devKit for Parents 2010

What is devKit? 
devKit 2010 is a computer programming summer camp for Portland area youth. 
devKit intends to teach students about creativity, teamwork and problem solving, not to mention computers and programming, though a summer day camp supervised by professional video game developers. 
Our goal is to let students experience a realistic, diverse software production environment including artists, designers and other programmers, and to ultimately foster the interest and skills needed to participate in the creative economy. 

Schedule 
devKit 2010 will run for three weeks from July 10th 2010 through July 25th 2008, Saturday and Sunday from 10am to 4pm.   

Location
devKit will be held at the offices of Activision Maine, 2 Union St. Suite 400 Portland, ME 04101.  
The office is located on the 4th floor above Three Dollar Dewey's at the intersection of Commercial St and Union St.

Application Dates
The application window for 2010 is extremely short.  Applications are due by July 5th 2010, to be considered for this year.  Responses will be sent out July 6th.

Food 
No food is provided.  Students are encouraged to bring their own lunch, though there is a small market across the street which sells sandwiches.

Transportation
Parents are responsible for arranging transportation for their children to and from the camp.

Skills Learned 
By completing the camp, students will have gained: 
A basic knowledge of the C++ programming language. C++ is the industry standard programming language which forms the basis of nearly all software in the world, from web browsers to games to telecommunications infrastructure. 
The ability and confidence to create their own work and to independently further their education (see Further Study). 
Access to a community of peers in the Portland area with shared skills and interests. 
devKit alumni will be able to apply their new skills to nearly any information technology field including web site development, IT, and software development. For those considering taking Computer Science in college, students who begin programming before college tend to enjoy a significant advantage over those who wait until college to learn. 

Expectations 
devKit should be considered an opportunity to learn a new skill in a focused, real-world environment. While it will be a casual, exciting, and fun environment, participants will be expected to work or study the entire day, and will be expected to occasionally complete homework at night and on weekends. 
Students who do not participate may be asked to leave. 

Equipment & Materials 
All required materials will be provided on-site. Each student will have the use of their own individual computer for the duration of the camp. 

Homework 
There will be homework during and before the camp. Upon signing up for the camp, the child will receive a packet of materials which is to be completed prior to the first day of camp. 
The purpose of this packet and of the homework in general is to build foundational skills that will enable students to implement their creativity. Just as writing requires an understanding of grammar and vocabulary, computer programming has its own grammar and vocabulary which must be mastered through practice. 
Arriving on the first day of camp with these skills in place will allow students to make real progress during the program. 

Content 
The games created by the students will be of their own design, aside from some introductory skill building projects. Video games, like any other medium, allow a vast range of artistic expression. While there is an unfortunate trend in the industry towards violent games, we will not teach or encourage our students to produce violent work of any kind. 
Parents will be allowed to see what their children are working on at any time and are welcome to be involved in the design process so long as it does not interfere with running the camp. 

Ownership 
Students will retain ownership of their work done during the camp including any projects completed or games developed. They may choose to publish them, enter them into Internet contests, use them to get jobs and internships, etc. so long as proper credit is given to all those involved. 
The programs created by the students will be playable on any Windows or Macintosh computer from the past 5 years.
We do reserve the right to release all students’ work publicly on the www.devKitME.org website at the completion of the camp, and in other mediums such as the iTunes App Store. We expect our students to benefit from the wealth of knowledge and examples available on the Internet, and it is in everyone’s interest to contribute to that pool. 

Further Study 
After the camp, students will be able to continue learning on their own, with assistance from the facilitators in their spare time. 
They will also be invited to join an online community on the www.devKitME.org website where they can collaborate and share experiences with other alumni. 
We expect to make the camp an annual affair, and will encourage kids to come back again to further develop their skills and to help others.