If you happen to see a flock of UFO’s hovering over Memorial Stadium, don’t be alarmed. It’s not a rival school spying on lacrosse or football practice. It’s the high school Computer Science Principles class flying drones provided–thanks to our donors–by the Foundation.
The class’s teacher, Maggie Edison, wrote the grant application to give her students hands-on experience in a growing field with wide-ranging applications. “This year in Computer Science Principles, we have been exploring different career paths in the world of Computer Science,” says Edison. “One such path is the emerging use of drones in jobs. The drones provided by the Drones in the CS Classroom grant are giving students hands-on experience flying drones and potentially unlocking a future career they have not thought about before.”
The drones also allow students to apply what they’ve learned in the classroom. “Students will be using the coding knowledge they have gained throughout the year to fly the drones themselves in real time and also to code a flight path for the drone to navigate obstacles that will be set out,” Edison continues. “Students will be learning how to make the drone flip, rotate and change directions.”
Edison also says students are learning lessons that go beyond computer science. “A key element of the computer science field is collaboration and working together on the done projects provides that opportunity as students are able to work in groups to write the code, debug any issues that arise, and watch their drones successfully complete the course,” she says. “For many students, this is their first time flying a drone and seeing their code come to life beyond what is on their computer screen.”
