DroneBlocks curriculum: hands-on coding with Crazyflie Nano

With the rising give attention to STEAM training, the demand for participating, hands-on studying instruments is extra essential than ever. DroneBlocks has grow to be a preferred selection for educators trying to convey drones into the classroom, providing a complete curriculum that caters to varied talent ranges. So is DroneBlocks curriculum any good, and what’s it like?

I’m a former trainer, with 6 years of expertise educating early elementary. After that, I used to be an elementary faculty principal for five years. I’ve seen my fair proportion of curriculum, so I used to be desperate to see what DroneBlocks would educate. Whereas I’ve by no means beforehand reviewed a drone curriculum earlier than, I put this one to the check, going by way of it myself with a essential, principal’s eye.

Right here’s my evaluation of the DroneBlocks curriculum, and my suggestion of what varieties of school rooms it’s good for.

DroneBlocks goes past conventional digital coding instruments and classroom robots by introducing college students to programming by way of drones. The system supplies skilled improvement assets for lecturers, coding platforms for college students, and a user-friendly app that makes it simple to entry coding classes proper within the classroom.

Utilizing the Crazyflie Nano drone, college students can program flight patterns, actions, and instructions with block-based or text-based coding.

DroneBlocks curriculum price (and else you want what you’ll want)

DroneBlocks provides a curriculum bundle priced at $495 per 12 months, granting entry to over 40 programs that cowl a variety of matters. From drag-and-drop block coding to superior programming in Python and JavaScript, the curriculum is designed to accommodate completely different studying levels and scholar talents.

A standout characteristic of the curriculum is the inclusion of a drone simulator. With it, college students can observe coding and flight abilities in a digital setting earlier than flying actual drones.

Initially designed for the DJI Tello, DroneBlocks shifted to utilizing the Crazyflie Nano after DJI stopped producing the Tello. The Crazyflie Nano is out there for buy on their web site individually or in bulk packages of 10 drones. (This system nonetheless helps the DJI Tello EDU.)

Whereas there are nonetheless some references to the DJI Tello all through the curriculum, they’re minimal and unlikely to confuse college students or lecturers. (DroneBlocks is engaged on updating these references to align with the Crazyflie.)

The Crazyflie drone

Weighing simply 27 grams and becoming comfortably within the palm of your hand, the Crazyflie Nano is ideal for indoor use, making it excellent for classroom settings. Its small measurement reduces the danger of injury to the drone and the environment, making it a protected and manageable possibility for college students studying to code and fly.

The Crazyflie Nano has a comparatively brief flight time of simply 8 minutes, with execs and cons. Whereas it may be a brief interval for college students desperate to fly the drones, it additionally means educators want to search out time to cost them between lessons. Luckily, the Crazyflie Nano prices rapidly.

Nevertheless, the brief flight time encourages college students to give attention to coding and problem-solving. When working by way of simulations, they’ll want to consider carefully about essentially the most environment friendly coding course of to get from level A to level B.

Along with the drones, college students will want entry to computer systems. Many faculties use Chromebooks, however any laptop computer is appropriate. You’ll want at the least as many laptops as drones.

DroneBlocks: skilled improvement

Each yearly DroneBlocks curriculum buy features a free 2-hour skilled improvement session. The session may be attended by any variety of lecturers, and I’d advocate sending all educators who shall be utilizing the curriculum.

Colleges can select a time slot that matches their schedule, although it’s a good suggestion to plan as slots replenish rapidly. This 2-hour coaching isn’t only a generic overview. It’s a tailor-made expertise that may be personalized to suit lecturers’ wants, pursuits, and questions.

The session covers all the things from getting began with the drones to troubleshooting connection points, with a give attention to sensible classroom functions. The coaching doesn’t cease on the fundamentals—DroneBlocks supplies extra instruments like Miro boards for lesson planning and a customized jobs wheel program for classroom administration. These considerate touches present that DroneBlocks understands the distinctive challenges educators face and is dedicated to supporting them each step of the way in which.

Whereas lecturers might discover it powerful to suit one other two hours of coaching into their schedule, this explicit coaching feels useful, informative, and like a normal good use of time.

Given this system’s price (particularly with the added expense of drones), investing in trainer studying is important.

A glance contained in the DroneBlocks curriculum

The DroneBlocks curriculum largely hones in on educating college students find out how to code. It’s damaged into varied classes that every entail 2-10 video classes. Most movies are about 5 minutes lengthy.

Nevertheless, lecturers shouldn’t count on to easily play the movies each day as an tutorial device. Like several curriculum, lecturers might want to spend time reviewing the supplies and making a plan that works finest for his or her classroom.

{Hardware} classes

Nevertheless, it does educate sensible constructing, too. For instance, the primary course covers find out how to construct the Crazyflie Nano drone. The meeting course of took me about quarter-hour, guided by a largely useful video tutorial that was a bit difficult to observe at occasions. In a classroom setting, this might take at the least half-hour, so it’s a good suggestion for lecturers to construct a drone earlier than this class and have a transparent system in place for labeling and storing the drones.

Whereas difficult, the meeting course of provides a wonderful alternative for hands-on studying, educating college students not simply find out how to fly drones but additionally how they work.

Printed directions with clearer photos would have made the method smoother, and sadly, DroneBlocks doesn’t provide printed supplies for many programs. Nevertheless, the trial and error concerned in constructing the Crazyflie Nano provides to the educational expertise. College students would possible profit from the chance to problem-solve and troubleshoot throughout meeting, getting ready them for the challenges they might face in coding and flying.

Software program classes

A standout course is “Welcome to Mars,” which challenges college students to program their drones to navigate a simulated Martian panorama, mixing coding with creativity and problem-solving. The curriculum creates backstories for why college students want to finish missions, which helps construct engagement.

One other standout course is Block Coding – Math Version, which integrates coding workout routines with math issues. This course is ideal for lecturers trying to incorporate extra STEM content material into their classes, because it encourages college students to use their coding abilities in a mathematical context. The mixture of coding and math creates a dynamic studying expertise that retains college students engaged and challenged. This course additionally comes with printable worksheets that align with the teachings, a characteristic I want all programs included.

Who’s the DroneBlocks curriculum for?

The DroneBlocks curriculum, paired with the Crazyflie Nano drone, provides a wealthy and fascinating instructional expertise. The curriculum is comparatively inexpensive in comparison with others, however the startup prices may be vital, particularly when investing in Crazyflie drones.

Faculty directors contemplating this curriculum ought to guarantee there’s a devoted trainer who’s captivated with STEM, extremely organized, and planning to remain on the faculty for a couple of years.

Subsequent, guarantee you’ve gotten time within the schedule to include this program, together with the required supplies and correct classroom storage for the drones. In case you have all these components in place, the DroneBlocks curriculum is usually a incredible addition to any STEM program, combining the thrill of drone know-how with the tutorial advantages of coding.

Should you’re enthusiastic about this system however don’t have all the things in place but, take into account beginning small. You might buy one Crazyflie drone and have lecturers do a couple of whole-group actions, educate coding in small teams, or run an after-school program. From there, you’ll be able to increase this system by buying extra drones. Try DroneBlocks right here.

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