Smart Pad for Classroom Multi-Copter Drone Operations
We need a smart pad to use with the multi-copter drone aircraft that the Air Force provided them with. They are requesting a 16GB iPad mini 2 with Wi-Fi.
What excites me about this student-led project is the potential for my cadets to explore aviation technology in a way that is both fun and educational. The cadets' excitement to get hands-on flying experience has been off the charts since we received the multi-copter.
Our multi-copter is capable of sending real-time video feeds to a smart device that is attached to the remote control by a USB cable. In addition to seeing what the aircraft's camera sees, the pilot is also able monitor important aircraft data like altitude and battery life. When I presented the idea of a student-led project to my cadets, they immediately thought about how nice it would be to have a bigger screen available for their multi-copter operations. Cadets have mainly been using my personal smart phone to fly the aircraft, but the display is so small that it is almost not worth using. Most of the time, they just fly it without a display, which is a little like having a high speed computer without internet access--it is functional, but there would be so much more capability with a good display like an iPad mini.
With this project, my students will develop goal setting, project management and organizational skills that will benefit them no matter what path they choose after high school. Academically, they had to research which the type of displays are compatible with their multi-copter. They have also learned the importance of developing a good marketing plan so they can reach out to various groups of people who are most likely to help them reach their fundraising goal.
Even more important than the educational benefits my cadets are learning from planning this project are the life-skills like team-work and goal-setting. There were several competing ideas for the student-led project, so the compromises they made to settle on a project they could all agree on was nice to see. Once they start flying the fully capable multi-copter, cadets will also gain confidence in their own ability to work with technology. Hopefully, they'll also make new friends with classmates who share a common interest.
In Their Own Words
The goal for this project is to fund an iPad mini 2 to be used as a display screen when we fly the new multi-copter aircraft that the Air Force gave us. The bigger screen that the iPad mini has will allow us to use the full range of functions that are built into our multi-copter, including the camera and system monitoring functions that we currently are unable to use.
The Air Force Junior ROTC program is a student-led organization. Cadet leadership has decided that the best way to harness the excitement generated by our new multi-copter is to organize an aviation club. The mission of the aviation club will be to provide members with opportunities outside of the classroom to learn even more about topics that interest them. At the top of our list are learning more about how the multi-copter works, flying our aircraft simulator, and building model rockets.
Having a larger display will allow us to fully harness the potential of our new multi-copter aircraft. A larger screen display will allow us to use functions that are going unused, such as developing our own flight profiles, making sure the aircraft does not exceed local altitude limits, and maximizing the aircraft's capabilities, especially those of the on-board camera and built-in simulator program. This will allow us to document school activities from a whole new vantage point.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Mr. Zamora and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.