However summer camps these days are changing. Added to the chirps of crickets, splashes of water, clangs of dinner bells, and songs, shouts, and peals of laughter are the clicks of computer keys and the hum of hard drives. Summer camps are going electronic to give kids experience with new tools for learning and fun, including challenging campers to learn to use the Internet. Computers and network technologies are indispensable tools in virtually all aspects of contemporary life. The Internet network provides a rich environment for electronic communication and information access.
People can communicate with others world-wide without the constraints of time or distance.
Networking services create new options for convenient access to a wide range of entertainment and educational resources. First, learning to use the Internet is fun and fits in with the exploratory nature of camps. Third, Internet activities can support academic growth as campers use technology, practice reading and writing, and access information. In short, with growing concern over the low academic achievements of American youth, summer camping programs can be part of the solution while providing new, exciting experiences for their campers. They include camps operated by the Easter Seal Society of Washington, the Pierce County Department of Parks and Recreation, the Muscular Dystrophy Foundation, the Northwest Burn Foundation in Washington State, and Camp Courage in Minnesota.