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ACU brings innovative spirit to students of tomorrow with Apple Camp

Last week, Abilene Christian University trained children as young as six to creatively utilize technology at the university's first Apple Camp, Aug. 3-7.

Campers were given the chance to take photos and edit them in iPhoto, compose music with GarageBand, capture and edit video using iMovie, and combine material from all three programs into one project, which they burned onto a DVD to take home.

"It was truly remarkable watching these students totally embrace this new technology," said Kristy Strickland, a technology trainer at ACU. "I witnessed each one developing their own unique creative style using the iLife '09 suite. I, along with the other teachers and helpers, was amazed daily as we looked through their pictures, listened to their music and watched their videos."

In all, 23 kids had the opportunity to participate in this technology camp, ranging in age from six to fourteen years old.

"These students benefit from a camp like this in several ways. These kids learn applications that they can use for class projects and presentations. They can also use the software to learn musical instruments and organize family photos. I also noticed that most of our camp students were exposed to a different operating system and weren't intimidated by it," said Strickland. "The camp provides a fun and creative way to build a skill set that will last a lifetime."

The idea for the Apple Camp originated with Kay Reeves, ACU's executive director of information technology. Reeves saw a small, two-hour class held at an Apple store's genius bar, and she wanted to expand that type of experience into a week-long camp for kids. Enrollment was limited for the first Apple Camp, but with the success of this week, ACU plans to host more sessions of the camp in the future to allow a broader community to participate.

To learn more about ACU's innovative work with Apple, visit