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.

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 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.

Click here to read full article.

By Britney Barnes

IRVINE — Pulling out his black iPhone, Luke Stanback called up an app for “Alien Invasion” and started blasting space invaders from a ship. The game is pretty challenging, but Luke knows all the “cheats.” That’s because the 11-year-old created the game over the last four days. “It’s pretty cool,” said Luke, “especially since it’s on my iPhone.”  Luke was just one of many kids working diligently on computers Thursday morning at the weeklong iD Tech Camp in UC Irvine’s Mesa Court Community Center.

Click here to read full article about our Irvine summer camps

By Dave Schwab

When asked in September how they spent their summer vacations, the students in a high-tech camp at UCSD will be able to answer: “Productively.”

While their peers were home playing video games, students ages 7 to 17 from La Jolla and environs and as far away as Shanghai, China, were busy creating them in iD Tech Camps.

“The idea is to plant the seed into students’ minds that things that interest them can be turned into a career,” said Sultan Rana, iD Tech Camp director from Toronto, Canada. “When they come here they realize there’s just so much they can do.”

In weeklong sessions – some day camps, in-residence – that continue through Aug. 6, beginning to advanced students were building their own 2D and 3D video games, as well as designing websites, iPhone applications, robots and 3D models and animations working in small groups in university computer labs.

ID refers to internal drive, and this is the 11th year in which UCSD has participated in the horizon-broadening youth computer camp program.

Kids are inspired by iD Tech Camp, Rana said. “You have those teachable moments when the kids ask, ‘What made you want to be what you wanted to be?’ And you tell them about the forks in the road and your approach and how you made your (career) decision and that really helps a lot of kids.”

On a tour through Warren Student Activities Center on UCSD campus last week, teens were bent over computer keyboards thoroughly engaged in video game manipulation. And the games being created and played by them were as whimsical and imaginative as they were stimulating and challenging.

Courtney, a pre-teen, was busy originating her own video game involving theft of dinosaurs.

“You can make the game in five days,” she said.

An older student, Sean, said he was getting a lot out of the program.

“I’m really learning a lot about computer programming,” he said. “I get to make my own games, make the characters. It’s all really fun.” The degree of difficulty varied though, he added.

“Making the characters really is pretty easy,” he said. “Programming them is harder.”

ID Tech Camp students can work together or independently and all skill levels are accommodated.

“We make sure, whatever level you’re at, that you’re going to come in and hit the ground running,” Rana said. “We never exceed the ratio of one (teacher) to eight (pupils).”

When students “graduate” from the camp, they also get a bonus: discounts on Adobe, Apple and Microsoft software.

For more information visit www.internaldrive.com or call (888) 709-8324.

Article on lajollalight.com

By Terria Smith

Kids and computers fill a room in California Lutheran University’s Nygreen Hall, creating digital army tanks, animals and landscapes for the computer games the students are making at iD Tech Camp.

“This is very fun. It’s what I live for every year,” said James Sutton, 12, who attends Santa Rosa Technology Magnet in Camarillo and is in his fifth summer at the camp. “We get to learn a skill that not a lot of people get to learn.”

The iD (internal Drive) Tech Camp runs from the end of June to the beginning of August. Each session is 2 1/2 weeks long. Students 7 to 17 take classes to learn how to create video games, design Web sites, produce digital movies and learn programming.

The program started 10 years ago and is held at 50 universities in 23 states. Some programs offer overnight camps. The program at Cal Lutheran is day only and costs $749 per session.

Charlie Freund, local program director, said this is the seventh summer that CLU has hosted the program.

He said most students come into the program with an interest in computers and can be successful if that is all the background they have.

“They can pretty much come in without much knowledge,” he said.

Ken Gorman, in his third year as a camp instructor, said the program tries to get new students into core classes so they can learn and build on that knowledge.

“It’s a great environment to teach in because they’re so eager to learn more,” Gorman said.

Freund said the students learn Web design using Dreamweaver, Photoshop and Flash software programs. He said they make two- and three-dimensional video games using Multimedia Fusion 2.

Gorman added that the staff tries to keep the games as nonviolent as possible.

“There’s a lot more to developing a computer game than making one thing shoot at another,” he said. “We want them to get a whole design with a story line, plot, beginning and end.”

This is 11-year-old Nicholas Berardis’ second year in the program. The student from Oaks Christian School in Westlake Village said he was designing a game that wasn’t a maze but was still challenging for a player to try to find his way out. He said his favorite types of games to make are 2-D games.

“Most games that are 2-D are from old times,” Nicholas said. “I didn’t know anything about making video games before I came here.”

Gorman said he hopes that the campers leave the program with a desire to be more creative and learn more.

“Most students come back with a willingness to be open-minded,” Gorman said.

