Northern communities have limited access to educational resources and technology. Through a recent government program, Broadband Fund: Closing the Digital Divide in Canada, 97.1% of rural communities have access to Mobile LTE. In the interest of supporting rural and remote areas, I propose the development of a drone-based mobile library program to provide educational resources and technology to underserved learners. Please see my video, ETEC523 A3: Forecasting, as well as my references. The video is designed to be viewed on a mobile device, I look forward to your feedback.
A3: Drone-Based Mobile Libraries
11 responses to “A3: Drone-Based Mobile Libraries”
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Hey Jeannine,
This is a fantastic initiative and I would hope to see it come to fruition on day. It reminds me so much of the TED talk Build a School in the Cloud by Sugata Mitra, in which the deployment of resources alone can make such monumental shifts in education in rural areas or underprivileged communities. I feel like the management of these resources and ensuring that they can be self-sustainable is so critical to the success of this program, and is definitely something I can imagine being deployed in the near future.
I think this is what makes me so excited about DIY learning culture, as well as the hopes I have towards the Starlink system, in providing digital interconnectivity in rural areas such as the communities in Northern Alberta. I do wonder though, how do we manage and govern those systems, to ensure that the connectivity is inclusive, and does not perpetuate inequities that exist in our digital cultures today?
Either way, this forecasting project is something I would gladly support both financially and in time, to see it succeed. Hope to hear more about something like this initiative in the future.
Hi Jeannine,
Way to dream big! This is innovative thinking to tackle a problem – and the thing is, I don’t think it is far-fetched! A very little while ago, I would have thought so, but not now. Yes, the limited range of drones is definitely an issue with a country as vast as Canada, but I imagine that will be solved in the near future with our current rate of progress.
I admire you for tackling a truly meaningful topic with a compelling solution. Nice work!
Steve
Hi Jeannine,
Great work! Loved the presentation format.
At first I was thinking, will this be kind of obsolete with the growing global access to internet through Startlink, but then I realized this is so much more than access to digital books. The library in a box idea covers so much more, with all the hands on equiptment for the students. Such an awesome idea, (thank you for sharing) and it makes sense why it would need to be physically delivered. My next thought then was the same as Shannon’s in the above comment, as I noticed the drones featured only does 200km etc. Why drones. Not discounting it, as I do believe drones will have a big future in northern Canada. I’ve been watching these drone companies since the pandemic from an investment point of view, I’m really glad I didn’t actually buy stock as none of them are profitable…. yet. But I do believe there is a future for them, just a matter of time. There has to be, Canada’s north has growthing importance to both Canada and to the world, and it is vital that we have an educated, healthy, prosperous population in Canada’s north. So overall, I think your project is a really relevant topic for this course and for what is going on in the world right now. Really nice presentation!
PS, here is potentially another viable alternative to the traditional helicopter style drones:https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/north/canadian-north-signs-deal-to-launch-airships-in-the-north-1.6899363
A very cool article! I will definitely investigate the airships further, thank you for this and your kind words.
Hi Jeannine,
Great content and incredible video! Your topic stirred my emotions to the point of making me teary-eyed. This topic is compelling, your format was engaging, and this seems area to be a niche waiting to be exploited. When I googled ‘drone’ + ‘library,’ your A3 on this website was the first relevant result to appear. If this corporate amalgamation between Libraries without Borders and Drone Delivery Canada has not already happened, are you planning on sending this video to both to pitch your idea? Exciting!!!
The idea of a drone library is the epitome of open and mobile learning. With digital tools and open educational resources become more ubiquitous internationally, IDEAboxes could equip learners in remote and dangerous places with essential resources during times of crisis. Some of the benefits could be just-in-time timeliness, expanded reach, and increased accessibility since drones can deliver books, educational materials, and digital devices to remote or underserved areas where traditional library services are unavailable. Learning could become personalized if students could request and receive specific learning materials at their location, making it easier to access resources without the need to travel to a physical library. Students could also send projects back when drones are returned for peer to peer and collaborative global learning.
Environmental issues are an ongoing concern, even though using drones for delivery can reduce the carbon footprint compared to traditional delivery methods, contributing to more sustainable educational practices. However, if these drones were also equipped with ecological monitoring capabilities, perhaps two birds could be killed with one stone (worst environmental idiom ever!) – or rather, two birds could be saved with one drone. It even rhymes – lol! Don’t forget to cite me when you get rich and famous with this wicked disruption! Royalties appreciated ????
Hi Kirsten,
Thank you for your kind remarks, I agree that the potential for serving remote communities in more than just resource provisions is substantial! I hadn’t thought of googling drones and library – thank you for that!
And, I promise to cite you and get you some of those sweet royalties!
Cheers,
Jeannine
Hello Jeannine,
What a meaningful topic! Thinking about the Northern communities and equity in mobile LTE. Drones are now being used by smaller companies and even Amazon to deliver packages and orders. I think this is a great idea to utilize existing drone technologies to further support rural mobile libraries.
I also really enjoyed your Canva format at this rate of the course, it was more engaging and used an infographic style to support your claims of a digital resources being delivered to underserved Canadian learners. This is all so new and important for further investigation. The Idea Box absolutely blew my mind how efficient and compact.
Hi Clare,
I was also impressed with the Ideas Box and how it folds together and fits on 2 pallets. It also looks to not be very heavy based on the ability to turn the boxes over and add wheels to them. Libraries without Borders seems to be doing some great things!
Thank you for your kind words about my video!
Cheers,
Jeannine
Hi Jeannine,
This is a really creative idea!
I’m not sure why, but on my first watch-through, the video by Library Without Borders starting around the 1:40 mark did not have sound. However, after toggling the timeline back and forth, I was able to get the sound to play. I’m not sure if this is something you can investigate for a smoother user experience.
Why is this solution more desirable compared to helicopters or other air-borne machines? Do drones have the ability to access more remote areas, compared to helicopters? Do they currently have the capacity to transport something as heavy as a mobile library, to the distances they need to travel to access remote areas?
Hi Shannon,
Thank you for your comments. I did check the videos and all seemed to be working well so I am unsure what the problem was. I am glad that you were able to get this to work.
Thank you for your questions regarding drones versus helicopters/other air-borne machines. The drone landing area is much smaller, allowing it to reach more remote locations, and being unmanned, I would assume there is a significant safety and cost difference versus that of a helicopter. Drone Delivery Canada currently has a drone called the Condor that can carry up to 400 lbs of cargo with a max speed of 120 km/h and a range of 200 km, https://bit.ly/4dz0eHu. While that range is not vast, it is a great start and the service continues to advance https://bit.ly/3WReQfX. I don’t expect this to take off tomorrow, but I think it is a viable solution for the future.
Cheers!
I think you are right Jeannine. The cost of transportation is prohibitive, this could have a huge impact in equitable resource access. I applaud you for tackling this issue and thinking outside the box, especially considering the needs of northern people. Bravo! I appreciate the format you’ve chosen for this assignment, and I think there is a compelling use case in the merging of these ideas. Thank you for the intriguing idea!