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July 20th, 2011 by: Elise
Monday, July 20, 2011
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.
July 20th, 2011
Posted in: American University, iD In The News, Ohio State University, Villanova University
June 3rd, 2010 by: Elise
Website helps connect bored kids with hands-on summer activities
By Patrick Cloonan
An 8-year-old might enjoy a treasure hunter’s week that uses map-reading and riddles to find hidden trails and prizes. A teenager could learn how to design unique fashions or perfect a jump shot. A soon-to-be-kindergartner’s eyes might light up at the thought of traipsing across a stage.
Click here to read the full article about our summer camps in PA
June 3rd, 2010
Posted in: Carnegie Mellon University, iD In The News, Villanova University
March 26th, 2010 by: Ryan
Not your parents’ camp experience
By Kristin Boyd
When it came time to select a summer activity last year, twins Ross and Scott Padalino of Bucks County were uninterested in the typical fishing/hiking/roasting-marshmallows-on-an-open-fire/sleep-away camps.
Instead, the computer enthusiasts enrolled in iD Tech Camp, where staff members taught them how to build interactive Web sites using Dreamweaver. Afterward, the 10-year-olds started their own Web site development company and designed a new Web site for Wrightstown Used Auto and Truck Parts in Newtown.
The boys didn’t know it then, says their mother, Hope Padalino, but the weeklong Web course was as much about experiential learning as it was about enjoying summer vacation.
“The staff made computers so fun that the boys didn’t even realize they were learning skills that they could use much further in life,” she says. “It got them so excited, and they were motivated to build Web sites. It gave them a skill for life, and they didn’t realize this was educational for them.”
Specialty camps like iD Tech Camp, Curious Jane and the Franklin Institute’s Discovery Camp are popular options with parents who want to enhance or supplement their child’s education without boring them. By incorporating fun, hands-on projects and activities, specialty camps can tap into a child’s interest, hobby or natural curiosity while also promoting continuous learning.
According to summer camp administrators, the reinforced educational component is what makes learning-based specialty camps stand out, particularly because most stray from the standard A-B-C, 1-2-3 lesson plan. For example, courses might teach vocabulary through screenwriting, math skills through robot building and reading skills through mock newscasts.
At the Franklin Institute’s Discovery Camp, which offers programs for ages 5-13 and will launch a preschool program this summer, children are immersed in science and technology through hands-on projects based on themed weeks.
“It’s to inspire a passion of learning of science and technology,” says Dr. Steve Snyder, vice president of Exhibits and Program Development at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. “We want to maintain or reengage their curiosity about the world and make science real and successful to them,” he says.
During “Inside Out,” campers learn about engineering and design while dissecting toys and appliances. During “Going, Going, Gone!,” they brush up on physics and mechanics while studying roller coasters and launching their own rockets. In “Dirty Science” – one of the most popular themes – campers deal with “the messiest, slimiest, stinkiest science out there,” Snyder says. “It’s really fun, but, at the heart of it, it’s physics and chemistry.”
Staff members at Champions Science Adventures, held at Villanova University, use familiar materials like Popsicle sticks and plastic cups to show children how science relates to their everyday lives.
“It’s science enrichment,” says Andy Allan, the camp’s director of curriculum. “We spark their interest and build on their natural curiosity. We make it feel like science isn’t separate from them. It’s part of their lives.”
Children are encouraged to experiment, discover and problem solve by launching hydro-powered rockets 100 feet into the air during “Space and Rocketry,” building a naturalist tool kit during “Go Wild!,” and, in a nod to CSI investigators, unearthing treasure and deciphering writing during “The Mystery of the Pharaoh.”
“We want them to make something on their own that they can take home,” says Allan, a former physics science teacher. “We want them to say, ‘Science is cool, and I can do it. I can have success with it.’”
Science specialty camps aren’t the only option for youngsters. Aspiring 24 investigators can “train” at Camp Lohikan’s Spy Camp in the Pocono Mountains; teens dreaming of directing the next “Avatar” can learn how to write, shoot and edit a video project at Filmtech’s summer filmmaking camps in Philadelphia; and, like a scene plucked from an episode of “Project Runway,” budding fashionistas can learn how to sketch designs, pin and cut patterns, and sew straight, zig-zag and overlock stitches at Fashion It Sewing!’s summer camps in Westtown Township.
For those kids ages 11-17 who like to rock out, there’s Summer Music Programs, which promote learning through collaboration with peers and professional musicians. Started by music teachers Greg Wright and Chet Makowski in 1993 and held at Harcum College in Bryn Mawr, the weeklong camps are offered both during the day and overnight.
“There are no one-on-one music lessons because that’s what they have all year, and most of these kids take individual lessons,” Wright says. “This is more of an outlet for their music.”
Each camper is assigned to a band, which must rehearse with a professional musician. The bands can perform cover songs or write their own music, and on Thursdays, they head to the studio to record a CD. On Fridays, their final day, they perform a full-stage concert, occasionally in Love Park in Philadelphia, for family and friends.
