As appeared in the San Diego Union…
As appeared in the Davis Enterprise…As appeared in the News-Record – Youths burrow into computers at local tech camp
July 26, 2011
by Carl Lieberman
iD Tech Camps, now in their fifth year at Seton Hall University in South Orange, are not the typical summer camp experience.
Classrooms on campus are transformed into digital education hubs with video game artwork on the walls, dazzling displays of code on the screens and dozens of students learning everything from video game creation to graphic design for advertising.
Launched in 1999 in Silicon Valley, iD, short for internalDrive, Tech Camps are a family-owned company that offers weeklong courses hat covering a host of computer-related fields, while still offering a more conventional camp experience.
“We’re not just a tech camp,” said Director Amanda Jones.
Instead, the program emphasizes “both facets of camp life” and includes games and outdoor time in addition to the computer labs.But the focus is still on sharpening 21st century skills in campers.
Students use industry-standard software and hardware such as Wacom tablets, Multimedia Fusion 2 and Adobe Photoshop.
The games used are acclaimed and contemporary, like Valve’s Half-Life 2 and Obsidian Entertainment’s Neverwinter Nights 2. Chris Dodd, 12, of Maplewood, a returning camper, took a course on video game modifications using Blizzard Entertainment’s popular real-time strategy game, Star Craft II: Wings of Liberty.He applied knowledge from previous sessions to create several new maps for the game.
“I liked the variety of things to do,” he said. “It’s not just computers.”
“It’s really fun and we’re all doing different things,” agreed Adam Yawdoszyn, 13, of South Orange. Yawdoszyn learned about C++ and Java, two computer languages.
He started the week with basic tasks such as printing his name and went on to more complex coding, such as teaching a computer how to play games.Campers will create a final project, a culmination of the skills learned during the week, which will be shown off during family day at the end of the course.
It allows campers to tackle high-level projects with rewarding results. Yawdoszyn said he loved the feeling of “actually playing the game that you know you made” and knowing “that you can do all of that.”
Cameron Lodd, another 13-year-old South Orange resident in the C++ and Java course, made an encryption program for his final project.
“You’re incorporating everything into something great,” he said, mentioning that he gets the “best feeling” when everything he made works.
The camp aims to offer individuals the knowledge and practice to hone computer skills. Robotics, video editing, game design, Flash animation, and many more are offered during the summer. Each course is one week, and campers are free to attend multiple sessions.
In addition to the normal camp activities, this year iD Tech Camps have partnered with the Arbor Day Foundation to plant a tree for every camper in an effort to support the environment. ”iD always looks for new ways to stay green” Jones said on the partnership, adding that it is “a new step for iD.”
As the week ends, campers finish their final projects for family day and reflect on the fun and learning they had done over the week. ”I’m sad it’s almost over,” said Lodd.
iD Tech Camps are for youngsters aged 7 to 17. Tuition begins at $799 for commuter students and $1,298 for overnight students. The camp began the last week in June and continues until early August, though space is extremely limited.
July 26th, 2011
Posted in: iD In The News, Princeton University, Seton Hall University
