ECamp

eCamp

Type	International Jewish High-Tech Summer Camp
Founded	2007
Founder(s)	Dotan Tamir and Oranim Educational Initiatives Ltd.
Headquarters	Meir Shfeya youth village, Israel
Key people	Dotan Tamir (CEO) Momo Lifshitz (President) Nir Gad Mira Kosman Andy Moguilevsky(CTO)
Products	International Jewish High-Tech Summer Camp
Parent	Project of Oranim Educational Initiatives Ltd.
Website	ecamp4u.com

eCamp is an English speaking international Jewish summer camp located in Israel, focusing on technology, media arts and gaming. The campers, aged 7 to 18, attend workshops in subjects such as digital music composition, video editing, game design, programming, digital comics and mobile application development. eCamp’s program blends the technology workshops with a traditional American-style summer camp experience. The camp holds three 2-week sessions each summer. The staff includes Israeli and international counselors who speak English, French, and Hebrew. The counselors are college students and graduates, some of whom did their army service in Israel Defense Forces technology units.^[1] The current location of eCamp is Meir Shfeya, a residential youth village near Zichron Yaacov. Until the summer of 2011 it took place at the Alonei Yitzhak youth village. ^[2]

History

eCamp was founded in 2007 as a division of Oranim Educational Initiatives Ltd. (Known today as Israel Way Educational Tourism), by Dotan Tamir and Oranim’s president Shlomo (Momo) Lifshitz. The vision was to create a place for Jewish kids and teenagers from Israel and around the world where they can connect and strengthen their Jewish identity while gaining skills in the field of hi-tech.^[3]

The first season of eCamp took place In summer 2008, with part of the campers coming from cities on the outskirts of the Gaza Strip. Those campers were sponsored by Jewish organizations in the United States such as the American Jewish Committee and the Jewish Federation of the Metropolitan of Detroit.^[4]

In the summer of 2009, the camp became larger and also included a group of teens from Netivot and Philadelphia, partner cities in the Jewish Agency Partnership 2000 project.

Every year since the first, eCamp saw a growth in the number of participants and variety of countries of origin.

After summer 2013, the founder of eCamp and the whole team continued the operation of the international technology summer camp in Israel at a new company called BIG IDEA.

eWorkshops and Technology tracks

Professional workshops (eWorkshops) include building applications for smartphones such as iOS and Google Android, programming and writing software, and building PCs and robots.

The program also includes a visit to high-tech R&D centers such as Microsoft, Intel and Google, which maintain headquarters and plants in Israel. The main goal is to expose the campers to Israel's hi-tech industry and institutions such as the Technion.

The camper must choose 3 to 4 normal workshops or one academy.

The Workshops are:

