SixthSense at Your Finger Tips

Get ready to say good-by to touch-screens, computer mice and keyboards. Developers at MIT made a prototype of a new “touch-screen” system that can make literally any surface- even your hand- a visual and interactive screen that you manipulate by just moving your fingers. It’s a portable system that uses what is now some pretty standard technology to do some pretty remarkable things. All it took was a laptop, a small projector, a webcam, a mirror, and some colored tape on your fingers. The prototype cost only $350 to put together and won this year’s Popular Science invention Award.

The webcam and protector are wired to the laptop in your backpack. As the camera captures footage, the computer software filters out any background and focuses only on the areas it detects the colored tape on your fingers. The projector projects a “screen” onto a surface- your hand, a book, a wall- letting you get and use information instantly when and where ever you want. So if you’re in a bookstore and want to read a review before buying, the camera will register the book title, the computer will get the information, and the projector will display a review all with just the wave of you fingers. You can even take a picture just by framing your hands!

To really appreciate this device, you have to watch it in action- check out the video below. For more information visit the SixthSense website or read this article from Popular Science.

The Yuckiest Site on the Internet

This site is not for those with weak stomachs or that get grossed-out easily. I found this site while eating breakfast and lost my appetite pretty quick! This is The Yuckiest Site on the Internet, and kids will love it.

It’s all about the science of everything gross. There’s a section about earthworms (did you know they’ve been around for 120 million years?) and another on roaches (they can live for a week without a head! They eventually die of starvation.). But the most interesting, and by far the grossest, section is about Your Gross and Cool Body. Complete with animated cartoon demonstrations and funny if disgusting sound effects, you’ll learn what that crusty goop that’s on your eyes when you wake up really is, how spit effect your sense of taste, and the real reason you get bad breath (are you sure you want to know?).

Part of Discovery Kids, The Grossest Site on the Internet is designed to be kid-friendly and fun as well as disgustingly informative. If your child is a kid that cracks up at fart jokes and thinks burps are hysterical (or if you still laugh at big noxious belches), they’ll totally appreciate this site. Just be prepared that they’re going to tell you about all the grossly fascinating things they learned!

LEGO Robotics and Movie Making

We’ve showed off the work of some of our icamp Gamermaker Gurus who took on ambitious and creative challenges in video game making. But what about the other technologies kids use to make cool projects and a sweet camp experience?

Rachel started her week at icamp focused on LEGO robotics and working to design and program a Mars rover equipped to explore the furthest reaches of the galaxy. As she built her rover and talked about her concept with other campers, she came up with a hysterical story about her robot’s search for the key to the universe and filmed a stop-motion animation movie to tell her tale. In addition to learning about robotics and programming at icamp, Rachel also got to explore the art of movie making and filming, an experience she describes in the interview below.

Children's Technology Workshop Staff Bios

Here are the superheroes who make the magic happen at the Children's Technology Workshop classes, parties, and, of course, icamp.

Name: Allyson "Up Up Ali"
Bio: Allyson has been guiding icamp adventures, teaching classes, and coordinating programs with CTWorkshop since March 2007. In this work she has directly helped hundreds of kids channel their creativity into successful projects, and indirectly contributed to all of our sucessful programs by making sure everything runs smoothly. Her training is in multimedia design, but she has also coached gymnastics for over a decade. Allyson has two very lucky children who are now expert at ALL icamp adventures.
Favorite icamp adventure: "Hands down Architecture. Architect Castles, Tree Houses, Space Stations, Underwater houses!I love this adventure because it allows for endless creative possibilities. Drafting a design is as simple as moving a few shapes then you are transported to a 3D world where creativity is unleashed."

