This content is located in CAPS under Social Implications: Impact of Society for Grade 12.

Drone technology, also known as unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), has revolutionised multiple industries and society as a whole. Drones are equipped with cameras, sensors, and GPS systems, allowing them to perform tasks that were once challenging, expensive, or dangerous for humans. They can be used for aerial photography, delivery services, environmental monitoring, and even disaster response. Teaching about drones offers an engaging opportunity to explore their societal impacts, benefits, and ethical considerations.

To make the topic relevant and engaging for Grade 12 students, consider the following approaches:

Define and Describe Drone Technology

Begin with a practical explanation of drones. For example:

• What are drones? Devices that operate autonomously or are remotely controlled, capable of flying or navigating on land or water.
• Applications: Highlight real-world uses such as agricultural crop monitoring, delivery services (e.g., medicines in rural areas), search-and-rescue missions, and entertainment.
• Types of drones: Discuss differences between consumer drones (small, camera-equipped) and industrial drones (used for large-scale operations like mapping).

Exploring Societal Impact

1. Environmental Monitoring: Use local examples like drones mapping wetlands or monitoring endangered species in South Africa. Discuss how drones reduce the carbon footprint compared to traditional methods like helicopters.
2. Accessibility and Delivery Services: Explore how drones are used to deliver essential supplies to hard-to-reach areas, helping communities during floods or health crises.
3. Safety and Security: Explain how drones assist in disaster response, offering insights into damaged areas without endangering human lives. For example, drones were used extensively in search-and-rescue missions during global crises.

Ethical and Legal Considerations

1. Privacy Concerns: Encourage a debate on how drones can infringe on personal privacy. Students can explore scenarios like drones capturing images without consent and discuss how laws regulate their use in South Africa.
2. Job Displacement: Discuss how drones may replace human roles in certain industries while also creating new job opportunities, such as drone operation and maintenance.
3. Safety Regulations: Introduce the importance of drone regulations. Assign students to research local guidelines from the South African Civil Aviation Authority (SACAA).

Engaging Classroom Activities

1. Role-Playing Debate: Divide the class into groups to debate the pros and cons of drone technology in society. Use real-world case studies, such as using drones for security in cities.
2. Mock Business Proposal: Ask students to create a business idea involving drones, such as drone delivery services for rural areas. Have them present their idea and explain how it impacts society positively.
3. Drone Design Challenge: Without requiring actual drones, provide materials like cardboard and plastic to have students design and present a drone prototype for a specific purpose, such as disaster relief.
4. Video Analysis: Show short videos of drones in action, such as Amazon’s drone delivery service or wildlife monitoring in Kruger National Park. Follow up with a discussion about the societal and environmental implications.

Making the Concept Relevant

• Relate the topic to students’ lives by discussing how they might interact with drones in their future careers or daily lives.
• Explore how drones are shaping the Fourth Industrial Revolution (4IR) in South Africa, including their role in creating smart cities and advancing technological innovation.

Encourage students to critically evaluate the balance between the advantages and potential risks of drones. This discussion can foster critical thinking and a deeper understanding of how technology impacts society at multiple levels.