There really isn’t any other way to say it. The computer, a machine that offers a vast number of creative tools, together with a youthful brain, full of everlasting imagination and the need for a creative outlet. The two strike the perfect complement to each other; a match that rivals that of sweet, sticky peanut butter eaten with the translucent fruit spread goodness that is jelly.
Sure, you can have one without the other…a little peanut butter and banana, some jelly on toast. Still good on their own or with others, but a winning combination together. Likewise, kids and teens can find quality ways to spend their days, away from technology or the computer, but there are plenty of indicators that say time is more valuable when spent learning new skills that will prepare their young minds for secure, lucrative STEM jobs.
Either way, whether it’s peanut butter and jelly, or kids wanting to dive deeper into tech hobbies and interests, my advice is to stay hungry. Seek answers to questions – no matter how big or small – and push yourself to be better while still having fun. You like playing on your phone? Learn to create iphone apps. Intrigued by your Xbox? Make your own game. Whatever it is, just know that there is always opportunity to explore.
Ladies & Gentlemen, your friendly neighborhood (the other) Pete here with yet another video entry.
As co-activity czar (with Brylock), I have helped shape several initiatives to make the camp experience more fun. One such program is our iDX competition, an all out battle for team supremacy in the fashion of a traditional camp colors war (iD Tech-style, of course)! Another is the popular staff incentive program, Nachos, which encourage staffers to go above and beyond in interesting and unique ways.
To highlight the feats of excellence performed by staffers across the country (and Canada!) Brylock and I host our very own weekly Vlog (video blog) called “The HiD.” Here’s our latest episode, the 2011 Year in Review, where the 2011 Nacho & iDX champions are announced – enjoy!!!
Students in our August summer camps in California and New York had some last minute summer fun this week. Between tech classes and supplemental STEM education, kids and teens bonded with fun outdoor activities, costume contests, board games and more. Check out some of the best shots from this week!
Growing up in a culture of Wikipedia versus hardbound encyclopedias and Wii Fit versus the gym, some argue that technology and video games are becoming too popular with kids and teens these days. On the flipside, in our digital age, technology will continue to advance and the fact that kids and teens recognize this is not only positive – it sets them up for success in college and can even shape their future careers. Need proof? Just take a look at a few of our Do Something BIG success stories and see how technology is changing the world – and changing the lives of kids and teens – fostering an outlet for creativity and art in a way we never could have imagined.
In the Fortune article entitled “Computer games as liberal arts?” David Kirkpatrick explains that “though many adults imagine the frightening Grand Theft Auto when they think of video games, kids appear to be subtler thinkers on the subject. Not only do many of them intuitively realize that games can embody any values and be on any subject, many want to make games themselves.”
It’s not uncommon for kids take apart and re-build their computers, assemble their own robots, or try their hand at creating video games and mobile apps. Soon, they’re looking for an outlet to gain more technological knowledge in their field of choice.
Some educators [like iD Tech Camps] are going a step further, teaching kids to make the games themselves. It turns out to be perhaps the ultimate form of liberal arts. In order to create a computer game you have to think about the content. You have to write a script. The programming involves logic, math and science. And to understand how you distribute a game you have to get into issues of marketing, sociology, and Internet culture.
It’s opportunities like this that allow students to thrive. After attending camp, kids gain valuable skills while new ideas take shape and passions are developed. Students even have the option to stay overnight on-campus at more than sixty prestigious university locations, introducing them not only to their potential college major through courses at camp, but allowing them to explore – and live on – a real university campus like Stanford, NYU or UCLA. This well-rounded experience culminates in a project that students take home on a USB drive at the conclusion of camp, giving them the opportunity to take their learning even further.
So the answer to Kirkpatrick’s question is a resounding YES! Computer games (and technology in general) have indeed become our recent generation’s creative, liberal arts movement. We’ve seen this pattern develop first-hand for years with our students. Just as writers pen novels and artists paint on canvas, video game designers, programmers, and web developers write, plan and draw out their own masterpieces. They create works of art for our digital world – and kids and teens are at the helm.
Want to cultivate crazy talent and develop serious tech skillz while having an amazing summer camp experience? You’re in the right place. We’re proud to be the world’s #1 technology camp.
Youth across the country had fun in our computer camps for kids and teens. UCLA campers jumped for joy, Wesleyan students made good friends, Connecticut teens played some pool, and New York campers cooled down with ice cream. Check out the best shots of this week!
August is here, and students in our summer camps are still doing BIG things. Princeton students had a blast with outdoor Tech-Reation time, UCLA teens learned how to edit photos at our photography camps, UCSD campers alternated between surfing and video production, and students in our MIT summer camps learned with personalized instruction. And that’s just the tip of the iceberg. Check out the best shots of this week!
Students in our New Jersey camps unwind with some bubbles during outdoor Tech-Reation activities.
Our instructors go the extra mile – whether it’s showing you how to create your own video game, or getting you to the goal line.
A student at our summer camp held at MIT shows off her coordination.
Students in our summer camps across the country braved the heat and did BIG things, from making their own video games to programming apps, designing robots and editing digital photography. Check out all of the fun our kids and teens had at computer camp this week!
We’re halfway through the summer, and our computer programs are still going strong. Kids and teens at our university summer camps across the nation learned cool STEM subjects and had tons of outdoor fun. Check out some shots from this week!
At iD Tech Camp, kids design their own computer programs
By Shantal Parris Riley
Young minds probed deep into the world of computers Thursday at the iD Tech Camp at Vassar College. Scores of kids, ages 7-17, sat in front of computer screens, designing from scratch games, iPod and iPhone applications, and other programs. They were participants at the iD Tech Camp’s computer science summer camp, which is in its 10th year at the college. “I’m making an application that converts English into binary code,” said camper Benjamin Handel of Brooklyn. The 12-year-old held an iPad showing a blank window with a virtual keyboard underneath it. “Say you type this,” he said, keying in “My name is Ben.” He tapped a large virtual button labeled “convert to binary,” and a series of about 50 ones and zeros suddenly appeared in the window.
Expertise: Photoshop, Illustrator & Graphic Design, Prairie Dogs, Corn, Driving Tractors, Moonwalking, and Guessing the Quantity of Random Objects in A Jar
