Racing Drone Kit is one of the more basic models of drones offered by OnPoynt Drone Solutions, and if you are looking for more advanced heavy-duty drone resources then we recommend that you check out their other products in the link above.
