On a typical, sunny day at Stanford University, kids sit at their desktop computers, fidgeting in their seats, as they anxiously await instructions from their counselors.
Ranging in age from 7 to 18, they are eager to put the skills they’ve learned at tech camp into practice. Finally, once the counselor gives them permission, the students turn to face their computer screens, open the video games they’ve been working on all week, and continue to “mod” — or modify — the original designs.
Throughout this summer, a total of about 2,000 students attended the camps, conducted at Stanford by a private company, iD Tech Camps. (The “iD” stands for internal drive.) Each five-day camp hosts approximately 250 kids.
In business since 1999, the company holds the tech camps at more than 60 universities in the U.S. and Canada, a spokesperson said.
Students take a single course during a five-day camp session, and are placed in a course based on age and level of interest. The most popular courses are gaming, both 2D and 3D, says marketing vice president Karen Thurm Safran. Other courses focus on such subjects as programming, Web design, robotics, and digital video editing.
A five-day camp costs $779, or $1,199 if the campers stay overnight. Many kids return to take several five-day courses over the summer, she says.
Kids don’t have to have technology experience to come to the camps, but only teens are allowed to take the more advanced classes in programming and gaming. A programming academy is a two-week, overnight course that teaches advanced coding techniques, Ms. Thurm Safran says. Students create programs that they debut to NASA researchers or personnel from a Silicon Valley company.
At a gaming academy, students use the skills they acquire to design a 3D video game that can be played on their own Xbox 360 or a PC. Students also tour a gaming studio to see how the professionals work.
The tech camp maintains a 6-1 student-teacher ratio, Ms. Thurm Safran says. At Stanford, around 500 staff members were hired for the summer sessions, including college students, teachers and professionals.
Jonathan Taylor, a 10-year-old camper from Woodside, says that one of the best parts of the camp is the quality of the instructors. “I feel like I can take what I learn here and use it outside of camp in real-life situations,” he says.
The premise of the camp, says Ms. Thurm Safran, “is to engage students in technology, by allowing them to use products that the professionals use.” One of the main goals, she says, is for students to realize they can turn their interest in technology into a career.
Alexander Summers, a 12-year-old camper from Menlo Park, says he enjoys the diversity of the courses. “I feel like I could use these skills to get a job someday.”
Kes Rushing, a 14-year-old boy from Woodside, has been coming to the summer camps since 2005. “I’ve always been interested in technology, so I thought this sounded really fun,” he says.
His favorite class is called “Game Modding: Unreal Tournament 3,” where he can alter aspects of one of his favorite games.
The camp isn’t entirely sedentary. Kids take occasional breaks from their computers and play outdoor games such as Ultimate Frisbee, capture-the-flag, and soccer.
Only about 15 percent of the campers are girls. “We are making an effort to reach out to more girls, and to show them that they, too, can play a part in the future of the technology industry,” Ms. Thurm Safran says.
The iD Tech Camps’ Web site is at www.internaldrive.com.
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