Locations

As appeared in The OC Register – Tech is Tops at Summer Camp by George Ma

July 24th, 2010 by Ryan

July 24, 2010

By George Ma

Ray gun-wielding aliens from a distant planet unleash a barrage of blaster fire on gargantuan, varicolored jellyfish on a two-dimensional cosmic battlefield – all driven by a series of rapid mouse clicks and spacebar taps.

From his seat in front of a 19-inch computer monitor, a young boy turns, a look of glee painted clearly across his face. He motions his instructor over to witness the success of his new video game, which he had programmed just hours before.

At iD Tech Camps, kids ages 7 to 17 study gaming, film, and graphic design. Weeklong sessions at UC Irvine began June 27 and run through Aug. 20.

During the course, students use cutting edge equipment and software to create 2D and 3D video games, design websites with Flash, edit digital movies, write computer coding with C++ and Java, and turn their creative ideas into iPhone apps. The curriculum is hands-on and project-based.

“This camp is too good to be true,” said Kanishka Vatsa, 9. “I get to make my own game.”

Vatsa’s games, “Link the Hero of Dreams” and “World of Wonder,” feature a hero who battles through fiery, lava-filled landscapes while jumping over obstacles and other things that a 9-year-old would find exciting.

“We try not to walk them through every step, but to let them create things on their own,” director Greg Hulet said.

Each student works on his or her own computer and an average of six students are assigned to each instructor. iD Tech Camps also expose students to university life, as courses are held on campus and meals are served in the cafeteria. Those who are overnight campers sleep in on-campus dorms.

Most of the students hail from Orange County. Some, however, flew in from as far as Shanghai. Students Linde Wang and Yue Yue “Sapphire” Hou, both 15, came from China to attend iD Tech Camp.

“We came to learn how to use Photoshop and improve our English,” Hou said.

No matter where a student is from, attending iD Tech Camp keeps the mind mentally engaged – a concern that many parents have for their kids during the summer months.

“We’ll teach you how to make a box, then how to program that box to do other things,” Hulet said. “You can come in knowing nothing and still produce something good by the end of the week.”

Pasha Dastmalchi, 11, will be camping with iD Tech for five straight weeks.

“I’m taking different courses each week. This week, I’m doing graphic design. I’m doing Java and C++ next, then game editing, and probably iPhone app development as well,” Dastmalchi said.

iD Tech Camps is in its 12th season at UCI. The camp is part of a nationwide summer camp program that has hosted more than 100,000 students and one of many different types of summer camps offered in Orange County.

For more information visit www.internalDrive.com.

Contact the writer: gma@ocregister.com

Original article can be found here: ocregister.com

 

 

iDiscoTech – A Princeton Tradition!

July 23rd, 2010 by Josh

Hi All! Summer is in full swing and I’ve been super busy touring iD Tech Camps all over the nation! I’d like to take this time to share with you one of my favorite iD Tech Camp traditions, one that is unique to our Princeton location, in fact, one that I helped to start!

In 2005 I was an instructor iD Princeton teaching Web Design & Flash Animation. The bottom floor of our dorm had a lot of free space and it occurred to me that having a dance party is a great way to end a day of hard work at a computer! Several trips to a party store later, we had outfitted the space as a nightclub, rigged a laptop into a modest DJ booth and iDisco Tech was born. I was excited to see that the tradition is still going STRONG and campers and staff are still having a blast! Enjoy these pics!

Keep partying Princeton!

The fun doesn’t stop there!  Make sure to check out all the cool photos from our Summer camps in New York, our Computer camps in Massachusetts, our Illinois summer camps and our Canadian Film School!

 

 

As appeared in The Sac Bee – Summer computer camp gives kids hands-on learning experience by Deia de Brito

July 22nd, 2010 by Ryan

July 22, 2010

Amanda Maurer has found a way to make endangered species come alive on her computer screen.

In her second week at iD Tech Camp, a private computer technology course at California State University, Sacramento, the 13-year-old is building an interactive website about endangered marine creatures like the Maui dolphin.

 

 

As appeared in The Miami Herald – Kid Wizards: Camp teaches children tech skills by George Richards

July 20th, 2010 by Ryan

July 20, 2010

By George Richards

Kid Wizards: Camp teaches children tech skills

 

 

As Appeared in The St. Louis Dispatch – iD Tech Camps prepares St. Louis youths for future by Sara Sonne Lenz

July 18th, 2010 by Ryan

July 18, 2010

By Sara Sonne Lenz

iD Tech Camp prepares St. Louis youths for future