iD News and Blog

Packet Magazine

As appeared in Packet Magazine

June 2007

Technically Speaking

Camps for today’s whiz-kids

By Kristin Boyd

INSTEAD of sleeping past noon or lounging by the pool, 13-year-old James Nitsch has spent his past two summers at iD Tech Camp.

There, he says, trained instructors taught him how to use computer codes like Lego blocks, stacking one on top of another to create cool video games.

His first game featured Knuckles, an animated character that, with just a few button pushes, could punch through walls, jump onto helicopters, dodge meteors and pummel enemies.

“The game wasn’t that great. It had some glitches, but it was still pretty impressive to look at and say I actually made that,” says James, a Princeton resident who dreams of becoming a game designer.

For critics who contend video games and the Internet are a waste of time, iD Tech Camp is proving them wrong. With programs such as 3-D game design and comic creation, the computer camp gives children and teens an opportunity to explore their tech interests, and in some cases, helps them prepare for potential careers.

“We have all types of kids coming to camp – those who are really interested in technology and those who just want to try something new,” says Karen Thurm Safran, iD Tech Camp’s vice president of marketing. “It’s more than sitting in front of the computer. You’re learning while you’re having fun.”

Now in its ninth season, iD Tech Camp is gaining popularity, largely because it fills a niche previously overlooked, Ms. Thurm Safran says. “It’s hands-on learning as opposed to lecturing. Kids learn about video games by creating video games,” she says.

Created as part of a business school thesis by Alexa Ingram- Cauchi, then a student at the University of Washington, iD Tech Camps are now offered nationwide at 50 colleges and universities, including Rider University in Lawrenceville, Seton Hall University in South Orange and Villanova University in Villanova, PA. Princeton University has also previously hosted camps.

Students aged 7 to 17 can enroll in weeklong courses, including digital video production, game modding (slang for modifying hardware or software) and special F/X editing. During their chosen course, students work on projects, such as building robots, creating digital comic books and designing Web sites with Flash animation.

More than 17,500 students will attend iD Tech Camps this summer, Ms. Thurm Safran says. Some students attend only during the day; others stay overnight and sleep in the dormitories.

“It’s really fun. It’s way more than just computer camp,” Ms. Thurm Safran says. “Their self esteem can’t help but blossom because they take these skills and really apply them to their lives. The types of products they use are just phenomenal, and the outcome is outstanding.”

Students, who receive computers to use during the camp, are taught industry-standard programs, including Final Cut Pro, Adobe Photoshop, Dreamweaver and Flash. Students also have access to various Microsoft, Apple, Canon, HP, nVIDIA and Western Digital products.

“Kids come in with some interest in computers and video games, but we’re actually teaching them pretty advanced stuff. They receive college-type instruction in web and design,” says Jon Olshefski, a director and instructor at Princeton University’s iD Tech Camp last summer.

Mr. Olshefski, a Philadelphiabased Web and graphic designer, says the camps are an excellent training ground for the gamers of tomorrow. “We try to encourage kids to do what they want to do,” he says. “We try to bring those two worlds, interest and learning, together. It’s an extra bonus if kids are really interested because they can get really inspired.”

While the courses are structured, instructors, mostly college students and professionals, are flexible. They accommodate students who “just want to play video games all day, and those kids who are really serious and want to pursue this in college,” Mr. Olshefski says.

Each day, the courses are split into three sections: morning, which includes four hours of hands-on instruction and project work; a lunch break; and afternoon, which includes free time.

During free time, students can socialize, continue working on their projects or participate in instructor- led activities, such as karaoke, ultimate Frisbee or gaming competitions.

“Although camp is fun, and you don’t want it to end, after staring at the computer screen for four straight hours, you want to go outside and breathe some fresh air,” says James.

Like many iD Tech Camp students, James became interested in gaming as a child after receiving a Nintendo 64 system for Christmas. “I’ve tried every game since,” he says. “They were kind of an escape from reality. It was kind of like watching a movie, but you’re actually playing.”

Austin Chalk of Pennington has played video games since he was 3. Now 15, he says attending Princeton’s iD Tech Camp last summer has cemented his desire to become a lead designer for Square Enix or Bethesda Softworks, both major gaming companies.

“I thought it was really neat to learn how to make video games,” he says. “iD Tech Camp gave me an insight into what kind of knowledge I need to really make it in this industry.”

This year, Austin will “up” his game. He enrolled in the iD Gaming Academy at Villanova University, a three-week course that immerses teens in video game design and development. “I thought I’d take it one more step so I can learn more,” he says.

Paul Richardson, 18, of Lawrenceville, attended the iD Gaming Academy offered at University of California, Berkeley, last summer. There, he completed creation of a three-part video game, in which a player must stop zombies from overtaking Mercer County.

“It’s definitely worth the money,” he says. “It was great because I definitely didn’t have the tools or the knowledge to create a video game at home, and they taught me all of that.

The academy, Paul adds, also gave him confidence to treat his longtime interest as a lucrative career option rather than a silly pipe dream.

A graduating senior at Lawrence High School, he has since taken computer science courses at Mercer County Community College in West Windsor. In the fall, he’ll attend the school full time, majoring in computer science and minoring in video game creation. After two years, he’d like to transfer to U.C. Berkeley.

As for young James, he’s excited about returning to iD Tech Camp for a third summer because as his skills improve, he says, so will Knuckles.

