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 12-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 son'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 learned how to make websites pivot, jump and bounce with Flash Animation.

iD Tech Camps provide weeklong, beginner to advanced, hands-on summer technology courses for ages 7 to 17 at locations that include UCLA in Westwod, Pepperdine University in Malibu and California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks.

During the week, students take courses in web design, digital video production, 2D and 3D video game creation, and programming and robotics. With small class sizes averaging only six students per instructor, students are given the attention they need to excel.

At Pepperdine University there's even a unique "Surf & Tech" program where students spend half the time learning to surf and the other half making a website or video game.

Students use industry products from tech leaders like Adobe, Macromedia, Apple, Canon, RadioShack, Wacom, AutoDesk, and Western Digital. Besides a week of fun, these Digital Kids leave with a completed project using products which professionals use, increased tech-confidence, and a competitive edge.

Today's challenge for parents is helping their kids learn technology that they themselves do not use or understand. They depend on school to achieve this goal, but unfortunately schools today still lag in integrating technology into the curriculum.

iD Tech Camps use techsavvy role models for instructors. As role models, these college students and recent grads make learning fun and share firsthand how technology is making a positive impact.

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.

For more information about iD Tech Camps, please visit www.internalDrive.com or call (888) 709-8324.