Mercer Creative Computer Camps: Engaging Young Makers

Robotics at Mercer Creative Computer Camp

Photo from https://www.facebook.com/pages/Mercer-Creative-Computer-Camps/145801895430813

Looking for a fun summer camp for your kids this Summer? Check out the “Mercer Creative Computer Camps” at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia.    Kids get the opportunity to play and tinker with robotics, game design, and Minecraft.   Students interested in media can experiment with digital journalism and playing with Google technology.   The camp experiences are designed for students who have completed 3rd grade or older.    The camp is designed to be fun while exposing kids to the fundamentals of computer science.

Dr Robert Allen, the director of the Mercer Creative Computer Camps, has become a cool mentor for me in learning about educational technology and designing fun computer science learning experiences.  I have enjoyed getting to know Dr. Allen through the Google Developer Group at Mercer University.    In our conversations, he has shared his experiences of teaching CS to college students and organizing the creative computer camps.    I admire how much rapport and respect he has earned from his students.    He’s a great teacher because he tries to design his learning experiences to be engaging.   I think students enjoy his project based learning approach while engaging their own interests.    One of my friends from work has sent her kids to the Mercer Creative Computer Camps last summer.   She’s very proud to share that her kids were so inspired by the camp that they’re still tinkering with ruby, game design, and robot construction months later.  That’s so cool!

To learn more about the Mercer Creative Computer Camps, visit the following websites:

Camp experiences include:

EV3 Robotics I: “This summer we have the New Lego Mindstorm EV3’s! This camp will introduce campers to the EV3’s. Campers will build a variety of robots and learn how to program them. Throughout the week campers will compete in problem solving challenges.”

Game Designers: “Campers will be in game designer heaven. They will learn how to design games with three different software packages: Scratch (basic 2D games), Alice (basic 3D games), and Kodu (Xbox ready games).”

Minecraft Strategies: “Minecraft is an exciting, engaging creation game that can be utilized in many learning activities. Campers will be incorporating educational objectives like building, sharing, cooperating, team-building, and problem solving, into the enticing strategy of playing minecraft.”

Digital Journalist: “Campers will learn how to create and manipulate digital media: sound, images, and video. Through sound editing, green screen trickery, and special effects in video, campers will produce amazing stories worthy of publication.”

Join The Google Developer Group at Mercer University 

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