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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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.

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.

By Karen Kucher

Sitting at his computer, Thomas Nielsen was immersed in a video game, an imaginary world where a tiny purple squid named Inky battled the King Tomato, the Strawberry Queen and evil turnips.

But Thomas wasn’t playing the game — he was creating it. More specifically, he was making a sequel to the game he designed the previous summer.

“It was only like four levels last time. I’m trying to go for eight, at least eight,” he said.

Click here to read the full article about our CA summer camps

By Karen Kucher

Sitting at his computer, Thomas Nielsen was immersed in a video game, an imaginary world where a tiny purple squid named Inky battled the King Tomato, the Strawberry Queen and evil turnips.

But Thomas wasn’t playing the game — he was creating it. More specifically, he was making a sequel to the game he designed the previous summer.

“It was only like four levels last time. I’m trying to go for eight, at least eight,” he said.

Thomas is 10. And about to enter the fifth grade.

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By Anna Bitong

At a time when most teens are still exploring a variety of paths, Joshua Lipstone, 17, has chosen his future career.

For seven summers, Joshua has attended iD Tech Camps at Cal Lutheran University, which teach kids 7 to 18 how to create iPhone apps, robots, video games and websites. The camps are offered at 60 universities across the country, including UCLA and Stanford.

This summer, Joshua is learning to create a website using HTML and Flash.

“I went to these classes because I was interested in computers, but they really have (increased) my interest as well,” said the youth, who participates in an independent study program through River Oaks Academy in Westlake Village during the school year.

After high school, he hopes to attend Harvey Mudd College in Claremont, Caltech in Pasadena, or Massachusetts Institute of Technology to study computer science.

Tyler Hom, 17, joined the camp for the first time this summer to learn how to use Adobe Dreamweaver.

“I really like it. I’ll definitely leave this camp knowing more than my dad (an illustrator). Now I have some expertise,” said Tyler, who will be a senior at Westlake High School and also plans to study computer science in college.

As they build websites and create video games at the Cal Lutheran campus on a Thursday morning, students are so focused on the task at hand that their eyes rarely leave the computer screen.

Without interrupting the steady click of his mouse as he lined up animated military tanks for his video game, aspiring architect Sam Simonoff, 11, said the class would help him prepare for his career.

“It requires building, math and computer skills,” said the Robert Frost Middle School student.

Graydon Simons, 10, looks forward to a career as a video game designer.

“The best part of this class is making your own video games and getting to use animated objects,” said the student at Round Meadow Elementary in Calabasas.

Other campers enjoy the chance to be creative.

“I’m making a website about an invention I just made up,” said Jesse Chien, 11.

Camp director Ken Gorman said the kids are serious about learning.

“They come here to work. It’s nice to run a camp where I very rarely have a disciplinary problem. They get along really well. They want to come in the morning; they don’t want to leave at night,” said Gorman, who also teaches at Oaks Christian School.

Before returning as an instructor at the camp, Peter Sylvester was a student for five summers. He said the best part of the class was discovering his talents.

“I learned I could actually make games myself if I have the tools and knowledge,” he said.

Camp sessions range from one to six weeks and include recreational activities such as swimming and gaming tournaments.

Costs start at $799 for day camps and at $1,298 for overnight programs.

When their session is over, students can maintain their skills through free monthly online workshops

For more information, visit www.internaldrive.com

Click here to read this Thousand Oaks summer camps article on toacorn.com

By Meghan Morris

He’s only 7 years old, not yet a second-grader at Valley Forge Elementary School, but Adam Gould is certain of his future. He does not just aspire to be an inventor: this, he says, is what he was made for.

“I was created to be an inventor,” he said, chasing a robot he created named Bob around the floor.

At iD Tech Camp, he has the opportunity to explore this budding passion during a day program at Villanova University.

Gould is one of 74 campers, ages 7 to 17, who are exploring technology through hands-on projects, like building robots or creating movies, and small-group instruction in both day and overnight sessions.

“It’s always great to have a place for kids who may not necessarily be into that kind of sports camp,” director Sarah Clausen said. “This really engages them in a new way, with technology and computer sciences.”

Students choose from a variety of courses, learning how to create computer programs, iPhone apps, websites, videos and more.

Kristy Majetich, a junior studying computer science at Villanova, is one of 10 instructors at the camp. For her programming class, she begins with the basics of Java and C++ and moves on according to the class’s ability.

“My goal is for the kids to understand what they’re doing and get excited about Java because you can do so much with it,” Majetich said.

Some students attend the camp for several years, building on the previous years’ lessons. Sam Kruger, who will be a freshman at Friends’ Central, has gone to iD Tech since 2007.

“I’ve taken almost all the courses here, but I’ve made different things each time,” he said.

This summer he is attending the camp for four weeks. On July 14 Kruger was busy creating a computer game similar to Dance Dance Revolution that he described as a challenge, due to the game platform, but one that he could certainly tackle.

“I used the stuff I learned here to make a video and a Web site for school projects,” Kruger said. “I help my family with technology because they’re not great at it.”

In addition to school assignments, Clausen said that students use camp as a way to explore future careers – whether they are 7 years old, like Adam the inventor, or looking into college degrees.

“A lot of our students are teens, so a lot of them are using the camp as a stepping stone to take AP Computer Science or go into college-level courses,” she said.

Students do take time out, away from computers, to enjoy the summer. Villanova campers’ favorite free-time activities include four-square and Ultimate Frisbee, and overnight campers have movie nights and gaming tournaments.

“It’s a camp, so we do some of that fun camp stuff,” Clausen said. “We’re not at computers the entire day; we do get outside and run around.”

Click here to read the article in the Main Line Media News.