“iD Tech is really great, and it’s so much fun,” he says. “It’s helping me learn about video games, and that’s what I want to do. I want to be a game designer. That’s definitely my passion.”

Courses are still available for the 2007 iD Tech camps at Rider University and Seton Hall University. Week-long camps cost $729 for day students and $1,129 for overnight students. For more information, call (888) 709-8324 or visit internaldrive.com .

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Tags: Rider University Computer News Article
Posted in Rider University | No Comments »

 

 

Photo of the Week for 6-10-07

I am please to announce the winning camp for Photo-of-the-week.  iD @ Vanderbilt, Congratulations! The photo was chosen for the simple message it sends:  Recycle!  Recycling is a major component of our summer computer camps.  We have an initiative called iD Greening.  iD Greening is something we’ve been planning since the fall.  It is very encouraging to see our campers and staff taking the lead with this important program!  Way to go Vanderbilt!

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!  Have a great week, everyone!

Winner, Photo-of-the-Week

Click on the below photos to expand them:

Photo-of-the-Week Winner:  Getting ready to recycle at Vanderbilt!

Runner Up:  iD Art at UT Austin

2nd Runner Up:  Southern Methodist University Group Shot

3rd Runner Up:  University of Virginia Staff Shot

4th Runner Up:  Vanderbilt…before camp starts here’s what a “lab” looks like

Congratulations to all iD Camps who are taking really, really great photos.  It is great to see you in action.  We know our parents and students love the photos too!  Have a great week!

-Pete

 

Posted in Summer Camps | 1 Comment »

 

 

Photo of the Week, UT Austin

Hello iD Nation!

We’re starting a new tradition at iD.  Our camp staff traditionally take many incredible photos over the summer.  This summer camp season, I’ll be selecting the “photo of the week” which will provide  acknowledgement of some of our best camp photos.  So, staff, let’s see what you’ve got!  If your school is selected for photos of the week, campers and staff each get an extra raffle ticket for the week.  Good luck!

The “shout out” this week goes to UT Austin.  Our campers took a picture with this Longhorn.  The picture was selected because it was unique, fun, funny, and eye-catching.  Guys, guys, watch out!  There is a big bull right behind you!  Run for it!   You are so brave to be standing there.  Wow.

Remember, we say iD Tech Camps is a “traditional summer camp with a technology focus.”  And, we mean it.  Sure, we are learning a lot of technology during the week–but there is so much more that goes into it and a lot of fun to be had just exploring the university campus.  Let’s not forget it’s summer!

If you want to see all of our camp photos, you can do one of three things:

1) Students, you can go to the Student Corner.

2) Parents/Guardians, you can log into your Camp Account.

3) Be sure to check back here weekly to see the particular camp photo I’ve selected to be showcased.

Click on the photo to enlarge:

Photo of the Week Winner, iD Tech Camps @ UT Austin

Way to go, UT!  I can’t wait to see all of the new pictures coming online next week.  We’ll have 10 camps running simultaneously.

Until next week!

Go iD!

-Pete

Photo of the Week Runner Up, Weston @ iD Tech Camps @ UT Austin

 

Posted in Summer Camps | 4 Comments »

 

 

Slime Me! Gross! Staff Training at Berkeley

Hello iD Nation!

We concluded our final summer camp training session this week on the West Coast–the beautiful urban campus of UC Berkeley.

Before I get started…many staff were inquiring where they could find the summer camp rap video we showed at the beginning of training.  Here is the link on YouTube.  Camp-in-a-Box Summer Camp Rap.

As we were training our West Coast staff, we were simultaneously in operation at our UT Austin summer camp location.  I think we’ve got a pretty special organization.  From the outside looking in, we hope it “seems easy” to do what we do.  If you ask yourself, “what do these guys do in the off-season?”, then we are doing our job.  Making it look easy is part of the magic.  Having fun along the way is also important.

Hopefully, we’ll accomplish both during the upcoming months.  So, let’s have a look see at some of the pictures from our final staff training of the year.  First off, I lost a bet, and, therefore, got slimed in front of 120 staff members.  I’m still cleaning out my ears.  Mark (you know who you are), I’ll get you this summer!  LOL!

Slime in thy eyes

Gross

Evening with the staff

Pointing fingers…it was him!

Best Dressed

Study up

Serious?!

Please don’t take my picture, Pete!  (OK, I love it!)

Seminar time for our Camp Directors

Boy Wonder, you have said too much today!

Angel doing his paperwork

Mussels monitoring Paperworkpalooza

Comfy cat nap

Go CAL!

Taco Time

Teambuilding activities (Canadian Rock, Scissors, Paper)

Got papers?

Foggy in Berkeley

Scary bear

Even scarier!

Group Pic

Loading down Randy with O.J.

Early morning Guitar Hero ll

Yes, someone fell for the fake banana.  Somebody actually ate the squash.  It was he DelMonte sticker that fooled them.

Slime time

Making the case why I shouldn’t get slimed

Still making the case

Julie, with the counter-argument

I lost

And, got slimed

OK, iD Nation.  I’ll be hitting the road this summer.  You never know where I’ll pop up.  Rest assured, the camps I visit will be blogged.  Have a great summer, everyone.  We are looking forward to executing our best season yet.

-Pete

 

Posted in CEO's Blog | 2 Comments »