The Chapel Hill Herald – July 7,…
As appeared in The Ventura County Star…As appeared in Orange County Parenting – Summer camp goes digital by Becky Brock
June 2008
By Becky Brock
Believe it or not, summer camps are not limited to hiking and horseback riding anymore. Instead, camps are catering to a variety of children’s interests. To keep up with the fast paced lifestyle of the 21st century, iD Tech Camp offers an exciting summer camp with beginner to advanced level courses, for ages 7 to 17, on the newest technology, programming and film strategies and systems.
Family owned and operated, iD Tech Camp has more than 50 camp locations at prestigious universities in 23 states and features a study-abroad program in Spain. With almost a dozen camp locations scattered across California, there is one right here in Orange County at UC Irvine.
iD tech Camp, which prides itself on being America’s number one tech camp, gives students opportunities to work with the latest technology and educated staff members.
“Tech camp sounds like an ideal opportunity for children to experiment with software that may be inaccessible to them,” says Claire Rubman, associate professor at Suffolk County Community College in Brentwood, New York. “They can also work with experts in the field that may not be available in the regular school year and dedicate time to hone a new skill.”
Students also work closely with staff members because of the 6:1 ratio. With only five to six students in each course, staff members are better able to help students complete their projects and understand the computer, gaming, or film systems. And, to make iD Tech Camp a memorable summer camp, each staff member is at least an upper-level undergraduate, or graduate studying related fields where the iD Tech Camps are held. The instructors not only serve as mentors, but they are also trained and closely evaluated.
Whether or not your child stays for day camp or the overnight camp, students are motivated to learn because each course is project based, to give students a hands-on experience. At the end of the week, students submit a project using the new skills they have learned, like digital video editing or making their own web page.
But the camp isn’t all work and no play. Each day, students are given free time to play Frisbee, board games and more. Some camps, like the one at the UC San Diego campus, is used for a Surf and Tech Camp for kids ages 11 to 17. Half the day is spent learning video game creation or web design and the other half is surf instruction.
Karen Thurm Safran, vice president of marketing, points out that when students complete the projects they have worked on all week, it gives them a sense of accomplishment and helps boost many students’ self esteem. Also, the iD Tech Camp locations are a part of the goal to help kids embrace the learning process.
“Because it’s at a university, the child may decide to apply there,” Thurm Safran says. “It encourages them to continue on with their education.”
Julian Finnegan of San Francisco enrolled in an iD Tech Camp video game creation course when he was 10 years old. Not long after, he started creating his own video games and selling them to his friends.
It has been four years since Julian started his own video-gaming business. He has acquired most of his electronic literacy by attending the id Tech Camp and Gaming Academy.
“It’s his favorite camp,” says his mother Ellen.
The skills Julian learned at camp have helped him at school and home. In addition to creating his own video games, he helps his teachers install software, prepare lighting for school plays and has designed a Web site for his father.
iD Tech Camp also encourages green activity, including carpooling, lowering energy consumption and recycling. Staff members say they know the importance of teaching kids technological advancements and how to stay green, to improve the future. For more information about iD Tech Camp, visit www.internaldrive.com. -Becky Brock
This article originally appeared in Parenting OC Magazine’s June, 2008 issue.
August 21st, 2008
Posted in: iD In The News, UC Irvine
