Black Rocket

A word from Mark Grundel, our Director of Operations.

This weekend, I decided to play around with OpenAI’s ChatGPT and get its input on Summer Camps.  If you haven’t already heard or learned about ChatGPT, be sure to read about it directly from OpenAI. 

So what exactly did we want to know about Summer Camps? I wanted to get the Chat Bots response to the following question: “Why should children take STEM and computer science camps in the summer? What are the benefits and drawbacks?”

Before I hit enter and let the AI run its algorithms, I speculated as to what some of the results would be.  Would it have a similar opinion to my own? Would it in fact, change my mind about summer camps altogether? The results were pretty impressive and can be found below:

STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) and computer science summer camps offer several benefits to children:

Benefits:

• Exposure to new areas of study and potential career paths
• Hands-on learning opportunities that can be more engaging than traditional classroom learning
• Development of technical skills and problem-solving abilities
• Opportunities for teamwork and collaboration with peers
• Introduction to the latest technology and tools used in the field
• Improvement in critical thinking and decision-making skills

Drawbacks:

• Can be expensive, with fees for summer camps often adding up quickly
• Limited accessibility for some children, as access to summer camps is often determined by family income and location
• Can be challenging for children who struggle with the more intensive, structured learning environment

Overall, STEM and computer science summer camps can provide a valuable experience for children, but it is important to carefully consider the cost and accessibility before enrolling a child in a camp.

Although written about as well as my former fifth grade students presenting an argument to me, I found both the Benefits and Drawbacks legitimate.  I was pleased to see that many of Black Rocket’s approaches and philosophies, such as fun and engaging, hands-on, and collaborative activities ranked high among the results and aligned with our own 6 Pillars of Learning. The focus on career paths and skills was also a valuable draw for me. Who doesn’t want their children exposed to cutting-edge technology in a safe and fun environment? 

But what about the drawbacks?  Could we use this information to improve our own programs? I looked at the cost of some of our competitors and compared them with our own.

I am proud to say that our camps still cost half as much as many private programs around the country, thanks to the innovations on our development and technical teams. We have managed to keep many of our resources in-house and proprietary, cutting down on third-party costs and fees. We have also made a conscious effort to use free, freemium, or open source software that is accessible to many children on a variety of platforms.

Looking past income based accessibility and onto location, I noted that Black Rocket has a full line-up on Online Courses, again for 50% less, or more, than many leading competitors. We also offer a variety of times, morning, afternoons, and evening camps for kids. Our technical support team does a fantastic job being available to families for help and support on installing and loading these softwares.

The final drawback, children who struggle in intensive learning environments, was something that resonated personally with me. As an adult with ADD, a child with ADHD, and an educator who worked with children with IEPs, 504s, and a plethora of diagnoses, I know that challenging children in engaging tasks can be a struggle. Our curriculum is developed by educators and designers, we know that each child learns differently. Therefore, our curriculum is differentiated to meet the needs of a variety of learners and children at all stages of their technological careers. Additionally, we offer our 100% Happiness Guarantee.  If a child is not happy, our team will work 1:1 with that student to help them master the concept and produce a project they are proud to share with friends and family or give them their money back.

While chatting with OpenAI’s ChatGPT was fun, and informative, I would much rather talk to a real person. Come visit us at Black Rocket and chat with a real, live human being about your child’s next STEM and Digital Arts program.