Tulsa Educators Learn To Inspire Kids With Small Remote Helicopters

Some Tulsa-area teachers spent their Saturday learning the ins and outs of building remote control quadcopters.

Quadcopters are small remote helicopters that operate with four individual propellers.

Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) have become a big part of Oklahoma's curriculum, and at Fab Lab Tulsa, local teachers are learning new and innovative ways to teach and inspire kids in those areas.

"Not only can you sit at home and fly these things, now you know how it actually works and explain it and apply it,” physical science teacher Ryan Crawley said. “And that's No. 1, especially with education."

Crawley is learning step by step how to build and operate a quadcopter with 10 other teachers from Tulsa area schools.

The building process incorporates bits and pieces of each of the sciences -- a perfect tool when teaching STEM students.

"We go from chemistry all the way through physics so my kids are in a lot of physics now, so this gets to the basic foundation of basic physics principles,” Crawley said.

The seminar is being held at Fab Lab Tulsa -- a new, innovative and hands-on learning space for the public.

"It's for the people. It's technical literacy. You go to a library to read a book or learn to read, you get to come in here and learn how to make."

And that's exactly what these teachers are doing in order to take what they learn back to their students.

Making education and the sciences -- fun.

It's a concept the Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance and teachers like Ryan are hoping inspires students.

“As long as I can get some kind of impact on somebody for our future than that means the world for me," Crawley said.