- For information on iD Tech Camps, visit http://www.internalDrive.com.

April 19, 2007

Today’s youth is inundated with technology.  From Xboxes, TiVos, iPods and cell phones, Generation Z will be the most “connected” generation of Digital Kids to ever to walk the planet.

After watching his twelve-year old son surf the net, text message friends, and immerse himself in technology, sales consultant and business owner Peter Hanson had an idea.  Why not harness his twelve year old’s thirst for technology and redirect it towards a skill that would help him compete in the 21st century?

Although his company was doing well, his website didn’t adequately portray his firm.  If his son Kyle learned how to build websites, he could then hire him to redesign and update his company’s site.  Luckily, while surfing the web, his wife had come across a technology camp where they could send their son Kyle to learn these new skills.

So while most young boys are busy playing sports during the summer, Kyle attended iD Tech Camps and learned how to make websites pivot, jump and bounce with Flash Animation.

iD Tech Camps provides weeklong, beginner to advanced, hands-on summer technology courses for ages 7-17 at 50 prestigious universities in 22 states, including UC San Diego.  During the week, students produce 2D video games with Torque Game Builder, design 3D video games with Beyond Virtual^TM, create zany digital comic books using Comic Book Creator^TM, Wacom® Pen Tablets and Adobe® Photoshop®, and much more.  With small class sizes averaging only five students per instructor, students are given the attention they need to excel.

Besides a week of fun, these Digital Kids leave with a completed project using products which professionals use, increased tech-confidence, and a competitive edge.

“I was really proud that I created a really cool website within one week that made my instructor’s jaw drop when he watched my Flash Animation morph from different shapes into a logo,” said Kyle.

With the Flash Animation Shape Tween tool, Kyle made his animation come alive.  He used different colored shapes that finally morphed into his “Kyle Henson Productions” logo.

“At first it was hard, but my instructor showed me how to morph objects.  I think making animations for my site was not only super fun, but really rewarding knowing that I was using the same software that professional web designers use.”

The end result is a sense of empowerment, independence and self-confidence as students learn to articulate their creativity through new ways by using technology.  Often times they incorporate what they’ve learned in their school projects or even start side businesses.

With these Digital Kids, the sky is the limit.

For more information about iD Tech Camps, please visit www.internalDrive .com or call 1-888-709-TECH (8324).

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By Meredith Wade

DEL MAR – Some Del Mar and Carmel Valley kids are learning skills at the iD Tech Camps that their parents hope will be with them for the rest of their lives. The campers are using the latest technology to program robots, design video games and decide on future professional goals.

Kevin Yanofsky, 13, is returning to the camp for a second year.

“I am a computer person, so for me learning programming language and to write simple programs is really fun,” he said.

The iD Tech Camps will hold weeklong sessions during their seventh season at the University of California San Diego from July 2 through Aug. 11. Participants ages 7 to 17 enroll in either day or overnight camps. Students choose from courses including: adventures in gaming and Photoshop, Web design and Flash animation, digital video production, programming and robotics, video game creation and 3-D game design.

Kevin’s mother, Sherry Kempin, believes the iD camps are different from other summer programs.

“He is having fun but he is learning a lot at the same time. Other computer camps are mostly just the kids playing games all day. This isn’t the case with this one,” she said.

Barbara Edwards had similar reasons for enrolling her son Ben in the camp. “This is a wonderful way for him to learn more advanced skills in the area of technology,” she said. “He gets some of that in school, but it is very basic. This allows him to pursue his interests farther.”

Ben, 12, is obsessed with monkeys. Last year he created an animated Web site featuring anything and everything related to the primate family.

“It is so cool that you can customize your projects to be whatever you want, as long as it is appropriate,” he said. “We use new technology and new products, so it is very interesting.”

Every student works on his own computer and leaves camp with a completed technology project. The themes of the students’ projects vary widely.

“Everyone has really different ideas during the classes,” Kevin said. “You would think that people taking similar classes might think the same way, but it is really interesting how people’s projects and attributes and ideas are so different from each other.”

Kevin occupies most of his free time playing video games, so learning to design them seems like a potential career choice. He is enrolled in a class that will teach him to come up with his own video game and edit an existing game based on his own ideas.

“I think I want to do something in computers, so I think that all of this will help me choose what I want to do in the future,” he said.

A staff of industry professionals, upper-level college students and recent graduates with degrees in technology-related fields coach the campers through the classes. Organizers of iD Tech Camps hope the crash courses will result in computer skills for campers and a working knowledge of the industry.

The iD Tech Camps are operated at 40 colleges around the world, including Stanford, Princeton and Northwestern universities, University of California Los Angeles and Massachusetts Institute of Technology. For more information go to http://california.internaldrive.com/ucsd or call (888) 709-TECH.