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 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.
Aliens invade 11-year-old’s iPhone- and he doesn’t mind
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.
Hey all! What a treat I’ve got for you guys this week!
A long standing tradition at iD Tech Camps is our staff’s creation of funny videos, usually spoofing popular music videos. This season, “Tik Tok”, by Ke$ha, was a popular target and below is my favorite rendition, made at our very own UCLA camp in California.
If you are interested in making this sort of thing yourself, take a look at our film camps! Not into film? We have camps where you can learn to program too!
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.
Producing digital movies and learning languages like C++, Java or HTML might sound intimidating to those of us who grew up using a typewriter and listening to records. Not so, though, for Willis Danielson and others from Los Angeles and throughout the country. At a young age, Willis is learning tech skills in school that we might hesitate to tackle even as adults. Though we may feel overwhelmed by technology, for the new generation of “digital kids,” this is the stuff of dreams.
This new generation of digital kids is leaving many not-as-computer-savvy parents struggling to find new ways to encourage their children’s interest and development in technology. One answer may be found in supplemental programs such as iD Tech Camps (www.internalDrive.com), a weeklong technology summer program for ages seven to 17 located at over 50 prestigious universities in twenty-three states, including UCLA, Cal Lutheran University, Pepperdine University, UC Irvine, UCSD and Stanford University.
“We struggled to find a program that would fit Brent’s interests,” said parent Lara Ward. “iD Tech Camps helped foster and develop those interests. It opened up a whole new world for him.”
iD Tech Camps’ innovative teaching approach includes using college-age students, recent college graduates and technology professionals as instructors who teach cutting edge technology. The subject matter ranges from digital movie production and video game creation to college preparatory programming. Each student completes a finished project by the end of the week. No matter what course students take, the focus is always on fun and experimentation with new technology while articulating oneself in new and creative ways.
iD Tech Camps and other programs like it expose students to technology in a hands-on environment, encouraging them to develop the technology skills that most interest them. The students study in a university setting, giving them a change to experience college life. iD Tech Camps has also partnered with technology companies including Adobe, Apple, Autodesk, Microsoft, Canon, Symantec, Wacom, Planetwide Media and others, allowing the camp to offer the latest in technology. As a result of this exposure, the students are motivated to use their new skills in the real world – with amazing results. There’s even a Surf & Tech program at UC San Diego where half the day students learn to surf and the other half they create a website or videogame.
With so many opportunities for growth, we can expect to see some amazing innovations from this generation of digital kids. For more information, please visit www.internalDrive.com or call 1-888-709-TECH (8324).
Summer camps were once synonymous with campfires, smores and cumbaya. But kids today might be left to ponder the purpose of all those sleeping bags and tents.
Traditional summer camping, complete with all its familiar outdoors trappings, remains a summer standby, though some Santa Monica parents have found it to be, well, old school! The camping experience is new and improved. Nowadays, whether it’s theatre, surfing or intense gaming that piques their interests, there seems to be a summer camp for every kid.
This year, let them leave the bug spray and propane lanterns at home.
Modern camps often introduce their youth to creative and professional jobs. Internal Drive, or iD Tech Camps, is the nation’s largest, most recommended summer computer camp. The family-owned Silicon Valley-based company is in its ninth season.
“Like sports or religious camps, iD Tech is a summer technology camp,” said Karen Thurm Safran, VP of Marketing for iD Tech Camps. “Students sign up for different courses to learn how to build robots, make 2D and 3D video games, or make Web sites or movies in just a week.”
Beat that, popsicle stick birdhouses!
Beginning in June, iD Tech Camps will offer week-long, day and overnight summer computer camps for more than 17,000 students, ages 7-17. This summer, camps will bring life to 22 U.S. states in 50 prestigious universities throughout the country, including Brown, Stanford, Columbia and Georgetown.
Santa Monica residents can send their campers to UCLA, Pepperdine University and Cal Lutheran University. Not too far from the bay, at UC San Diego and UC Santa Cruz, iD Tech’s ‘Surf and Tech’ program allows campers to spend half their day surfing and the rest creating a video game or Web site.
“It’s a different way for them to articulate their creativity,” said Thurm Safran.
With only five students per staff member, students have the chance to use their own computers and other industry standard products. The hands-on, project-based curriculum allows campers to complete a project by the end of their session.
“We’re different because students really take something away with them,” Safran said. “It’s a lifelong learning experience. After their session they may get hired by their parents or use their skills for the school. In the future, our campers may have a side business or become successful entrepreneurs.”
iD Tech only uses the leading, cutting edge products in their courses.
Adventures in Comic Creation, a course for 7- to 10-year-olds teaches students about taking pictures, creating images, distorting faces and making comic books using Adobe Photoshop and Wacom templates.
RoboContenders is a popular program that teaches kids about robotics. Using VEX, thousands of kids throughout the country create their own robots. Thurm Safran said it takes just a couple of days to create it and throughout the week students compete to do different things with them.
“Every year we listen to the kids and parents to see what they want,” Safran said. “Last year, we learned that there are some very serious gamers out there who want to learn more about actually making a game and who may even want to make it their profession.
“Kids are having fun and their self-esteem blossoms,” she continued. “Parents are happy. The staff is happy. You can’t surpass kids learning in a fun, stimulating environment.”
Striking Close To Home
CREST (Child care – Recreation – Enrichment – Sports – Together) Camps at Virginia Avenue Park offer more interaction for summer campers through physical and creative activities.
At CRET, up to 120 campers participate in each specialty class or activity. Parents and kids can choose from different themes that will challenge the campers’ minds and bodies.
With classes in both the morning and afternoon, counselors create the curriculum for their 8- to 14-year-old campers. Participants don’t spend the night at this camp, but rather, they come from day to day during their session to enjoy activities during spring or summer.
CREST’s theater program ranges from musical to improve to comedy, according to Adrianna Torres, community services specialist. The visual program offers themes like nature or recycled art that encourage campers to learn new skills and new ways to express themselves, while their sports experience, which is typically held at John Adams School, gives campers new fitness ideas with a variety of outdoor activities.
Campers also go on weekly local trips to hike or swim, or visit such sites as theme parks, museums, parks and sporting events.
“The kids love it,” Torres said. “They especially love going on the trips and meeting kids from different schools. Everyone comes from a different background. It’s just really diverse.”
Rosie’s Girls is an impacted class designed specifically for girls in middle school. Unlike CREST’s other programs, space is limited to just 40 girls each session. Rosie’s Girls hopes to build self-esteem, leadership and physical confidence through non-traditional activities like carpentry, welding, mask-making, furniture design, kayaking and ropes courses.
CREST also offers “generous financial assistance for low to moderate income families,” said Rebecca Spring, program analyst for CREST.
Where kids were once just sent off into the woods, the words “summer camp” now beat a fun and constructive connotation. The option are as varied as the imagination this time of year; the time to send the little rascals off.
Expertise: Photoshop, Illustrator & Graphic Design, Prairie Dogs, Corn, Driving Tractors, Moonwalking, and Guessing the Quantity of Random Objects in A Jar
