{"id":4808,"date":"2015-05-22T11:19:39","date_gmt":"2015-05-22T11:19:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsletter.alt.ac.uk\/?p=4808"},"modified":"2015-09-01T22:51:37","modified_gmt":"2015-09-01T21:51:37","slug":"the-view-from-the-air","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2015\/05\/the-view-from-the-air\/","title":{"rendered":"The View from the Air"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>The National Star College made a trial of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) \u2013 drone \u2013 with young adults with complex physical disabilities, acquired brain injuries and associated sensory, learning, medical, emotional and behavioural difficulties. <strong>ILT co-ordinators Dr Fern Faux and Andrew Sparkes present the Case Study.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>For this trial, our original intentions were<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>to understand what difficulties exist in using a UAV within a learning environment<\/li>\n<li>to discover ways in which such use might benefit learners.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The drone should facilitate students\u2019 photographic\/video editing styles and skills, but with no precedent of ways to achieve these aims, we set out to document this exploratory work to share within the wider community.<\/p>\n<p>We anticipated that using pre-programmed flight paths might be appropriate for those whose physical limitations prevented them from flying the drone independently. The mapping of the waypoints, necessary for such pre-programming, contributes to overall learning development. Skills of numeracy, geography, photography, video editing and collaborative working may be developed, as well as enhancing confidence and creating a sense of personal achievement.<\/p>\n<p>The prospect of flying was a more frightening reality once we held it in our hands. We were aware of the expense should we make mistakes and, after the initial flight, quickly realised how crucial it was to ensure health and safety \u2013 you really do not want to hit anybody, or anything, with a drone plummeting from hundreds of feet! It is essential to follow specific Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) <a href=\"http:\/\/www.caa.co.uk\/default.aspx?catid=1995&amp;pageid=16012\" target=\"_blank\">regulations <\/a>pertaining to drone use.<\/p>\n<p>Although the Sony Xperia Z2 worked well as a control station, the small screen size did not make for easy viewing. As we intended to use the drone with students with physical disabilities, which include visual impairments, clear viewing is essential. We tried using an iPad, which required an additional bracket for attaching. Whilst the iPad made for excellent onscreen viewing, we were then unable to use a 3G data connection to load maps and, despite saving maps prior to flying, they would not load once we were out of Wi-Fi range. Additionally, the (Google) maps for the area in which we wanted to fly have not been updated. For free flights, flown autonomously rather than remotely, this does not matter. However, if using waypoints (a set of coordinates precisely identifying a location) an active map is essential.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4810\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4810\" style=\"width: 900px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\"><a href=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2015\/05\/best.jpg?ssl=1\"><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-4810 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2015\/05\/best.jpg?resize=900%2C506&#038;ssl=1\" alt=\"Star College, photographed from the Drone\" width=\"900\" height=\"506\" srcset=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2015\/05\/best.jpg?resize=1024%2C576&amp;ssl=1 1024w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2015\/05\/best.jpg?resize=300%2C169&amp;ssl=1 300w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2015\/05\/best.jpg?w=2000&amp;ssl=1 2000w, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2015\/05\/best.jpg?w=3000&amp;ssl=1 3000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 900px) 100vw, 900px\" \/><\/a><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4810\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Star College, photographed from the Drone<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>To watch the two minute teaser trailer of the drone&#8217;s flight, follow the link: <a href=\"https:\/\/youtu.be\/WFktBBad8xA\" target=\"_blank\">View from the Air<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>We were impressed by the views on offer from the UAV but quickly realised that developing flying skills would take practice, a steady pair of hands, and good eyesight. In short, it would require attributes some of our students do not possess. However, a collaborative approach mitigates this difficulty: flying should always involve at least 2 people \u2013 the pilot and the \u2018spotter\u2019, whose job is to ensure the drone is flying safely. A third person can take responsibility for the photography and videography aspects, which means that by working together, students may overcome individual difficulties. We set a pre-programmed flight path, using waypoints, to test out the feasibility of students flying the drone remotely from the ground station, whilst focusing on the videography rather than flight control.