Remotely Piloted Systems

If you’re like most people, you think of drones in a military or even in a police context. It’s no wonder why, really, when they most often appear in news reports on the heels of a drone strike we’ve carried out in another country,  when discussing drone monitoring or policing programs, or in exploring the many safety hazards they bring with them. This makes it easy to view drones in a negative or at least a violent light.

But drones, just like all technology, are themselves neither good nor evil. Rather, it’s all in how we use them. Given the right context and guidance, drones can make a creative tool for learning, creativity, and experimentation.

There are, of course, many potential liabilities in using drones within an educational sphere, most pressing of which have to do with safety and liability. Another real issue even for hobbyists is the expense, which may require a grant or a campaign on GoFundMe or DonorsChoose.org to solve.

Still, drones are the future and the future is now. For a moment, let’s suspend some disbelief and any larger concerns, so we can look at the creative teaching potential inherent in this technology.