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February 23rd, 2012 by: Ryan
Here is an excerpt from a great article about our Summer Camps in Illinois and STEM education. The full article is currently posted online and will appear in the March edition of Chicago Parent. Enjoy!
Science Deficit
By Robyn Monaghan
…But the real burst came when they sent Andrew to iD Tech camp at Northwestern University about four years ago. iD Tech Camps, also offered at Lake Forest College, are hands-on STEM courses that focus on preparing students for today’s job market. Science buffs 7-17 enroll in weeklong, day and overnight summer programs where they can rub elbows with mentors who are real pros in tech jobs. During the past 13 years, more than 130,000 students at 60 universities worldwide have learned to create video games, iPhone apps, Java programs, websites, movies, 3D animations, ad designs, and even robots.
This summer, Andrew’s going to an iD Tech camp at Stanford University.
“It gives me the chance to be creative, not just a book-learning experience,” Andrew says. “I get to meet people who are really making a living doing the things I love to do.”
Click here to read the entire article on ChicagoParent.com
February 23rd, 2012 | Tags: Chicago summer camps, STEM education, STEM summer camps, summer camps in Illinois
Posted in: iD In The News, Lake Forest College, Northwestern University
February 16th, 2012 by: Audrey
Attention New Mexico kids and teens – have you been looking for an Albuquerque summer camp? Join us at the University of New Mexico this summer, and learn some fun tech skills in a small class setting. iD Tech Camps will host weeklong sessions at UNM starting in June with fun tech courses ranging from video game creation to programming and web design. Get a feel for learning on a university campus this summer!
Fun UNM Facts – Did You Know?
- UNM sports teams are known as the Lobos
- UNM is the largest post-secondary institution in New Mexico
- The UNM campus is famous for its Pueblo Revival architecture
- UNM’s biggest rival is New Mexico State University – their rivalry is known as the Rio Grande Rivalry
Come to Albuquerque this summer for the best tech camp in the world!
February 16th, 2012 | Tags: albuquerque summer camp, new mexico summer camp, UNM summer camp
Posted in: Locations
February 14th, 2012 by: Audrey
Have you been looking for a Las Vegas summer camp? You’re in luck! iD Tech Camps will be hosting summer camps in Las Vegas for weeklong sessions running from June through July. Explore cool tech courses from game design to movie making and programming in small classes. Choose the overnight option to enjoy even more time on this fun Las Vegas campus.
Fun UNLV Facts – Did You Know?
- UNLV’s nickname is the Rebels.
- Notable alumni from UNLV include comedian Jimmy Kimmel.
- Distinguished faculty from UNLV include Nobel laureate Wole Soyinka.
Join us this summer and check out our fun Las Vegas computer camp!
February 14th, 2012 | Tags: las vegas summer camp, Nevada summer camps, summer camp in las vegas, UNLV summer camps
Posted in: Locations
February 1st, 2012 by: Ryan
Move Over Arts and Crafts
by Candice Szymczak
Article about our Summer camps in NJ and PA!
February 1st, 2012
Posted in: Princeton University, Villanova University
December 15th, 2011 by: Ryan
by John Mordecai
NEW HAVEN — Techie high school students will have a chance to delve into creating their own apps and learn programming skills when the iD Programming Academy camp comes to Yale University next summer.
Open to teenagers ages 13 to 18, the two-week overnight camp provides instruction on computer programming and application development. The camp has taken place on various university campuses across the country and comes to Yale for the first time in 2012.
“Our goal is to take a student’s hobby or passion and show them how they can do much more with it, and how they can even turn it into a career,” says Karen Thurm Safran, iD Tech Camps’ vice president of marketing and business development.
Click here to read the full article.
December 15th, 2011 | Tags: new haven summer camps, teen programming camp, Yale summer camps
Posted in: iD In The News, Sacred Heart University, Wesleyan University
December 13th, 2011 by: Audrey
Getting ready for college? Thinking about making campus visits? You’re not alone – according to an Art & Science Group poll, 65% of students say visits to schools are the most influential source of information in deciding where to apply and where to attend.
With the College Board recommending that students apply to 5-8 colleges, fitting in a visit to each campus can be a challenge. That’s why iD Tech Camps’ expansion of university locations is good news – with 13 new summer programs this year, bringing the total number of iD programs to a grand total of 78, students have more options than ever for sampling campus life.
“A college campus is the perfect place for younger students to supplement their education,” explains iD Tech Camps CEO Pete Ingram-Cauchi. “It’s a natural choice for us to host our programs on campus.”