<\/p>\n<p>With a view to adding the drone to our technology resource bank, for loan to staff who wished to use it, we thought about creating a licensing procedure to ensure borrowers could understand the legalities and practicalities of flying; we have since concluded that only nominated and UAV experienced staff should fly the drone, unless it is a pre-programmed flight, in which case UAV experienced staff will always be in attendance to ensure any difficulties can be immediately and safely addressed. We have also concluded that students should be limited to flying with waypoints, setting a pre-programed flight path. However, developing a framework for a license was a useful exercise as it helped us to familiarise with CAA rules and to understand the 3 components essential to flying: 1 \u2013 drone theory; 2 \u2013 ground station understanding; 3 \u2013 a flight test. These elements will form the foundation for staff training. We have also drawn up a Health and Safety risk assessment, based on <a href=\"http:\/\/www.caa.co.uk\/default.aspx?catid=1995&amp;pageid=16012\" target=\"_blank\">CAA Guidelines<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Initial investigations were hampered by poor weather which limited opportunities for flying. Nonetheless, we are embarking on Aim 2 &#8211; ways in which use might benefit learners.<\/p>\n<p>We are now at a point where we can cascade our knowledge and experience, providing training to other staff members. Therefore, future activities are:<\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>\u00a0Fully train 2 tutors to fly the drone<\/li>\n<li>Gauge how tutors use the drone with students<\/li>\n<li>Trial the use of Sensory Software\u2019s The Grid 2 to interface with the DJI Phantom Assistant Software. <a href=\"http:\/\/sensorysoftware.com\/grid-software-for-aac\/grid2_aac_software\/\" target=\"_blank\">The Grid 2<\/a> is <em>\u201cAAC software for alternative communication, computer access and environment control. It is used by disabled people across the world.\u201d\u00a0<\/em><\/li>\n<li>Prioritise the creation and use of a dedicated grid set which runs both on windows based PCs and communication aids. This can be used both for pre-programmed flights and for controlling and capturing video.<\/li>\n<li>Evaluate the degree to which learners previously unable to undertake video-related activities independently are enabled to do so.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<p><span class=\"UnsafeSenderEmail\"><p class=\"info\"> Authors: Dr Fern Faux <a href=\"mailto:ffaux@natstar.ac.uk\" target=\"_blank\">ffaux@natstar.ac.uk<\/a> and Andrew Sparkes <a href=\"mailto:asparkes@nastar.ac.uk\" target=\"_blank\">asparkes@nastar.ac.uk<\/a> National Star College, Cheltenham <\/p><\/span><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"UnsafeSenderEmail\"><p class=\"note\">If you enjoyed reading this article we invite you to join the Association for Learning Technology (ALT) as an individual member, and to encourage your own organisation to join ALT as an organisational or sponsoring member<\/p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The National Star College made a trial of an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) \u2013 drone \u2013 with young adults with complex physical disabilities, acquired brain injuries and associated sensory, learning, medical, emotional and behavioural difficulties. ILT co-ordinators Dr Fern Faux and Andrew Sparkes present the Case Study. For this trial, our original intentions were to [&hellip;]","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4810,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7,163],"tags":[773,791,803],"class_list":["post-4808","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-case-studies","category-technology-reviews","tag-collaboration","tag-digital-literacies","tag-drone"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2015\/05\/best.jpg?fit=4384%2C2466&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":4272,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2014\/10\/evernote-as-a-portfolio-changing-the-way-we-document-share-and-manage-the-learning-happening-in-all-aspects-of-a-students-life\/","url_meta":{"origin":4808,"position":0},"title":"Evernote as a Portfolio:  changing the way we document, share and manage the learning happening in all aspects of a student\u2019s life","author":"ALT","date":"20 October 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"A case study on Evernote as a Portfolio","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case studies&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case studies","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/case-studies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2014\/10\/DeeVyas.jpg?fit=1200%2C622&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2014\/10\/DeeVyas.jpg?fit=1200%2C622&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2014\/10\/DeeVyas.jpg?fit=1200%2C622&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2014\/10\/DeeVyas.jpg?fit=1200%2C622&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2014\/10\/DeeVyas.jpg?fit=1200%2C622&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3134,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2014\/03\/ucisa-mobile-technologies-showcase\/","url_meta":{"origin":4808,"position":1},"title":"UCISA Mobile Technologies Showcase","author":"ALT","date":"3 March 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"The University and Colleges Information Systems Association (UCISA) recently organised a showcase of case studies on use of mobile technologies to enhance learning, teaching and assessment.