Intro: Welcome to the PCS Edventures Educator Spotlight Series. In today’s podcast, we’re highlighting the incredible work of ErinSlifer, a TAG teacher who knows firsthand what it's like to search for curriculum that truly excites gifted learners. Join us as she shares how finding the right hands-on STEM program didn't just solve her problem — it unlocked a whole new level of creativity and confidence in her students.
Michelle Fisher: Well, welcome, Erin. We are so glad to have you here with us today. I'm Michelle with PCs Adventures, and we are excited to hear about your experience with Drone Designers. Could you kick us off by introducing yourself, who you are, where you work, and what your role is there?
Erin Slifer: So I'm Erin Slifer and I work at Belmond Klemme Junior Senior High. I typically work with seventh grade and ninth grade for English. However, I'm also the K through twelve TAG teacher, so I also go between the elementary school and the junior senior high as well.
Michelle Fisher: Nice. So you've clearly got a lot on your plate. Tell us a little bit about what led you to get the Drone Designers kit — kind of what were you looking for? What challenges were you facing that you were hoping to solve?
Erin Slifer: Sure. So I started the TAG program when I was getting my endorsement, and we hadn't had a TAG program in over — I think two to three years. So I was pretty much building the plane as I was flying it. I didn't really know what to do and how to engage the kids, and I was scrambling to find quality curriculum — and just things that really incorporated science, technology, engineering, and math. I couldn't really find anything that was super great. And then I came across Drone Designers and I had asked the kids, Would you be interested in drones? and they were like, yeah! So I applied for the grant, got the grant, and brought that back. Man, the kids love it. They love it. But it really stemmed from — I just have to build this program, and I had to make sure it was engaging. I really needed something that was going to get the kids excited and challenge them, but also be fun at the same time.
Michelle Fisher: Yeah, that's such a good point — the engagement and the rigor. I imagine especially for your TAG kids, that really need that. So what was it like when you first got the kit out and started going through the curriculum? Tell us a little bit about that experience.
Erin Slifer: It's super exciting for the kids — I kind of have to calm them down a little bit. Like, you can't touch the drones right away. They want to get them out and they just want to play. So it's almost a bit overwhelming a little bit because there's just so much that comes with the kit, which is great. Everything you need is there. It's great because it's step by step — you open it up, the kids automatically just want to get into the drones, and you have to hold them back from grabbing them and flying them. You really have to say, Okay, we've got to follow the curriculum. We've got to stay with the curriculum and then we'll get to it — I promise we'll get to it. And it does come fairly quickly where they actually do get to handle the drones, look at them, touch them, and fly them as well. But it's really great because you get two big totes of just stuff you need, so you don't have to worry about going out and buying a bunch of stuff. It's all there.
Michelle Fisher: Amazing. That makes a lot of sense. So the kids are so excited and you're like, Okay, this is great, but I've got a lot to sort through to get started. Was there a moment where you felt like, okay, this is clicking — this is what I was hoping for?
Erin Slifer: Oh yeah. Fifth grade was my guinea pigs. About day two, day three, we kind of got into the groove of things, and as soon as they actually were able to take hold of them and we got into Blockly and started programming — you just see the lightbulbs go off. Just that creativity — they're trying to think of songs and choreography and costume design. It just becomes more than just flying a drone. It becomes this thing that they're going to do and they're excited to do.
Michelle Fisher: Yeah, absolutely. Are you through the full program at this point?
Erin Slifer: I am not, because we've had some challenges. Because I'm at the junior senior high, we have a lot of winter sports — sports week was last week, so some of my TAG got canceled, and then we've had snow days, so TAG gets canceled. And then we have social-emotional days, which sometimes take up my TAG days. So it's really been kind of hit or miss with being able to get to the kids. So unfortunately no — we do have to put on the shows for the school board in April, so I'm like, we've got to get this done. I'm hoping they don't cancel any more TAG days because – and the kids are excited about it. We had an assembly, and they were like, Do we have to go? Can we just come and work on the drones? And I said, No, we have to go to the assembly. Yeah, they would much rather do this than some of the other stuff they have to do.
