Marykatherine Citera, a STEAM Educator at Pocono Mountain East Jr. High, has seamlessly integrated LocoRobo products into her classroom, transforming the way her students engage with technology in the classroom. Her efforts have significantly contributed to her district’s expanding drone curriculum.
We asked Marykay to share her experience firsthand—from her journey into STEAM to how she’s building bridges between art and technology in her classroom. Here’s what she had to say:
As an Artist and Art educator, moving into a STEAM education was seamless. As we all know, innovation and creativity go hand in hand. A typical day in my classroom moves fast, from color theory to building bridges and flying drones. For example, the 7th-grade curriculum introduces 3D printing and Newton’s laws of motion, and 8th-graders pick up where they left off, building battery-operated cars and flying Drones.
“The technical support received from LocoRobo’s team was terrific. Their user-friendly website offers an excellent curriculum for me and my students. They were always there for us if I had questions or technical difficulties.”
The biggest challenge I have during a school day is time. The level of engagement among my students deserves longer classroom time. Implementing LocoRobo drones into my classroom was challenging at first. The technical support received from LocoRobo’s team was terrific. Their user-friendly website offers an excellent curriculum for me and my students. They were always there for us if I had questions or technical difficulties.
At first, I introduced LocoRobo Drones to my afterschool STEAM club. These students gravitated to flying drones with ease. We shared their talents and Drone curriculum with our District’s elementary students learning support class. To my surprise, the older students worked so well with the younger group of students, and before we knew it, they all were flying Drones. My students demonstrated LocoRobo drone flying for our District Board meeting.; this proved to our administration the quality of learning we can gain from each other and the use of technology. Our district has since purchased a Drone flying obstacle course, complete with lessons and career paths that utilize Drones. The best memorable moment with my students is seeing them complete the obstacle course. There is an incredible feeling of success for these students, and I am proud to be part of it. Thank you, LocoRobo, for making that happen.
Sincerely,
Marykatherine Citera
STEAM Educator at Pocono Mountain East Jr. High
Educators like Marykatherine Citera remind us how powerful hands-on learning can be especially when creativity and innovation come together. Multiple Pocono Mountain schools are now using LocoDrone as part of their growing drone curriculum, and they have advanced their pathway with TryDrones. TryDrones provides an engaging competition-based learning platform, offering diverse challenges from junior piloting to coding to advanced innovation, all aligned with standards in Technology, Science, CS, and CTE.
LocoDrone is a cutting-edge programmable drone kit designed for hands-on STEM learning. With the ability to code in Python and Java LocoDrone offers a comprehensive STEM curriculum that includes drone theory, aerodynamics, and the use of sensors and AI technologies. It’s a versatile platform for building skills in coding and flight, making it an ideal addition to any K-12 STEM, technology, computer science, or engineering class.
With coding, piloting, and career exploration opportunities, students are discovering new passions and possibilities, thanks to the efforts of passionate educators like Marykatherine.
