UNC Chapel Hill, Villanova University

 

As appeared in My School Rocks Magazine – Camping Goes High Tech by Resa Goldberg

January 2010

by Resa Goldberg

Twins Ross and Scott had such a great time at iD Tech Camp last summer they immediately began talking about going back this year.

Their mom’s condition that they help pay for it would have silenced most kids. Not Ross and the Scott. But they didn’t consider opening a lemonade stand or washing cars. No, though only nine years old at the time, they contacted a local business in need of website development services—-skills they had just picked up using Dreamweaver software in summer camp!

They completed the project for Wrightstown Used Auto and Truck Parts in August and were subsequently paid $700. Since then, the fourth graders have been busy with schoolwork and, of course, planning their next camping adventure at iD Tech.

“We talk a lot about how our summer camps develop technical skills for the future,” says Pete Ingram-Cauchi, co-founder of internalDrive, Inc. (iD Tech), in his Nov. 23 blog. “(Ross and Scott’s project) is proof that you don’t need to wait until college to start putting those skills into action.”

Ingram and his sister, Alexa, founded internalDrive, Inc. in 1999 in Silicon Valley—with help from Kathryn Ingram and Paul Cauchi—offering courses in virtual reality, cinematography, digital video, web design, programming and multimedia in California at Santa Clara University, CS Monterey Bay and UC Irvine. “We had to prove to our corporate partners that kids could pick up these topics and that age shouldn’t be a discriminating factor of whether to support this program or not,” says Alexa.

Today, iD Tech hosts weeklong day and overnight sessions for kids ages seven to 17 who want to create video games, design websites, build robots, learn programs, film and edit digital movies, among many other activities. The camps take place at 60 prestigious universities in 25 states in the U.S. and Canada, including UNC-Chapel Hill, Emory, Vanderbilt, MIT, Harvard, Princeton, Northwestern, Stanford and UCLA. iD also offers special programs for teens at selected locations, which they call the iD Gaming Academy; the iD Visual Arts Academy and the iD Programming Academy.

Instructors are graduate and undergraduate students in computer science, film, programming, education and engineering—often from the same universities where the company hosts its summer camps. All instructors or counselors are 18 or older. While a good part of each day is indeed devoted to camper’s chosen focus, iD Tech does blend traditional summer camp activities such as sports and other outdoor activities, talent shows and movie nights, with its technical courses. The websites suggests that boys, in particular, might enjoy surfing in the Pacific Ocean in the morning and then building a website in the afternoon.

“It’s true that kids don’t have to be brainiacs or nerds to attend these camps,” says Ross and Scott’s mom Hope. “My boys are just average kids, who have a variety of interests, and who also happen to have a passion for computers.”

Girls are not an afterthought at iD Tech. In fact, the company offers a variety of courses that have curriculum tailored to what girls want to do. Take for example the courses in graphic design, fashion design and filmmaking. The website also highlights several stories of girls who attended iD Tech camps and went on to become extremely successful in their chosen industries.

“Now look at all the targeted tech programs for kids of all ages,” says Alexa. “Students are learning to mod the games we originally played as kids…taking them to new levels and dimensions.”

This season, iD Tech is offering several new courses that will appeal to both boys and girls. Those include iPhone App Development, Digital Photography & Photoshop, RPG Game Design & Graphic Arts Hybrid and StarCraft Half-Life 2, among others.

This summer, Ross and Scott will be taking Video Game Creation – Arcade & Platform and Role Playing Game Design & Graphic Arts Hybrid at Princeton University. In the meantime, they were thrilled with the opportunity to be this month’s Rockin’ Reporters. They caught up with iD Tech cofounder Alexa Ingram-Cauchi where they found out everything you ever wanted to know about iD Tech Camps.

RR: What were you like when you were a kid? Were you a computer nerd?

AI-C: Both Pete and I loved sports and excelled at school. Our Uncle was a VP at Atari and introduced us to our first video games. I won’t date myself, or maybe I already did.

RR: What gave you the idea to start iDTech?

