The Drone Zone

Moderation state
funded
Grant Applicant
Paula Bossler
School Site
Kings Beach Elementary
Grant Category
Career Technical Education (CTE)
Grant Date
2019-08-01T12:00:00
Description

In continuation of my master plan to improve the Kings Beach Elementary Tech Lab to reflect 21st Century Skills, I am writing this grant to buy tech that will add more than multimedia skills to the lab curriculum. The next phase of my plan is to move coding from computers to applying coding to move machines. To do this, I will introduce drones to students. I've done some recon with students who participate in tech classes outside of KBE, and I have settled on Parrot Mambo Fly Drones as an introduction to piloting and coding. These drones are affordable, durable and basic in use. 

Benefits of Program

The Drone Zone will benefit students by teaching them technical skills that will help prepare them for technical careers related to coding and piloting. Coding is a skill that may be utilized in design, computer engineering and technology service fields. Piloting has evolved beyond airplanes, and there is an increasing need for pilots of unmanned flight crafts. By teaching KBE students these skills, they will be better prepared for careers in the 21st century. 

Success of Program

The success of The Drone Zone will be measured by the number of students who are able to maneuver the drones around the tech lab and outside while keeping them intact and usable. 

Implementation

Implementation will start during the fall of the 2019-2020 school year. I am in the process of ordering new furniture for the tech lab that is more flexible and easy to move. The Tech Lab will be renovated during the summer of 2019, after which time the set up will look very different. The old iMac Desktops will be gone. In their place, we will have new MacBook Airs stored and protected in a mobile cart, two 3D printers on moveable workstations, five circular tables for group workstations, open space for virtual reality goggle tours (purchased at the DO level) and open space for flying drones. Students will work with drones in a similar manner to how they already check out microphone headsets. They will have a pre-task objective that they will plan. After their plan is reviewed by me with a clear goal on what they will be doing with the drone, they will check it out of storage, actively try their plan, adjust what worked and what did not, try again, and return materials after I have checked the condition of their drone. 

Can you share this grant with your grade level or subject team?

This grant can and will be shared. I will start with fourth and third grade students who have already been coding with me since kindergarten. As my comfort level grows with storing and protecting the drones, I will then introduce them to second grade. Depending on the ease of use by second through fourth graders, I will assess whether or not first and kinder students are ready to try. I will also coordinate with classroom teachers to schedule drone demonstrations where older students show younger students how to maneuver the drones. 

Sustainability
Sustainability of drone use will happen with a systematic approach to goal-setting with the drones, having specific storage and protection plans explicitly taught to students, and by using part of the science and tech budget to replace drones when needed. The science budget is great for replacing equipment, but not buying an entire set-up.
Amount Funded
$1511.00
Individual Budget Items(s)
$900 - 15 Parrot Mambo Fly: Code, Pilot and Play
$450 - 15 Parrot Flypad-Minidrone Controller
$140 - 5 Rapid Battery Charger for Parrot Minidrone (3 batteries/charger)
Shipping
$0.00
Taxes
$10.15
Supporting Links
Parrot Mambo Fly: Code, Pilot and Play