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MAKE's MOOC (Massively Online Open Camp) Is Underway

Posted by Soulskill on from the don't-forget-to-bring-bug-spray dept.

theodp writes "Last July, Inside Higher Ed presciently predicted that 2013 would be the year of the Massively Open Online Camp. GeekWire's Blair Hanley Frank reports that O'Reilly-spinoff MAKE Magazine is partnering with Google to run Maker Camp, a 30-day online summer camp for kids who love DIY projects and learning about how things are made. Camp started Monday, but it's not too late to join the fun."

14 comments

  1. Desperate to get Google+ users by Animats · · Score: 2

    It's just to get kids to use Google+.

    1. Re:Desperate to get Google+ users by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Seriously - a virtual online camp? A "field trip" hangout?

      How about a REAL camp with real, hands-on experiences for kids, Google? How about some first-hand exposure to these amazing real-world makers?

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    2. Re:Desperate to get Google+ users by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      yeah and if we can't give them that, we should just not give them anything at all.

  2. I must be missing something by jtownatpunk.net · · Score: 4, Informative

    I thought the most significant part of going to camp was GOING to camp. Socializing with new people, existing without your parents, sleeping on uncomfortable beds in drafty cabins, making wallets, getting chased by a bear, etc.

    1. Re:I must be missing something by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

      snipe hunt
      smores
      massive multi-day water balloon fights
      climbing trees

    2. Re:I must be missing something by loufoque · · Score: 3, Funny

      beds in drafty cabins? I thought camping implied sleeping in tents

    3. Re:I must be missing something by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I think the reference is to campsite camping. Think "shipping the kids off to summer camp", with all the 80's movie references.
      If own the land and you camp in the same area over and over, it would be silly not to build a cabin.

    4. Re:I must be missing something by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      tents? i thought camping required spawn points.

    5. Re:I must be missing something by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Sounds like hell to me. Why in the hell would I willingly put myself back in the 19th century?

    6. Re:I must be missing something by LordNimon · · Score: 2

      Have you seen the prices for camps these days? When I was a child, my parents put me in the local summer camp -- all day, every day, all summer long. I did arts and crafts, hung out with my friends, swam at the beach, all that stuff.

      A similar camp today would cost thousands of dollars per child. $300/week is the starting price. There's an overnight camp at our local renfest that costs $700/week.

      --
      And the men who hold high places must be the ones who start
      To mold a new reality... closer to the heart
  3. Cool by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    So the kids can stay at home in the basement during the summer without setting a foot outside. Just as it's meant to be!

  4. A hive of activity by Psychotria · · Score: 2

    I've never seen a thread this busy! Is everyone out (real) camping?

  5. Hey kids, do you like SUR VEIL LANCE? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Whatever happened to DIY?

  6. MOOC... that sounds familiar by MakerDusk · · Score: 2

    The last time I checked, MOOC stood for Massively Open Online Course. The acronym is fairly well known for this. Unfortunately, this will most likely end up sidelineing this camp. One cannot simply reuse geek acronyms for other geek activities and expect it to catch on.