Name: "TNT Tara"
Bio: Tara has been with CTWorkshop since May 2008. She is passionate about education and learning, and in fact made her work at CTWorkshop the subject of her dissertation as she was pursuing a graduate degree in Critical and Creative Thnking. She has guided many campers toward successful projects in a variety of adventures, has taught after-school classes and has led unforgettable birthday parties! Tara is trained in CPR and First Aid.
Favorite icamp adventure: "While all the icamp adventures are pretty cool, my favorite is Animation Alive because you can let you imagination go in any direction. If you've had a story idea or character bouncing around in your brain, here's you chance to let it loose!. I also love the creativity campers can explore through this adventure: story-telling, character development, background and prop design, camera angles, filming techniques and editing- it's an art!"

Name: "Eddy Spaghetti"
Bio: Ed has been teaching with CTWorkshop since October 2008. He is an electrical engineer with training in music technology and media production. Eddy is excellent at making the complicated sound simple, which comes in especially handy in explaining music theory and programming.
Favorite icamp adventure: "Gamemaker because i love having the opportunity to see the different kinds of code the kids develop for their games or their excitement when they figure out something new. i also appreciate how well the kids in this adventure work together testing out other games and helping each other with programming. However, I also love Music Mogul because i am a die hard musician and i love seeing kids express themselves through music. it's especially wonderful to see kids who have never formally studied music sit down with the mixing software and realize that they can create their own compositions with relative ease. some of the stuff they come up with is truly amazing."

Name: "Electric Eric"
Bio: Eric is an accomplished artist and musician with a panoply of credentials in both areas, and a strong desire to share his skills and creativity with children and tweens. He is also a black belt in martial arts, a LARPer, and a mentor to many tweens. When not directing camp, he can be found working with middle schoolers at the Arlington Enrichment Collaborative after-school program. He has masterfully directed icamp since 2007, nurturing campers' individuality, creativity and sense of accomplishment, while at the same time keeping a balance in structure, safety, responsibility, and collaboration among the campers, Counselors in Training, and staff.
Favorite icamp adventure: Fashion Design. The reinvention of oneself is the threshold to our own creative genius, cosmetology or cosmetics for the egyptians was the art of aligning one self with the heavens. To decorate the self in order to become our greatest potential.

Name: "Boisterous Bonnie"

Bio: Bonnie has been boisterously teaching academic and after-school classes, and occasionally helping out in icamp since October 2006. Prior to discovering CTWorkshop, she was teaching elementary grades and coaching figure skating. Her classes at CTWorkshop always earn top ratings, and she is loved by children, parents, and colleagues alike.

Favorite icamp adventure: Still thinking...

Name: "Cryogenic Chris"
Bio: Chris has been coming to work in icamp since 2008. He is a musician, studying music education. He has written, directed, and acted in several movies created with friends at his high school, and is a huge advocate for creativity and improvisation in music education for children. He has tutored music to children and adults.

Favorite icamp adventure: Mission to Mars because the creative possibilities are endless. The kids can use any of the available technologies, and also combine them, for their film. It's amazing to watch a kid write a script, draw an animation, film Lego characters with backgrounds, add voice-overs, and put it all together!

Icamp Video Productions by Newton Campers

Today I’m highlighting the work of two more icamp whizards- Adam and Cole.

For those unfamiliar with the icamp program, kids spend the week developing and working on their own individual technology projects. They pick a theme- like Mission to Mars, Architecture, Gamemaking, or Animation among others- come up with a story about that theme, then use a whole range of technology tools or combination of tools- like LEGO robotics, digital art or music programs, and video game programming software, among others- to bring their story to life. While we encourage campers to share ideas, help each other, and even do group projects at the end of the week, we really want each child to make at least one project on their own so they can really develop their own working understanding of how to use the technology.

Adam and Cole came to icamp as an inseparable duo desperately wanting to make a video game together. Please, please let us work on our game together, they politely pleaded! But after some brainstorming with icamp instructors and talking about video game story ideas, they came up with a creative way to make and program their own individual video games while also working collaboratively on a joint effort. As we know, all great video games are so cool to play and have such interesting stories and characters that they practically demand a sequel. So the pair worked together to come up with a great story and cohesive theme for their games, then worked on separate games to make part one and part two. The results were two awesome video games and two very happy campers- check out the commercials they made below!