Valdez Students Explore Drone Technology and Digital Storytelling with T3 Alaska
Two Valdez High School students, Evan Westerlund (9th grade) and William Gittins (11th grade), joined peers from Cordova and Kotzebue for a hands-on storytelling and drone workshop hosted by the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF) Teaching Through Technology (T3) Alaska program.
Selected from a competitive pool of applicants, Evan and William spent the weekend in Anchorage developing skills in digital storytelling, drone operations, and emerging technology careers. Participants took their stories from initial concept and storyboarding through final production, learned safe drone operation, and earned their FAA TRUST Certificates.
The workshop introduced them to professionals working in the drone industry, a highlight of the experience.
The students meet with Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT) personnel and learned about the role that drones played in infrastructure projects, including the Cooper Landing Bypass Project. Students also connected with professionals at AK DRONE who demonstrated and spoke about different drone capabilities. AK DRONES facilitated a session where all the students were able to fly drones and go through an obstacle course. The following day, T3 Alaska Drone Club coordinator, Petie Deveer, helped students gain their TRUST licenses and capture drone footage for their stories.
Students broke into two groups and storyboarded out their vision, captured drone footage, practiced interviewing each other and produced short videos. Aperture team produced a short on Joining T3 Alaska, while Good Team created a futuristic video about alien invasions with drones. Both videos are an exemplary work session to get their ideas across through the use of video and narratives.
Beyond the technical activities, the weekend offered opportunities to explore Anchorage through visits to the Anchorage Museum and Alaska Escape Rooms, both examples of storytelling in different mediums. Weʻve challenged the students to make their own escape rooms by programming RPIs and using sensory data.
T3 Coach Tommy Sheridan hopes the workshop will encourage both students to continue pursuing opportunities through T3 Alaska and inspire other Valdez students to participate in future activities. He also expressed appreciation for UAF T3 Alaska and the City of Valdez for supporting technology-based learning opportunities for students in the Valdez school district.
Through experiences like this, T3 Alaska helps students build practical skills, explore career pathways, and discover how technology can be used to tell meaningful stories and address real-world challenges in their communities.