|
Digital Kids Byte Into Being Entrepreneurs
Technology Camps Across the U. S. Lead the Way
Today’s youth is inundated with technology. From Xboxes, TiVos, iPods and cell phones, Generation Z will be the
most "connected" generation of Digital Kids to ever to walk the planet.
After watching his twelve-year old son 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 twelve year old’s thirst for
technology and redirect it towards a skill that would help him compete in the 21st century?
Although his company was doing well, his website didn’t adequately portray his firm. If his son Kyle learned how
to build websites, he could then hire him to redesign and update his company’s site. Luckily, while surfing the web,
his wife had come across a technology camp where they could send their son Kyle to learn these new skills.
So while most young boys are busy playing sports during the summer, Kyle attended
iD Tech Camps and took
Web Design & Flash® Animation to learn how to make websites pivot,
jump and bounce with Flash Animation.
iD Tech Camps addresses this pressing need and uses tech savvy role models for instructors. As role models, these
college students and recent grads make learning fun and share first-hand how technology is making a positive impact.
"Our philosophy is to be mentors for these Digital Kids. They are like sponges, and love to soak up this
knowledge," said Jennifer Liss, Camp Director at the iD Tech Camps where Kyle attended. "These
kids can’t get enough so it’s incredibly inspiring for us to teach them what we’ve learned in college and our
professions."
The end result is a sense of empowerment, independence and self-confidence as students learn to articulate their
creativity through new ways by using technology. Often times they incorporate what they’ve learned in their school
projects or even start side businesses.
While Kyle is using his newly learned website design skills to help his dad improve his company’s website, across
the country in San Francisco ten-year-old Julian is transforming his passion for video games into a profitable
business.
Julian’s mom, Ellen Finnegan, also heard of iD Tech Camps and immediately enrolled her bright son in a
Video Game Creation course. Her hope was to inspire Julian in
technology through his passion--video games.
But Ellen never expected how far he’d go. After creating his video game at camp, using the easy-to-use
Multimedia Fusion, Julian didn’t stop there. When he returned home, he would finish his homework quickly,
and then would spend time adding more details to his game. He then began selling his game to peers. The demand was
so large that this young entrepreneur expanded his sales team by hiring his eight year old sister and her friend. It
worked. Now Julian is working on his third sequel due to the pent up demand.
With these Digital Kids, the sky is the limit. With both Kyle and Julian already enrolled in more courses on
Programming,
Web Design, and
Digital Video, who knows what these whiz kids will create next.
And what does Julian want to do in the future?
"Own several video game companies," said this confident fourth grader. "If I’m rich,
I’ll own three. If not, I’ll own one."
READ MORE CAMPER STORIES
|