“What they get done in a week’s time pretty much amazes them,” Wright says, adding many campers are also more confident as they head back to school. “They are proud of themselves and their songs.”
Curious Jane, an all-girls day camp held at Bryn Mawr College and Springside in Philadelphia, encourages academic enrichment through popular classes like toy design, illustration and animal nature, says founder Samantha Razook Murphy.
“A single sex, gender affirming environment has such a powerful, positive impact on girls, both socially and with learning,” she says. “Their imagination is just going crazy. They’re figuring things out so they have these ah-ha moments.”
With classes that involve storyboarding, science experiments, magazine layout and reassembling salvaged items into new objects, the girls remain engaged in reading, writing and science while learning how to be creative and solve problems.
“They are pushed to experiment with things, and because there are no right answers, it’s OK for them to try something, even if it doesn’t work,” Razook Murphy says. “That’s something that they can directly take back to their school-year environment. They learn there are different ways to approach a project. For example, instead of turning in a regular outline, maybe they’ll sketch it out.”
As for the Padalino boys, they earned enough money from their Web site “job” to return to iD Tech Camp (offered at Villanova and Princeton universities), and take a game development course. Their success, according to spokeswoman Karen Thurm Safran, will surely inspire other campers.
“There’s nothing more rewarding than making learning fun for your children and really exposing them to something that’s taking their interest many steps forward,” she says.
Kristin Boyd is a freelance writer from Totowa, N.J.
March 26th, 2010
Posted in: Carnegie Mellon University, Villanova University
January 1st, 2010 by: Ryan
January 2010
by Resa Goldberg
Twins Ross and Scott had such a great time at iD Tech Camp last summer they immediately began talking about going back this year.
Their mom’s condition that they help pay for it would have silenced most kids. Not Ross and the Scott. But they didn’t consider opening a lemonade stand or washing cars. No, though only nine years old at the time, they contacted a local business in need of website development services—-skills they had just picked up using Dreamweaver software in summer camp!
They completed the project for Wrightstown Used Auto and Truck Parts in August and were subsequently paid $700. Since then, the fourth graders have been busy with schoolwork and, of course, planning their next camping adventure at iD Tech.
“We talk a lot about how our summer camps develop technical skills for the future,” says Pete Ingram-Cauchi, co-founder of internalDrive, Inc. (iD Tech), in his Nov. 23 blog. “(Ross and Scott’s project) is proof that you don’t need to wait until college to start putting those skills into action.”
Ingram and his sister, Alexa, founded internalDrive, Inc. in 1999 in Silicon Valley—with help from Kathryn Ingram and Paul Cauchi—offering courses in virtual reality, cinematography, digital video, web design, programming and multimedia in California at Santa Clara University, CS Monterey Bay and UC Irvine. “We had to prove to our corporate partners that kids could pick up these topics and that age shouldn’t be a discriminating factor of whether to support this program or not,” says Alexa.
Today, iD Tech hosts weeklong day and overnight sessions for kids ages seven to 17 who want to create video games, design websites, build robots, learn programs, film and edit digital movies, among many other activities. The camps take place at 60 prestigious universities in 25 states in the U.S. and Canada, including UNC-Chapel Hill, Emory, Vanderbilt, MIT, Harvard, Princeton, Northwestern, Stanford and UCLA. iD also offers special programs for teens at selected locations, which they call the iD Gaming Academy; the iD Visual Arts Academy and the iD Programming Academy.
Instructors are graduate and undergraduate students in computer science, film, programming, education and engineering—often from the same universities where the company hosts its summer camps. All instructors or counselors are 18 or older. While a good part of each day is indeed devoted to camper’s chosen focus, iD Tech does blend traditional summer camp activities such as sports and other outdoor activities, talent shows and movie nights, with its technical courses. The websites suggests that boys, in particular, might enjoy surfing in the Pacific Ocean in the morning and then building a website in the afternoon.
“It’s true that kids don’t have to be brainiacs or nerds to attend these camps,” says Ross and Scott’s mom Hope. “My boys are just average kids, who have a variety of interests, and who also happen to have a passion for computers.”
Girls are not an afterthought at iD Tech. In fact, the company offers a variety of courses that have curriculum tailored to what girls want to do. Take for example the courses in graphic design, fashion design and filmmaking. The website also highlights several stories of girls who attended iD Tech camps and went on to become extremely successful in their chosen industries.
“Now look at all the targeted tech programs for kids of all ages,” says Alexa. “Students are learning to mod the games we originally played as kids…taking them to new levels and dimensions.”
This season, iD Tech is offering several new courses that will appeal to both boys and girls. Those include iPhone App Development, Digital Photography & Photoshop, RPG Game Design & Graphic Arts Hybrid and StarCraft Half-Life 2, among others.