• Cartoon Animations: Creating a cartoon with ToomBoom software.
• Animation Studio: Making characters move and learning how to make animation from basic to advanced techniques.
• 3D Modeling: Modeling objects and scenes in 3D Studio Max. Adding lights, textures and cameras to create simple 3D animations.
• Digital Comics: Telling stories with digital drawings. Using Adobe Photoshop and Wacom digital drawing tablet to draw an original storyboard and print the finished product.
• Graphic Design: Using Adobe Photoshop to edit, manipulate and apply effects. Creating an image and printing it onto a T-shirt.
• Graphic Design 2: Improving skills with advanced photo manipulation, working in a more comfortable flow in Photoshop and creating eye-popping designs.
• Digital Photography: Taking photographs with digital cameras and exploring the different settings and modes. Uploading to a gallery, selecting the favorite photo and getting a foam board print that the participant can take home and hang in the bedroom.
• Digital Film-making: Working in a small team as the participants plan the script, recording the action with HD Cameras and learning the basics of editing software such as Adobe Premiere to edit scenes.
• Music Video Production: Taking a role in the creation of a music video clip. Going through all steps of production - planning, filming and adding special and visual effects, and finally the upload to Youtube.
• Visual Effects: Using Adobe After Effects to create a short VFX clip. Combining real-world shots with original, CG footage. Shooting live action footage and mixing them into any scene.
• Digital Music Production: Producing a song. Recording original tunes with a MIDI keyboard, adding effects with music editing software to create tracks.
• DJ Mixing: Creating own tracks using mixing and editing software.
• Casual Game Production: Creating an action game using Game Maker.
• Game Modding: Creating a modification for StarCraft II: Wings of Liberty. Learning to use the game engine, building maps, changing characters, etc.
• Mobile Phone Games: Using Mominis game development studio to design games for mobile devices. Planning a storyline, then setting characters, environments and rules.
• 3D Game Design: Developing a 3D game.
• Websites 101: Developing a website in HTML and adding images, backgrounds and links. Websites are eventually published onto the web.
• Javascript: Upgrading website and adding dynamic elements using Javascript with moving, dynamic interfaces and more.
• Web Master Team: Joining a team of experts in the fields of web design and dynamic websites to develop a website or web app. Bringing the participant's talent to the group, working as a start-up company.
• Web Applications: Learning how to write internet apps. Designing and programming web apps and enhancing the website using the Ruby on Rails framework.
• Build a Robot: Using the BoeBot kit to build a rolling robot. Learning the basics of robotics and writing the robot’s code to define its actions and reactions. Taking the robot home where the participant can continue upgrading it.
• Build a PC: Building a PC and taking it home after camp. Connecting all parts including motherboard, central processing unit, hard drive, memory and a DVD drive. Setting the new computer up for Internet, running games, apps & more.
• Lego Robotics Team: Building a sophisticated robot using the Lego Mindstorms NXT kit. Working as a team to design, build & program an independent robot to run through given tasks on command.
• Java Programming: Upgrading coding skills. Learning the basics of object-oriented programming. Using arrays, types and classes to develop highly complicated programs.
• Programming 101: Learning the basics of computer programming with Microsoft Visual C# language. Coding programs and simple computer games using this language.
• Facebook Apps: Writing simple apps and games for Facebook. Coding in PHP or JavaScript and adding support for wall posts and other features and extensions of Facebook inside the apps and games.
• Console Zone Extra: Extending the time in the eCamp big screen console game hall. Play Wii games, Guitar Hero, DJ Hero and motion controlled games on PlayStation Move and Xbox360 Kinect.
• Entrepreneurship and Leadership Program: Discovers inner entrepreneur and share innovation with the world. Works in teams that invent new ideas and goes through all the steps as start-up companies do: conduct market research, compile a presentation and compete in the grand final with Israeli hi-tech inventors as the judges.
• Academies
  • 3D Academy: In this academy the camper will go through the complete creative workflow of a 3D artist, just like in big-name animation studios. Uses 3D Studio Max for the core processes of modeling, animation and rendering. Works in Photoshop for designing textures and environment components. Adds the final touch with After Effects to complete the own stunning 3D clip.
  • Robotics Academy: Thinks, creates, builds and amazes with VEX robotics systems. Goes on an adventure with challenging missions while gaining skills in physics and engineering.
  • Gaming Academy: Takes the next step into the gaming world with 3D games that look absolutely amazing. Uses Unity, the leading platform in game design, to bring 3D characters to life. Publishes your games for consoles, mobile, PC and Mac.
  • Mobile Apps Academy: The camper is going to be part of the hottest field in the tech industry today and develop own apps for iPhone & Android, smart-phones and tablets. In this academy the camper will utilize the Titanium platform and use Javascript & HTML to create native apps that work on all kinds of devices including the iPhone, iPad, Android and more. Immerses in the fun and challenge of developing mobile apps & games and starts publishing the home-made creations in the app stores.

Non-Technology Tracks

• Surf and Tech
• Stage and Tech

The camp’s commitment to parents and campers

By eCamp’s website,^[5] its staff members are committed to provide a safe, supportive, open and collaborative environment, which allows individuals to self-express themselves, all within an innovative and challenging framework rich in fun, spirit and lifetime experiences.

References