iD News and Blog

Photo of the Week, Week of June 24

Hello iD Nation,

So, we looked at the summer computer camp photos today and selected some great ones.  Overall, the photos are looking better and better–and more creative, as each week passes.  Cool!

The winning computer camp Photo-of-the-week: 

iD @ University of Central Florida

There are a lot of great pictures posted at EVERY iD Location.  How do you view them all?

1)  Students/Staff:  Go to the iD Student Corner.

2)  Parents:  Log into “My Camp Account” .

Winner, Photo-of-the-Week

Click on the below photos to expand them:

iD Tech Camps @ University of Central Florida:  Super Cool iD Art

Additionally, I have posted some of my other favorite entries from the week.  I am sure you’ll enjoy them too!

Runners Up:

iD Tech Camps @ Brown University:  Copy That!

iD Tech Camps @ University of Central Florida:  Bird’s Eye View

iD Tech Camps @ Rider University:  Hospitality

iD Tech Camps @ UC Berkeley:  Chess

iD Tech Camps @ UC Berkeley:  I Spy

iD Tech Camps @ SMU:  Photoshop that!  Small i in the iD, anyone?

iD Tech Camps, Spain, “La Giralda” in Sevilla

iD Tech Camps, Spain Bullring

iD Tech Camps @ St Mary’s College:  DV Anyone?

iD Tech Camps @ Stanford:  RoboContenders!

iD Tech Camps @ University of Miami, Alligators!

iD Tech Camps @ Wake Forest:  iD ME

iD Tech Camps @ MIT:  I get it guys.  Cool.

I want to give a shout out to all of the camps–not just listed on this page.  Pictures are looking really great.  Keep it up !Remember, there are a lot of great pictures posted at EVERY iD Location.  How do you view them all?

1)  Students/Staff:  Go to the iD Student Corner.

2)  Parents:  Log into “My Camp Account” .

 

Posted in Summer Camps | No Comments »

 

 

UW Site Visit and Alexa’s Baby: Life is busy in Seattle

Hello iD Nation!

It’s been a crazy week.  More than ever, I understand what it is like to drop off a loved-one at camp.  Why?  this week my older son (2 1/2) started pre-school.  Check out the froggy backpack.

Mama and I were so proud!

I jumped on a plane yesterday and headed to Seattle.  Seattle is a special place.  Alexa, my sister and business partner, lives here.  We are both UW grads.  Go Huskies!  I went in for a site visit to our UW location this morning.  Camp is in its first week.  The crew are rocking and rolling.  Students are creating some incredible projects, staff is joking with them, parents are providing great feedback–and this is being replicated all over the country at all of our 50 summer computer camp locations across the country.  Go staff!  Go campers!  Go parents!  Go iD!

After spending the morning at UW, I headed back to Alexa’s house…

Alexa, above, with husband Steve, headed to the hospital just hours ago.  She is having a baby boy–today!    She worked right up until noon, and then headed out to the hospital just after 1 PM.  That’s dedication!  Alexa–All of us wish you the best today!!   We promise not to call you today with any more work-related questions.  Seriously.

While Alexa is at the hospital, I am getting to spend a few precious hours with “Baby G.”  And I get to grab a few minutes to blog about it.

The next blog, Picture of the Week from this week (6/24) will be posted shortly.

Have a great day, Nation!  Send good thoughts to Alexa!

-Pete

 

Posted in CEO's Blog | 1 Comment »

 

 

Spain Study Abroad, Blog #2 from 6/26/07

UPDATED 7-2-07

From Kendra, Manager of iD Tech Camps’ Documentary Filmmaking and Cultural Immersion Study Abroad Program in Spain:

Reminder: All photos of the Spain Program can be accessed by:

Students: Via the Student Corner

Parents: Logging in Via My Camp Account

Estimados Padres,

Our first few days here in Spain have gone by very fast, as we have had a jam-packed schedule full of activities. Periodically throughout our 2 1/2 weeks in Spain I will send an update of everything we have been doing. I know that often times the students get occupied having fun, meeting new friends, and experiencing the Spanish culture, so sometimes they don’t keep you informed about all our activities. Welcome to the Spain 2007 blog!

