Look! Up in the Sky! It’s a bird?! It’s a Plane?!

It’s a drone!

A STEM office collaboration occurred between Evan, Brian (Physics), and me (Thomas G). Evan was showing Brian a Tracking software that analyzes video frame-by-frame, allowing it to track an object and collect data on its movement during the video. Upon seeing the video same Evan was showing Brian, I realized the drone would be a great means to get better birds’eye footage of the road. Immediately, the excitement grew, a class activity was born, and 3-way collaboration was cemented. The topic in Physics under study was “motion” and “kinematics.”

Brian and I went out twice to get the drone footage. The first attempt failed due to some settings problems on the drone. Undeterred, we headed out again 2-days later to get the needed footage. This time the footage came out great!

First, Brain set up a meter stick bookended by orange cones so length can be calculated by the software. Once the drone was flying and ready to record, he triggered the crosswalk in front of the school in order to stop traffic. He also walked across to ensure [most] drivers would slow down or stop. In order to complete the needed task in the software for the Physics lesson, a vehicle would need to accelerate from a stop or slower speed. We did two shots: a 90 degree shot and a skewed angle shot since physical movement isn’t always straight and can be seen from different perspectives relative to the viewer’s position.

In an upcoming class, Brian will have the students use the software with the footage to analyze the motion of different vehicles.

The drone can be used in many contexts for learning, both creative and analytical. If you would like to talk more about its possible use in your course, don’t hesitate to ask!