New prestigious schools joining the list of universities that host iD programs include Yale University, Duke University, Amherst College, and the University of Texas at Austin. iD also has new summer camps in Nevada, with UNLV hosting programs, and new summer camps in New Mexico, with the University of New Mexico acting as host.
Counting the new additions, iD now has a presence at 7 of the top 10 national universities ranked by the U.S. News & World Report. It makes an ideal way for today’s busy students to sample college life at prestigious universities, while at the same time learning the skills necessary to get into those top schools.
Note: Many of our locations have recently become available for registration – check out dates and courses at these new additions: UT Austin, Princeton, Merrimack College, Sacred Heart University, and TCU. View all locations.
December 13th, 2011 | Tags: college visits, Duke summer camps, Nevada summer camps, New Mexico summer camps, summer camps in Nevada, summer camps in New Mexico, ut austin summer camps, Yale summer camps
Posted in: iD Tech Camps, Locations
August 4th, 2011 by: Elise
Junior programmers are flocking to Stanford, MIT, and elsewhere to hone their app-writing skills
By George Anders
Michael Matias traveled 7,400 miles to camp this summer. Usually the 15-year-old computer enthusiast finds plenty to do in Tel Aviv, his hometown. But when a friend won renown as a hotshot programmer after attending a California tech camp, Michael and his parents made camp a key part of their trip to the U.S. in July. In July the Matiases found a short-stay home near Stanford University. Michael spent his days on campus in a fast-paced course run by iD Tech Camps, learning how to develop applications for the iPhone. “Maybe I’ll end up building the next great app,” he says.
Click here to read full article.
August 4th, 2011
Posted in: CEO's Blog, iD In The News, Santa Clara University, St. Mary's College of California, Stanford University, UC Berkeley
August 2nd, 2011 by: Elise
iD Tech Camp Steers Youths Nationwide into the Demanding World of Computer Technology
By Nikki Chan
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Despite the ever-increasing dependency of youth on computer technologies (encouraged by the likes of Facebook, Twitter, etc.), public schools lack education programs for computer gaming and programming. That’s where iD Tech Camps comes in. The youth camps offer what instructor Kristine Spitznagel called a “supplement” to what kids learn and aren’t able to learn in school by providing a hands-on learning experience for students with beginning to advanced skills, aged seven to 17.
Click here to read the full article.
August 2nd, 2011
Posted in: iD In The News, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, UCLA
August 2nd, 2011 by: Elise
UCSB Computer Camp Challenges Kids
iD Tech Camp Steers Youths Nationwide into the Demanding World of Computer Technology
By Nikki Chan
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Despite the ever-increasing dependency of youth on computer technologies (encouraged by the likes of Facebook, Twitter, etc.), public schools lack education programs for computer gaming and programming. That’s where iD Tech Camps comes in. The youth camps offer what instructor Kristine Spitznagel called a “supplement” to what kids learn and aren’t able to learn in school by providing a hands-on learning experience for students with beginning to advanced skills, aged seven to 17.
iD Tech Camps was founded in 1998 and operates annually at 60 top national universities. This year the camp launched a local program; UCSB has joined the likes of Harvard University, Stanford University, and UCLA as a host location for the camp, which runs until August 4. Registration is on an ongoing basis.
The UCSB program currently instructs 30 students — each student works on his or her own individual project through the week-long session. Students use programs like Multimedia Fusion, C++, and Java.
The session is broken up in to daily classes, with six to eight campers per instructor, to ensure that each camper feels the sense of a one-on-one learning experience. The wide range of available classes — which includes 3D design and web design — aims to match the wide range of campers’ interests.
Campers’ long work hours — from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday — are interrupted by various video, snack, and activity breaks, allowing time for video game planning and robotics competitions. Instructor Spitznagel added that campers are also welcome to use the nearby campus pool and dorms for sleepovers, which fosters a “camp culture.”
Sticking with their mission to avoid making the camp feel like school, Spitznagel explained and pointed out the green question mark banners on the sides of computers. When they have questions, students raise the question marks instead of raising their hands.
Although campers spend most of each day on computers, Spitznagel said they manage to retain concentration. Instructors work with campers to brainstorm ideas for creating their programs. They might suggest using premade characters to start with should campers become frustrated.
“They think it’s fun,” Spitznagel said. “The work is challenging, but it’s also rewarding — they created it.”
All of the students that entered iD Tech Camps have a strong interest in computer technology, and their levels of experience vary. 12-year-old Rafael, who will enter middle school next year, plans to major in the field. Spitznagel, who is currently in her fourth year of instructing with iD Tech Camps, said many students use the camp as a “beginning point” before delving into computer science-related majors in college.