As I stated in my last update, we arrived very late on Friday night. Upon our arrival all the students were greeted by their host families, which of course involved the traditional “dos besos” or two kisses on the cheek.

They have learned very quickly how different the Spanish culture is from the US – people are very friendly and welcoming, and people do not have the same sense of personal space or a personal bubble as many Americans do! Saturday morning the students’ host families took them to the Colegio (our school) for our morning orientation.

After a long day of travel, everyone was still a little tired and jet lagged, but excited to be here in Spain and to experience this new culture. During our orientation we went over the program rules and gave an overview of all the activities we would be participating in. Also, Kevin and I handed out the digital video cameras to each of the students and gave them their first lesson in filming.

After touring the colegio and seeing where our Spanish and Video classes will be held, we had a walking tour of the city. The language institute is located in the new part of town, and during our walking tour we walked along the beach back to the old part of town where all of our students live. It is a beautiful walk along the coast and the long stretches of beaches here in Cadiz. It was a perfect opportunity for the students to practice using the camera – they certainly got some beautiful beach shots.

After our walk we headed to the Torre Tavira, which is one of the tallest towers in Cadiz and has beautiful panoramic views of the city. Additionally, at the Torre Tavira they have a “camera oscura” – a camera that projects live views of the city on a large round panel. The guide is able to point out all the major landmarks in the city, which is a perfect way to learn where things are located and get better acquainted with our surroundings.

The rest of the afternoon on Saturday was free – the students had a chance to go home and eat lunch with their new families, unpack, take a siesta, go to the beach, and just explore the old part of town and learn to navigate the city. It was also an opportunity to rest and get ready for our busy day on Sunday in Sevilla.

Sunday morning we met at the bus station at 8:30am to head off to Sevilla, one of the most beautiful cities in Andalucia and in all of Spain. We started our tour of the city at Reales Alcazares, or the royal palace.

This palace was originally constructed by the moors, but once the Christians conquered Spain they adapted the palace to contain a more classical and christian style of architecture. They still retained many of the arabic influences, so it is a very beautiful palace with amazing art, mosaics, and architecture. After the tour of El Alcazar we had a few hours to break for lunch. All of the host families packed a picnic lunch for the students. After eating, they had time to walk around the Barrio Santa Cruz in Sevilla, one of the oldest and most historic districts in the old part of town, and do some shopping at the many souvenir shops.

After lunch our tour led us to the Cathedral in Sevilla and La Giralda, the tower which is considered to be the most famous image of Sevilla.

The Cathedral is built with a Gothic style of architecture and it is the third largest in the world – St. John’s in the Vatican and St. Paul’s in London being larger. The cathedral also contains what is believed to be the tomb and remains of Christopher Columbus. We had some time to walk around and gawk at the vastness of the cathedral, with its many naves and ornate artwork. Then, we climbed to the top of La Giralda, the bell tower, to get a birds-eye-view of Sevilla. The tower is 34 floors tall, but it is a ramp to the top that used to be climbed on horseback. We did it on foot, and were rewarded by tremendous views.

Following our visit to the cathedral we walked across town towards the Rio Guadalquivir to visit the Corrida de Toros, or the bullring in Sevilla. This corrida is one of the oldest and most significant in Spain. On our tour we learned about some of the history of bull fighting in Spain as well as the stages of the bull flight. This is good preparation since next weekend we will be attending an authentic bull fight in the nearby town of Puerto de Santa Maria.

