- Welcome to WEDU Quest.
I'm Dr. Shannon McQuaig.
Pasco county schools have
created an uplifting new way
of supporting STEM education.
It's the mobile aviation lab.
Fifth graders at Pineview
Elementary in Land o'Lakes,
Florida were introduced
to flight simulation,
virtual reality,
unmanned robotic systems,
and the physics of flight.
(electronic music)
- I came up with the
concept of having this
aviation mobile lab so that
all kids in Pasco County
could get an opportunity
to engage, explore,
and get them exposed to
these concepts of aviation
and aerospace.
- In our county we had currently
nine elementary schools
that are in the feeder
pattern that have aviation
equipment, but I saw
such an impact on the
student achievement with
that that we thought
maybe it would be great
if we could get it to
all of the students
in Pasco County.
- [Narrator] Four stations
were created where small groups
of six students would
receive hands-on experiential
learning.
It starts with
flight simulation.
- [Terry] We have fabricated
the bus to have six flight
simulators on it, running
Lockheed Martin's prepared
3D software.
The students get an
opportunity to fly real live
flight simulators where
they get a chance to
operate the yoke and really
get a feel for flight
and what flight is all about.
- [Narrator] The students also
program drones to navigate
a martian landscape.
- We also have unmanned systems.
So we have them
operating drones,
but with the drones,
we're tying in coding.
So I really believe that
coding is important.
And it's a skill that
students need to survive,
and our country needs
students that are
very involved with
computer science.
- [Narrator] Virtual reality
is used to teach students
about flight.
- The students are going
into a virtual world
and learning about lift
and drag and thrust
and really the
physics of flight,
and learning how these
monstrosity of air vehicles
get into the air.
So they're learning
the physics of flight
through virtual reality.
(upbeat music)
And then the fourth
activity we have is tied to,
it's 3D printing.
So we take a little plane that
we've 3D printed in-house.
They're constructing the
plane and then they are
testing different wing
shapes to see how that plane
goes through the air,
measuring distances.
And then they're doing
averaging of which wing?
Was it the elliptical?
Was it swept wing
that flew the furthest
after they do trials with that.
- Wanna go over
here to primitives.
- [Narrator] The lessons were
taught by the fifth graders'
own teachers.
- Ms. Randall was our first
classroom that came in
when we came to Pineview
Elementary School here.
And she was really excited.
She got the kids excited,
and they were all engaged.
Ms. Randall was really
good about encouraging them
and just listening and
giving a lot of feedback
and some really great
critical thinking strategies
with the questioning
that she gave to them.
The way that they were
talking and connecting,
they were learning
lots of aha moments.
- This is almost like
something you would see,
like a parachute, right?
Or one of those gliders.
You have all types of
kiddos in every class
and all types of personalities,
and all different
ways of learning.
And they all latched on.
Some of them, their favorite
was the flight simulator,
some of them was
the jumping sumo,
some of them absolutely
liked putting those planes
together, and they were
fixated on that 3D printer.
Many really, truly enjoyed
the virtual reality goggles.
And some of them have
had experience with
virtual reality goggles, so
to actually have something
that they see as fun but
placed in a learning mode
was awesome.
- [Narrator] Computer aided
design, or CAD software,
helped the students design
planes that would actually fly.
- All of our iPads were
preloaded with an app,
so they were able
to design a plane.
So they went to glider here.
And then you double tap there.
And then they were able
to pick out a stabilizer
and the type of wings that
they would have put on there.
(upbeat music)
- [Narrator] The
students connected
with this hands-on
approach to aviation.
- They all just 100%
engaged, and they knew that
there was a goal,
and I think that made
all the difference.
- Students like Corina, who
is absolutely determined
to find a solution, and
so proud of herself.
Comments that she made
along the way were
"oh, I got it.
"Oh I'm so smart.
"I know what I did wrong now."
And then modifying
and fixing it.
- You got to connect
the drone to your iPad
and kind of like code
your drone to go through
a obstacle course.
The first thing you
have to do is be able
to go around a volcano and
jump through this hoop.
You kind of have to make
sure the angles are right
because if you get
the angle wrong,
you can have it be turning
in a different direction
than you wanted to turn.
(upbeat music)
- I think my favorite station
was the 3D printer planes
'cause you printed
your plane and you test
the different wingspans
and aerodynamics.
You would use a rubber
band and a binder
and you would pull the
plane back and slingshot it
and see how far it went
based on a tape measurer.
- [Narrator] These aviators
of the future came away
wanting to share what
they'd learned with others.
- I'd tell them you
gotta do it soon.
It's probably my most
fun day at school.
- It's very fun learning
about all the different
kind of academics
and stuff while doing
hands-on activities.
- [Narrator] The students of
Ms. Randall's class have earned
their wings.
They've proven their abilities
in the STEM aviation lab.
- I'm going to present each
of you with your wings.
So thank you.
Congratulations.
- I know that this week I
had four kids take out books
on how to fly and planes
and pilots after this.
So it just lit a
fire in some of them.
I think it's a great seed
to plant at this age.
- Just the ability for
them to really stick
with something and feel
confident and fixing
those things and modifying
things until they get it
exactly right and
then seeing the pride
that they have when they
accomplish that goal
is just huge.
- You know, you're exposing
them and opening up
their minds and letting
them know the possibilities
that are out there.
And we've kind of lit a
fire under these kids,
and that's what it's about.
Just getting them thinking
about what their future
could hold.
(upbeat music)
- Quest for more
flight information,
visit
pasco.k12.fl.us/cte/aviation.