Michelle Fisher: That's amazing. I would love to see their final performances for the school board — that's so brave of them to do that. I know you're not all the way through just yet, but up to this point, what would you say has been their favorite part, and what's been your favorite part of the experience so far?
Erin Slifer: I think their favorite part is honestly being able to fly the drones and use Blockly and experiment with choreography and how to get it to do what they want it to do. And to just see that connection – that they can make it do things. Because we watched the videos and we saw the choreography in the videos, and just that connection that was made — that they can also do those things. I think that's been their favorite part, because now they're trying to think, "Well, how can we do this?" They kind of want to go very extravagant, and I have to pull them back — like, we don't have time to make this into a big musical type thing. But my favorite part is just how creative they've gotten. I was worried that they wouldn't be as creative, but they're almost over the top with how creative they want to be with this. Some groups really want to make this into building backgrounds and things like that, and I'm just like, Okay, as much as I would love to do that, we're in a time crunch. But maybe if we could do it over the summer, that would be kind of cool — to really make it into like a production.
Michelle Fisher: Oh, that's so cool. And what a great skill that they'll carry with them. I know you're still kind of in the middle of it, and I'm sure there's still so much more to come. But what do you feel like will be that lasting takeaway — both for them and for you — from being a part of this program?
Erin Slifer: I think for them it's that drones are much more than just something that you can buy at the store and do for fun — they're capable of a lot more. And we've talked you know — we’re in Iowa so we occasionally see drones in farming, over the corn, and that they have to be programmed to do those types of things. It's just kind of opened up their eyes to the fact that there are jobs out there that this is applicable to, and there’s just many different opportunities that they can come away with with this. It's not just something that — it is fun — but it's not just something they can do that’s fun that they can buy as a toy. There's something they can do much more beyond this.
Michelle Fisher: Absolutely. Those career connections are so huge. That's awesome. Well, I'm so excited to hear about how the rest of the program goes. If you were talking to any other educators that have heard your story and were interested in bringing something similar to their students, what advice would you share with them?
Erin Slifer: My advice would be just grab it and go. Definitely grab it and go. Give the kids freedom — they are a lot more creative than maybe we give them credit for. Don't hold them back. They come up with ideas — let them sketch, let them brainstorm. Don't interrupt them, just let them go. Because they're very creative and they've got interesting ideas. Give them the floor.
Michelle Fisher: Yeah, that's beautiful. Anything else that you want to share that I haven't asked you about so far?
Erin Slifer: I think the only other thing is — even though this is for grades four through eight, because I do TAG, I have experimented with a first grader.
Michelle Fisher: Wow, how did that go?
Erin Slifer: He's this very quiet child and this has really opened him up. He's just a reserved kid, and he thinks he's so big because I‘m like well, "This is really for fourth graders, but I think you're mature enough to handle this." He just thinks it's such an exciting thing because he gets to do what the big kids are doing. And it's really opened him up and he's become more vocal. I just think this is something that goes beyond just fourth grade, that even younger kids can work with drones and get excited about them.
Michelle Fisher: Oh, that's so cool. And it just speaks to how well you know your students — what they're ready for and what's going to work well for them. That's amazing. Well, thank you so much for speaking with us. We are really excited to share your story with other educators. Definitely keep in touch — we would love to see their final performances in April.
Erin Slifer: Yeah, absolutely. And hopefully we'll have some more pictures in there next week for you guys as well.
Michelle Fisher: Amazing. Thank you.
Erin Slifer: Thank you.
Outro: Thank you for listening! Erin came in searching for curriculum that would truly challenge and excite her students — and what she found did so much more. Drone Designers gave her learners the freedom to create, the space to surprise her, and a glimpse of what's possible when curiosity meets the right tools. That's the power of hands-on STEM. To see her program in action and explore more inspiring educator stories, visit edventures.com/spotlight.
