The Drones of Education

A few weeks ago, our Digital Learning Principal (we’ll call him Mr. G) was participating in a meeting off campus and asked if he could try out a small drone that one of his colleagues had brought along.  The discussions continued as he began maneuvering the small flying object across the Aquarium conference room.  Realizing that the little drone was heading towards the exit wall, Mr. G attempted a dive bomb which landed the object behind a soffit which could only be extracted with the arrival of a mid-sized crane.

Naturally, the story was dropped in my lap and during our weekly meeting I shared my interest in exploring drones for our school from an educational perspective.  We could use them to have children explore topography, I suggested.  I then inquired if he knew anything about drones and their maneuverability. Unfortunately, at that point I could no longer keep a straight face as Mr. G turned the color of his beloved Wisconsin Badgers.  We continued our meeting but as we wrapped up, I asked, “Seriously, what do you think about getting some drones for the purpose of sparking curiosity and learning?”

Not an hour later, one of his team members in the Media Center visited with me about an upcoming Book Party (side note-Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library is a great read for 3rd-5^th graders.)  I asked her to go back to Mr. G’s office and mention that she had just come up with an idea for using drones to teach students about the library decimal system by flying over each section with a camera and have them figure out how the media center was configured.

With staged timing, I popped in shortly thereafter to ask about buying drones.  My principal with a learner’s permit for drone flying didn't miss a beat and handed me a proposal for the purchase of three drones on the spot.

I share this story because I believe this is how educators need to be thinking.  While the integrity of learning must always serve as the foundation of a school, our students and faculty benefit from demonstrations of spontaneity, creativity, and a spirit of fun being modeled by school leadership.  It sends a message that ideas come from anywhere and anybody. It signals that learning is intended to be dynamic and ever changing.

A few months ago, we purchased two 3-D printers.  The goal was to have the printers to serve as an impetus for engaging staff in imagining new ways to present material.  Seventeen staff volunteered to work in teams and “play” with 3D printing.  Their hands on experiences are going to help them understand how to create open ended challenges for their students; fostering imagination, collaboration, and planning - all skills needed in a 21^st century world.

It did not take long for some of the middle school students to start demanding access to the printers.  They are being challenged by Mr. G to come up with ideas that have a “goal” (their initial request to create face masks of themselves. That did not cut it) before they are given permission to start production.  It should not be a surprise that a committee of students has now formed to set the parameters.

So now we’re buying drones that will fly around the school. For what purpose? To what end?  These are open ended questions.  We’re going to let our teachers and students figure that out for themselves.

Welcome to the world of education where even the image of “drones” is being turned on its head.

For those of you that would like to keep following my blog, I will continue to have the same address but the new title will be “An Educator with Principles.”