Instructor: Dale Blasingame
Week of April 8
Description
This week we turn our attention to the skies – but not too far high in the sky. We’re talking about drones in this module and the incredible strides made with this technology in a short period of time. The idea of drone journalism and drone education is around five years old – so you’re still getting into this area in the early stages.
Personally, I came to academia from a TV news background, where we had ready access to a helicopter for aerial footage. So the idea behind drone journalism/storytelling resonated quickly with me. The true, deep dive happened in August of 2016, when I flew to Nebraska to be part of the very first Drone Journalism Bootcamp, which was hosted by Matt Waite, the godfather of drone education. (Matt will join us via Skype during your time here in San Marcos. And yes, we flew drones in a corn field in Nebraska.)
Those three days of instruction left me feeling like I would never learn everything I needed to teach this stuff. I’m here to tell you it all works out. Promise! Less than three years later, I’m teaching my fifth class on drones, and I’ve spoken on panels about drone education at international conferences. You just have to dive in.
In the following video, I’ll walk you though the different types of drones, different uses of drones, a brief explanation of the FAA’s Part 107 for commercial drone piloting and five of the main rules of Part 107.
Additional Resources and Examples
Watch: Safety and ethics are often top of mind, with good reason, when it comes to drone journalism. Matt Waite addressed this topic in a TEDx talk a few years ago.
Read: Poynter’s Drone Journalism Ethics Policy
Watch: Ben Kreimer, one of Matt’s first drone students and a frequent collaborator with us here at Texas State, is one of the leading voices in using drones for 3D modeling and photogrammetry. Here’s his TEDx talk about his travels around the globe to build models with his drone.
Explore: 3D Model of Nairobi’s Dandora Dumpsite
Read: How to Fly a Drone Without Being a Jerk, Slate
Watch: You’ve probably seen plenty of breathtaking video from drones before, but this video literally caused me to gasp. It was shot on a nano drone – one of those teeny, tiny drones you can buy for a few bucks.
Discussion Assignment
This week, we’ll join a conversation on Slack with you in the #drones channel about these questions:
- Have you ever flown a drone before? If so, when/where/why? If not, what are your thoughts about flying? Worried about safety? Privacy concerns? Are you nervous? Scared? It’s totally okay to be – but let’s talk about why you’re experiencing those emotions.
- How do you think drones could affect the research you’re already doing? Any data collection ideas? Photo or video storytelling needs? 3D modeling?
Don’t forget – if you’re interested in checking out my Part 107 course material, just shoot me a message in Slack.