AI-C: We realized the need for hands-on summer technology where students could use cutting edge technology from key industry companies like Apple, Microsoft, Adobe, Autodesk and more. Having grown up in a family of educators, we saw first-hand the struggle schools were having maintaining up-to-date technology. We wanted kids to become engaged in technology at a young age as well as get a sneak peek into universities like Stanford, Princeton, UNC. iD Tech Camps by internalDrive was born.

RR: How did you start iDTech? Was it hard?

AI-C: I won a business plan competition at the University of Washington. The sale of that company provided the seed money to pursue a family run business. My mother, Kathryn Ingram, and I pulled in some valuable resources…tapped Pete in Spain, and jumped in with both feet and never looked back. Hard is an understatement. Every day was an extreme challenge, but one we welcomed with each passing morning. Very few people can say they love what they do and wake up each morning welcoming whatever new challenges awaits.

RR: What is it like to run a company with your brother?

AI-C: Great! I wouldn’t have it any other way. We play off of each other quite well. Then again, we have always gotten along and have pushed each other to excel and be the best we can be personally and professionally.

RR: How do you decide what courses to offer at iDTech?

AI-C: Software and hardware products always reflect what the professionals use. We use Autodesk’s Maya in our 3D courses, Sony DSLR cameras in DV courses, Adobe Photoshop to make photos more elaborate and the list goes on. We have several new programs—Our Academies are introducing a couple new and exciting courses –one where teens can learn to develop arcade style games using the XNA framework from Microsoft. Another course incorporates iPhone App development which includes the Apple development environment Xcode and Cocoa. You won’t find these courses anywhere else.

RR: How do you decide on the software for iDTech?

AI-C: Cutting edge, usability, relevance…we use what the professionals use…Maya, Final Cut Studio, Photoshop. Students mod the hottest titles like Starcraft and Unreal Tournament 3.

RR: How do you pick the locations?

AI-C: We look to introduce locations that have an established reputation for higher learning. The location needs to be safe and inviting. Who wouldn’t want a sneak peek into Harvard, Princeton, Stanford or UNC?

RR: How do you decide who gets to be a counselor?

AI-C: A rigorous interviewing process, coupled with stellar recommendations. Must pass all background checks. We want people who are experienced and serve as mentors to the kids….He or she may be a professional graphic artist who uses Photoshop or a game programmer who uses Maya in his daily life outside of camp. These are the best people to have teaching our students. They have practical knowledge and enjoy relaying this knowledge in a fun and creative manner.

RR: Have you thought about having on-line courses during the school year?

AI-C: Our primary focus is on our core business, summer camps. It takes us about nine months to pull off a three-month summer program. This company is highly involved and every detail has to be planned and executed to perfection (e.g. latest software releases ghosted on thousands of computers in order to pull off the courses seamlessly.) We have recently launched our iD365 which is a monthly webinar focused on relevant topics such as Google Sketchup. See http://www.internaldrive.com/yearround-learning/ for more details. This is a complimentary service provided to iD alumni and students enrolled for the current season.

RR: Have you ever thought of offering a course in designing game consoles?

AI-C: We just unveiled a new Academy course “Programming for Game Consoles” which allows our students to develop arcade style games using the XNA framework.

RR: What kind of jobs can iDTech prepare kids for?

AI-C: Game Design, Engineering, Web Design, Computer Programming, Gaming Athletes, Videographer, Director, Photographer, iD Tech Camps counselors, Regional Managers….and the list goes on.

RR: What are some big things iDTech kids have gone on to do?

AI-C: Published games, published related books, directed feature films….Visit the iD Basement to read some great stories http://basement.internaldrive.com Julian sold games at age 10. Ian sold a book….

RR: Do you have any advice for kids who what to start their own business?

AI-C: Come up with a sound idea. Don’t be afraid to bounce it off several people. The key word is “several.” Had we listened to everyone who said we couldn’t teach kids these topics, we would have never opened our doors. We constantly take feedback and improve and develop our ideas. Take a leap of faith and believe in yourself. If you don’t, nobody will.

 

 

 

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