Teach These 4 Vital Career Skills with Drones
It’s no secret that employers are desperately looking for workers with a broad range of 21st century career skills. In this increasingly fast paced world, it can be difficult to keep up. You may find yourself asking:
“What are the in-demand career skills that employers want and how do I prepare my students for them?”
Try to remember a time in school when you connected with information you were learning and walked away with valuable life skills. Whether it was math, science, or a theater class, chances are that you made these connections because the material presented an engaging challenge. More likely than not, this challenge piqued your interest and required you to develop multidisciplinary skills in order to solve it.
What topic will pique your students' interests and challenge them to learn the needed career skills of tomorrow?
UAV Technology:
Look no further than Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs). UAVs are an emerging technology within a wide variety of industries such as agriculture, construction, real estate, videography, drone racing and many more.
Check out our Drone Careers Series:
- Drone Careers: Emergency Services
- Drone Careers: Live Events
- Drone Careers: Filmmaking and Cinematography
- Drone Careers: Exciting Trades
Discover Drones from PCS Edventures is a comprehensive program that provides learners the opportunity to practice the real-world skills necessary for a wide variety of STEAM careers. With the Discover Drones program, students are guided through the process of building, configuring, testing and flying drones all while assuming roles that mirror technology and engineering professionals.
What UAV does Discover Drones use?
The Discover Drones program uses the RubiQ drone. RubiQ is at the forefront of drone education, specifically designed for students to take their learning to the next level as they build, configure and fly. Learn more by reading The Best Drone for STEM Education blog post.
Teamwork and Project Management Skills:
Few projects worth doing are accomplished by one person alone. Learning how to manage a project and be an effective team member are practical skills that prepare students for just about any career.
The Discover Drones LABCard curriculum provides students with opportunities to take on leadership and support roles every step of the way.
Students learn to appreciate the importance of teamwork, time management and proper planning as they work through the stages of preparing RubiQ for flight.
Data Collection and Analytical Skills:
Data is a hot topic in the world of modern business and technology. Companies and organizations in nearly every industry rely on data and analytics to deliver high-quality results.
During the Discover Drones program, students use the RubiQ configurator to monitor and analyze data about internal processing systems and motors to verify that RubiQ is working properly and cleared for takeoff.
Mirroring aviation industry professionals, students conduct pre and post flight checks to ensure optimal and safe drone operation.
Real-World Application of Math Skills:
In math classes students will often ask the question, “when are we ever going to use this in real life?” Along with data collection and analysis, Discover Drones shows students how to apply math to engineering, electronics and the physics of flight in a real-world setting.
Students utilize mathematical concepts when they gain an understanding of rotational inertia and lift, apply spatial geometry when they fly the RubiQ drone in three dimensions, and much more during the Discover Drones program.
Troubleshooting and Engineering Skills:
One of the greatest skills in life is the ability to persevere in spite of a challenging obstacle. Students learn how to work towards solutions by utilizing valuable troubleshooting skills as they build, configure and prepare the RubiQ for flight.
Students reference the RubiQ Flight Manual and the RubiQ Configuration website to follow step-by-step assembly instructions, conduct a post-build inspection, configure the onboard computer sensors and conduct pre and post-flight checks with all of the necessary troubleshooting steps along the way.
Discover Drones Motivates Students to Reach Further:
Educators highly rate Discover Drones because of the program's ability to teach skills and present a wide range of STEM topics in an accessible and academically engaging way for their students. They also report that their students exhibit increased motivation and inspiration to succeed when they are presented with the opportunities to build, configure and fly drones.
Whether it is part of a class or an after school club, students will truly be able to upgrade their career skills and literally take their learning to the skies with Discover Drones.
Consult a STEM program specialist to see how you can bring Discover Drones to your classroom or afterschool program!
Author: Jan Zatloukal
Jan built a reputation for inspiring learners to explore the exciting possibilities of STEAM. His experience includes teaching and developing lessons in elementary science, mathematics, engineering, robotics, programming, career exploration and CAD.
References:
Bernard, M. (2022, August 22). The Top 10 Most In-Demand Skills For The Next 10 Years. Forbes. Retrieved January 10, 2023 from https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2022/08/22/the-top-10-most-in-demand-skills-for-the-next-10-years/?sh=7ffb98bb17be
Birt, J. (2022, June 8). 20 in-demand skills for today's work environment. Indeed. Retrieved January 10, 2023, from https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/finding-a-job/in-demand-skills
Smith, M. (2022, March 11). 10 skills you need to land a top job in 2022, according to Glassdoor. CNBC. Retrieved January 10, 2023 from https://www.cnbc.com/2022/03/11/10-skills-you-need-to-land-a-top-job-in-2022-according-to-glassdoor.html