\u00a0Here are Anne Hole's reflections on the event. Does mobile learning have to mean giving students iPads? The majority of the case studies involved using\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Conference reviews&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Conference reviews","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/reviews\/conference-reviews\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2014\/02\/UCISA.jpg?fit=600%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2014\/02\/UCISA.jpg?fit=600%2C450&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2014\/02\/UCISA.jpg?fit=600%2C450&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x"},"classes":[]},{"id":10496,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2022\/02\/reflections-on-alt-elesig-scotland-meeting-the-learner-experience-moving-forward-using-lessons-learned\/","url_meta":{"origin":4808,"position":2},"title":"Reflections on ALT-ELESIG Scotland Meeting \u2013 The Learner Experience: Moving Forward &#8211; Using Lessons Learned\u00a0\u00a0","author":"Christina Vines","date":"2 February 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"Who are ALT-ELESIG Scotland? Before we jump right into our reflections on our latest meeting, for those of you who are not familiar with ALT-ELESIG, we are an ALT Special Interest Group (SIG) with a common interest in how we use technologies to support learning and evaluate the effectiveness of\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;ELESIG&quot;","block_context":{"text":"ELESIG","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/elesig\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3171,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2014\/03\/sharing-stories-e-learning-case-studies-from-the-jisc-regional-support-centres\/","url_meta":{"origin":4808,"position":3},"title":"Sharing stories: E-learning case studies from the Jisc Regional Support Centres","author":"ALT","date":"17 March 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Each year, our customer satisfaction survey tells us how much our supported learning providers appreciate hearing about real experiences from others in the sector: what they\u2019ve been up to; what they are thinking of trying; what works well and, equally as important, what might be good to avoid. The Jisc\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;Case studies&quot;","block_context":{"text":"Case studies","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/case-studies\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2014\/02\/articleimage.png?fit=506%2C297&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":9984,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2022\/03\/neurodivergence-and-online-learning-through-the-pandemic\/","url_meta":{"origin":4808,"position":4},"title":"Neurodivergence and online learning through the pandemic: Recommendations from the Support Services perspective (Post 3 of 3)","author":"Christina Vines","date":"18 March 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"This is the third in a series of three blog posts that places the spotlight on the experiences of neurodivergent students from moving University teaching online in 2020 and 2021. This post explores the role of learning support staff in supporting neurodivergent students to overcome the difficulties they experienced with\u2026","rel":"","context":"In &quot;ALT East England MG&quot;","block_context":{"text":"ALT East England MG","link":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/category\/alt-east-england-mg\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"ELESIGpic","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2022\/03\/ELESIGpic.png?fit=1200%2C373&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2022\/03\/ELESIGpic.png?fit=1200%2C373&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2022\/03\/ELESIGpic.png?fit=1200%2C373&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2022\/03\/ELESIGpic.png?fit=1200%2C373&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/1112\/2022\/03\/ELESIGpic.png?fit=1200%2C373&ssl=1&resize=1050%2C600 3x"},"classes":[]},{"id":3734,"url":"https:\/\/altc.alt.ac.uk\/blog\/2014\/04\/alt-learning-technologist-of-the-year-award-2014-and-special-award-for-learners\/","url_meta":{"origin":4808,"position":5},"title":"ALT Learning Technologist of the Year Award 2014 and Special Award for Learners","author":"ALT","date":"16 April 2014","format":false,"excerpt":"Are you or do you know someone (or a team) who is outstanding in using technology to support learning? 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