This summer, Ross and Scott will be taking Video Game Creation – Arcade & Platform and Role Playing Game Design & Graphic Arts Hybrid at Princeton University. In the meantime, they were thrilled with the opportunity to be this month’s Rockin’ Reporters. They caught up with iD Tech cofounder Alexa Ingram-Cauchi where they found out everything you ever wanted to know about iD Tech Camps.
RR: What were you like when you were a kid? Were you a computer nerd?
AI-C: Both Pete and I loved sports and excelled at school. Our Uncle was a VP at Atari and introduced us to our first video games. I won’t date myself, or maybe I already did.
RR: What gave you the idea to start iDTech?
AI-C: We realized the need for hands-on summer technology where students could use cutting edge technology from key industry companies like Apple, Microsoft, Adobe, Autodesk and more. Having grown up in a family of educators, we saw first-hand the struggle schools were having maintaining up-to-date technology. We wanted kids to become engaged in technology at a young age as well as get a sneak peek into universities like Stanford, Princeton, UNC. iD Tech Camps by internalDrive was born.
RR: How did you start iDTech? Was it hard?
AI-C: I won a business plan competition at the University of Washington. The sale of that company provided the seed money to pursue a family run business. My mother, Kathryn Ingram, and I pulled in some valuable resources…tapped Pete in Spain, and jumped in with both feet and never looked back. Hard is an understatement. Every day was an extreme challenge, but one we welcomed with each passing morning. Very few people can say they love what they do and wake up each morning welcoming whatever new challenges awaits.
RR: What is it like to run a company with your brother?
AI-C: Great! I wouldn’t have it any other way. We play off of each other quite well. Then again, we have always gotten along and have pushed each other to excel and be the best we can be personally and professionally.
RR: How do you decide what courses to offer at iDTech?
AI-C: Software and hardware products always reflect what the professionals use. We use Autodesk’s Maya in our 3D courses, Sony DSLR cameras in DV courses, Adobe Photoshop to make photos more elaborate and the list goes on. We have several new programs—Our Academies are introducing a couple new and exciting courses –one where teens can learn to develop arcade style games using the XNA framework from Microsoft. Another course incorporates iPhone App development which includes the Apple development environment Xcode and Cocoa. You won’t find these courses anywhere else.
RR: How do you decide on the software for iDTech?
AI-C: Cutting edge, usability, relevance…we use what the professionals use…Maya, Final Cut Studio, Photoshop. Students mod the hottest titles like Starcraft and Unreal Tournament 3.
RR: How do you pick the locations?
AI-C: We look to introduce locations that have an established reputation for higher learning. The location needs to be safe and inviting. Who wouldn’t want a sneak peek into Harvard, Princeton, Stanford or UNC?
RR: How do you decide who gets to be a counselor?
AI-C: A rigorous interviewing process, coupled with stellar recommendations. Must pass all background checks. We want people who are experienced and serve as mentors to the kids….He or she may be a professional graphic artist who uses Photoshop or a game programmer who uses Maya in his daily life outside of camp. These are the best people to have teaching our students. They have practical knowledge and enjoy relaying this knowledge in a fun and creative manner.
RR: Have you thought about having on-line courses during the school year?
AI-C: Our primary focus is on our core business, summer camps. It takes us about nine months to pull off a three-month summer program. This company is highly involved and every detail has to be planned and executed to perfection (e.g. latest software releases ghosted on thousands of computers in order to pull off the courses seamlessly.) We have recently launched our iD365 which is a monthly webinar focused on relevant topics such as Google Sketchup. See http://www.internaldrive.com/yearround-learning/ for more details. This is a complimentary service provided to iD alumni and students enrolled for the current season.
RR: Have you ever thought of offering a course in designing game consoles?
AI-C: We just unveiled a new Academy course “Programming for Game Consoles” which allows our students to develop arcade style games using the XNA framework.
RR: What kind of jobs can iDTech prepare kids for?
AI-C: Game Design, Engineering, Web Design, Computer Programming, Gaming Athletes, Videographer, Director, Photographer, iD Tech Camps counselors, Regional Managers….and the list goes on.
RR: What are some big things iDTech kids have gone on to do?
AI-C: Published games, published related books, directed feature films….Visit the iD Basement to read some great stories http://basement.internaldrive.com Julian sold games at age 10. Ian sold a book….
RR: Do you have any advice for kids who what to start their own business?
AI-C: Come up with a sound idea. Don’t be afraid to bounce it off several people. The key word is “several.” Had we listened to everyone who said we couldn’t teach kids these topics, we would have never opened our doors. We constantly take feedback and improve and develop our ideas. Take a leap of faith and believe in yourself. If you don’t, nobody will.
January 1st, 2010
Posted in: UNC Chapel Hill, Villanova University
March 21st, 2006 by: Ryan
Technology camps open vistas
March 21st, 2006
Posted in: Carnegie Mellon University, iD In The News, Villanova University
