Hi tech camp for kids

Today's youth is inundated with technology. With Xboxes, TiVos, iPods and cellphones, Generation Z will be the most "connected" generation of digital kids yet.

After watching his 12-year-old son, Kyle, surf the Net, text message friends and immerse himself in technology, sales consultant and business owner Peter Hanson had an idea.. Why not harness his son's thirst for technology and redirect it toward a skill that would help him compete in the 21st century?

Although his company was doing well, Hanson's website didn't adequately portray his firm. If Kyle learned how to build websites, he could then hire him to redesign and update his company's site. Luckily, while surfing the web, Hanson's wife had come across a technology camp where they could send their son to learn these new skills.

So Kyle attended iD Tech Camps and learned how to make websites pivot, jump and bounce with Flash Animation.

iD Tech Camps provide weeklong, beginner to advanced, hands-on summer technology courses for ages 7 to 17 at locations that include UCLA in Westwood, Pepperdine University in Malibu and California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

During the week, students take courses in web design, digital video production, 2-D and 3-D video game creation, and programming and robotics. With class sizes averaging only six students per instructor, participants are given the attention they need to excel.

At Pepperdine University there's even a unique "Surf & Tech" program where students spend half the time learning to surf and the other half making a website or video game.

Students use industry products from tech leaders like Adobe, Macromedia, Apple, Canon, RadioShack, Wacom, AutoDesk, and Western Digital. Besides having a week of fun, these Digital Kids leave with a completed project using professional products and with increased tech-confidence and a competitive edge.

iD Tech Camps use tech-savvy instructors. As role models, these college students and recent grads make learning fun and share firsthand how technology is making a positive impact.

The end result is a sense of empowerment, independence and self-confidence as students learn to articulate their creativity by using technology. Often they will incorporate what they've learned in their school projects or even start side businesses.

For information about iD Tech camps please visit the website www.internalDrive.com or call (888) 709-8324.