"We’re Coding A Drone?!” Hands-on Drone Experiences for Online Students

Abstract

Drones are purchased for PK-12 schools with little thought to how they can be used to support learning (Carnahan et al., 2016). This activity introduces drones and coding to PK-12 teachers through a social constructivist design. Employed in an online setting, teachers can be exposed to coding and drones without individual access to the hardware to consider how drones could be used in their classrooms. During the activity, learners are introduced to block coding and code a drone flight which is then flown and videotaped by the instructor. Learners then view and reflect on their drone flights and discuss integration ideas that directly support their classroom and content.