Lead instructor Antonio Aillio — who is in his second year instructing with iD Tech Camps-works with older campers on 3D software used in the video game industry. Aillio teaches his students the “bare essentials and basics” to creating their own video games. The campers produce levels to be used in their game’s “environments,” and at the end of the week they share and play each other’s games.
At the end of each week’s session, all of the campers’ games are published on the iD Tech Camps website (internaldrive.com), allowing campers to share their projects with friends. So 10-year-old Lachlan Rose, who aspired to create a multi-user video game to play with her friends, can do so.
iD Tech Camps also place emphasis on the strengthening of students’ self-confidence, using skills learned at camp. This was evidenced by both Rafael’s and Lachlan Rose’s clear explanations of their projects and goals for the week.
According to Spitznagel, iD Tech Camps is the only camp of its kind offered locally, and it starts this year. “We’re really excited and we’re hoping to get more kids involved,” Spitznagel said.
View this article about our California summer camps in the Santa Barbara Independent Newspaper.
August 2nd, 2011
Posted in: Cal Lutheran University, iD In The News, UC Irvine, UC San Diego, UC Santa Barbara, UCLA
July 29th, 2011 by: Elise
Camp gives Davis teens a tech advantage
By Anne Ternus-Bellamy
July 29 2011
Sixteen-year-old Michaela Ma didn’t just learn how to design a website this week; she actually created a professional site for her dad, dentist Dr. Jeffrey Ma.
Fourteen-year-old Ricky Tan didn’t just learn how to create a level in a professional first-person shooter game, he designed one that he and others could use in tournament play.
And 13-year-old Tioga Benner mastered the art of arcade video game creation.
All three Davis teens were participants in iD Tech Camp at Sacramento State University, where 30 students ages 7 to 17 learned how to build robots, create video games and websites and learn the basics of programming.
The 13-year-old camp, which takes place every summer on college campuses across the country, divides students by age and interest into small groups. This week at Sacramento State, the youngest participants were building robots using Lego Mindstorms materials, while older students were doing more sophisticated work.
Ma, for example, was creating a website for her dad’s Sacramento dental practice that she hoped to unveil on Friday at the “family showcase,” where students show off their accomplishments. By midweek, the Davis High School junior had created the site’s banner and logo, as well as an Adobe Flash Player animation of teeth being brushed.
“It’s a little bit hard because I’ve never done it before,” Ma said. “And the animation took a really long time.”
But she was looking forward to revealing the site to her dad.
“It will be a surprise,” she said.
Nearby in the large, colorful room, Benner, a Holmes Junior High School eighth-grader, was creating an arcade-type video game, complete with a character being chased through a maze by bad guys.
“Every five seconds these guys shoot something at your character,” he explained.
This was Benner’s second iD Tech camp. Emerson Junior High student Ricky Tan was a returning student as well, and like Benner, Tan was working on a video game as well, albeit a more involved one.
Tan was one of the students creating their own levels in a first-person shooter game using Unreal Development Kits, the engine behind the popular game, Unreal Tournament 3.
“We’re making a level and when we’re done, we can load them up on each other’s computers and play each other,” Tan said.
“It takes a lot of time,” he added.
“It’s pretty complex,” agreed camp director Brian Campbell.
Campbell, who teaches math at Albert Einstein Middle School in Sacramento, has been directing the local iD Tech Camp for five years.
“It’s really to get kids interested in technology,” he said. “And they love it. They come back year after year.”
At the end of the weeklong camp most of the students take their project home with them on a flash drive. The one exception: the youngest students, who spent the week building robots using the popular Lego equipment. They don’t get to take their robots, but do get to take videos of them home.
Seven-year-old Elk Grove resident Kayla Rabey made a pair of robotic puppies during the week.
One of them, she said, “goes and then stops and sniffs like a puppy.”
The second one “is going to move by himself and make noises,” she said.
On the other end of the iD Camp spectrum were the most advanced students, learning programming.
Vacaville High School student Marissa Albidress was working on a program to average out numbers.
“I’m learning the basics of programming,” she said.
It’s her first time at iD Tech Camp, and she’s hoping to use what she learns here on the Vacaville High robotics team.
“I’ve learned a lot,” she said. “I’d definitely recommend it to anyone who wants to do anything technology-related.”
As would Campbell: “It’s really gives these kids an edge, an advantage,” he said.
Wayne Tilcock/Enterprise photo
Click here to read the article in the Davis Enterprise.
July 29th, 2011
Posted in: California State University, Sacramento, iD In The News, Santa Clara University, St. Mary's College of California, UC Berkeley