Since Sevilla is much hotter than Cadiz, we took a break near the Torre de Oro by the river to stop for a helado (ice cream) and rest our feet. We did a lot of walking in the hot sun during our tour of Sevilla and I wanted to commend all of the students – they hardly complained and were very attentive listeners to our tour guide from Mundo Lengua, Luis. Naturally, the tour was led in Spanish so they could practice their language skills.

Our final stop before being picked up by our bus was at the Plaza de Espana. It was constructed in 1929 for the Iberian-American Exposition, and has since been used in many films including “Star Wars Episode 1.”

Finally we hopped on the nice air conditioned bus to head home to Cadiz. It was a long day, but lots of fun and an excellent setting for video footage to incorporate into the documentaries.

Monday was the first day of classes. The students met at the school at 9am for an orientation and to get divided into their Spanish classes. Right now at the language institute there are over 100 students from all over – the US, Germany, Switzerland, and Canada, to name a few. The Spanish classes are all taught by local Spanish instructors, and the classes are divided by ability level. The first few days of class we check in with the students to make sure they are comfortable in the level they are at. We have already made some adjustments to move students up and down, and will continue to do so until they are settled and happy with their level. We want them all to be challenged so they can make the most out of the instruction and greatly improve their speaking during their time here. Please encourage them to come to speak with us or with Yaye, the Academic Director here at Mundo Lengua, if they feel they need to switch to a different Spanish Class.

Our Spanish classes last until 1:30pm, then we have a break until 4pm where the students go home for lunch and siesta time. Yesterday at 4pm we all met by the Cathedral for a tour of the Barrio del Populo, the oldest neighborhood in Cadiz. Most days we have a cultural activity that we participate in each afternoon. Then, we head back to school for our video class. Yesterday’s class was an instruction to documentary filmmaking. We started by all sitting in a circle to reflect on our initial impressions of Spain, and what we like or what we notice that it is different. In only a few short days the students are already learning so much and have come to appreciate the Spanish culture. People here live life at a slower pace that Americans, and everyone really values friends and family. The students become members of their Spanish host families during their time here. Of course the food is different than at home, and everyone is enjoying trying new things. It is important that they communicate with their families as much as possible to tell them what they like and dislike. This is the best way for them to practice their Spanish, and the families are all very accommodating. This discussion is a great opportunity to get the creative juices flowing and start thinking about how each student will put together their final movie. We also got the computers set up in the computer labs and instructed more on filming techniques, including different camera angles and framing. Today we will delve into Final Cut Pro to log and capture the many hours of footage everyone collected over the weekend.

As you can see, we have been extremely busy. This afternoon we will be learning the Sevillanas, a form of Flamenco dancing. Later tonight Mundo Lengua has arranged for the entire institute to go to a discoteca together – it should be a lot of fun to go dancing!
I hope you have enjoyed this lengthy blog – please also check for the many photos we have uploaded. You can access the photos by logging into your camp account.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns regarding the program or your child please email me anytime. I check my email often while here in Espana.
Thank you for reading, and I will write again soon!

Gracias,

Kendra
Spain Program Manager

Reminder: All photos of the Spain Program can be accessed by:

Students: Via the Student Corner

Parents: Logging into My Camp Account

 

Posted in Locations | No Comments »

 

 

Arrival in Spain

From Kendra, Coordinator of iD Tech Camps’ Documentary Filmmaking and Cultural Immersion Study Abroad Program in Spain:

Hola!

First, I do apologize for the minor delay in this email – I know how eager everyone must be to hear from us!  The entire group did arrive safe and sound in Spain, but it was after a very long journey, delayed flights, and missed connections.

