NS Awards: Internet Innovator Awards Winners

Teacher: Donna M. Matteson, Dolores G. Pruitt and Teri E. Tsosie
Principal: Mrs. Jackie Stewart

G. Ray Bodley High School
Fulton City Schools, Fulton, NY

Virtual Manufacturing: Three schools, Three states; Manufacturing a Product Via the Internet

What exactly is involved in the design, manufacture, marketing, sale, and distribution of a product? Students from three different schools in three different states set out to discover for themselves through a hands-on collaborative project facilitated by and chronicled on the Web. High-school students from Las Vegas, Nevada, used a CAD (Computer-aided Design) program to design three-dimensional puzzles. They emailed their completed drawings to a group of middle-schoolers in Hermosa Beach, Calif., who cut out the parts with a laser cutter and produced technical instructions for assembling the puzzles. Graphic-design students in Fulton, New York, created packaging and marketing materials for the finished product, including a company logo and letterhead. Teams from the three schools collaborated via chat rooms, email, and video-conferencing. Visitors to the Web site can print an order form to obtain a finished version of each puzzle. Throughout this project students draw from a variety of information sources and disciplines in order to understand the challenges of today's product development.

Return to List of Winners