It was a different pre-flight checklist: propeller guards instead of seat backs, battery charge instead of tray tables, and WiFi on instead of off. Once completed, Western MA CSTA members took flight, learning to use the Tello drone and Droneblocks app to teach students coding.
Drones are an accessible and engaging way to develop students' programming and engineering skills. After highlighting relevant state and national standards, Lissie Fein and Beryl Hoffman from Holyoke Codes talked about how drones are used by professionals such as farmers, aid workers and police officers, and provided a quick overview of laws that currently regulate drone use. Then it was time to fly! Using Trello drones purchased with a CSTA grant, educators tried manual control and then programming with the Droneblocks app to complete a variety of challenges. Participants had their drones land in their hands, snap pictures, fly in a spiraling square pattern, and navigate a hula hoop obstacle course. To learn more, access the workshop presentation at tiny.cc/cstadrones .