Our travels began in New York JFK airport.  After meeting the group, we proceeded through to our departure gate.  At first, our flight was only delayed by 30 minutes due to the previous plane arriving late.  Once on board around 9:30pm, we were informed that thundershowers moved into New York and delayed all outbound flights.  When the storm cleared, there was a huge traffic jam on the runway and our plane was slated as the 100th plane in line for takeoff.  We were sitting delayed on the plane for almost 4 hours.  Once we finally took off it was smooth sailing.  However, the long delay made us miss our connecting flight in Madrid.  Luckily we were able to reach our contacts in Spain while we were waiting on the plane so that they could meet the 2 students who were traveling straight to Spain to meet the group.  They also arrived safe and sound, but much earlier than the rest of us.  The next available flight to Jerez that they could get our entire group on did not depart until 9:25pm on Friday evening.  I was able to purchase a phone card and tried to have all the students call home to touch bases while we were waiting in the Madrid airport, since I knew that once we finally arrived in Cadiz there would be no time.  After flying to Jerez, and collecting all of our luggage (which thankfully all arrived) we took our charter bus in to Cadiz where the host families were waiting to meet all the students.   When they finally got home it was after midnight and everyone was exhausted, but happy to have arrived in Cadiz.

The students were great during this ordeal and they are all a pleasure to have in the program.  None of them complained during our 24+ hours of travel – in fact, it was a great bonding experience!

Today we had our orientation tour in the AM, and we made sure that all the students bought phone cards so they can call home later this afternoon when it is a reasonable hour in the US.  If you have not heard from them already, you should hopefully be getting a call later today.   You can also feel free to try to reach them at their host family home by calling the number included in their welcome package.  The rest of the afternoon today is free to relax, unpack, get over jet lag, and get ready for our busy schedule over the next 2 1/2 weeks.

Kevin and I did activate our new Spanish Mobile Phone number today.  You can use this number if you need to reach us urgently, or in case of emergency.  Always do feel free to email me as I check my email often while here in Spain and will reply to any questions very promptly.

Finally, tomorrow we have a jam packed day of sightseeing in Sevilla, then on Monday our classes start.  By Monday afternoon we should have some summer camp photos posted from the weekend and a “blog” up so you can read about our adventures here in Spain.  Photos can be found by logging into y our Camp Account, then select The University of Cadiz, Spain, and the first session dates.  Our blog site is http://internaldrive.com/.  I will be sure to email you again so you know when they both are live.

Again, thank you for your understanding.  Please contact me anytime by email if you have questions or comments.

Best,

Kendra

 

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Photo-of-the-Week, Week of June 18

Hello Campers, Parents and Staff!

I am please to announce the winning computer camp Photo-of-the-week:  iD @ Southern Methodist University, Congratulations!

The photo was chosen for the simple message it sends:  Raffle Tickets mean a lot!  Seriously, it was chosen because of its creativity and originality.  Nice work, SMU!  It is interesting to note that SMU made it as a runner up on last week’s Photo-of-the-week blog entry.  Congrats to the camp!

Every week, the competition gets stiffer.  There are a lot of great pictures posted at EVERY iD Location.  How do you view them all?

1)  Students/Staff:  Go to the iD Student Corner.

2)  Parents:  Log into “My Camp Account” .

Additionally, I have posted some of my other favorite entries from the week.  I am sure you’ll enjoy them too!

Runners Up, Photo-of-the-Week

University of Virginia, iD Tech Camps, Wacom Tablet, Hard at work

University of Michigan, iD Tech Camps, Beautiful Group Shot, Beautiful Tech Camp Ers

Cal Lutheran University, iD Tech Camps, Meet the Staff

Lake Forest College, iD Tech Camps, Happy Tech Camp Ers

University of Minnesota, iD Tech Camps, Signing in our 4-legged-camper

Carnegie Mellon University, iD Tech Camps, Defying Gravity

Cal Lutheran University, iD Tech Camps, Don’t worry, be happy campers!

Southern Methodist University, iD Tech Camps, Guitar Hero ll, Anyone?

University of iD Tech Camps, Campbell, Yeah, we get into the gaming tournaments too!

Who will win next week?  Check back in next Wednesday to find out!

Until next week, have a great week at the coolest summer computer camp on the planet!

-Pete

 

Posted in Summer Camps | 3 Comments »