Smart Mirrors at North Moore High School

Earlier this semester, an excited student at North Moore named Thomas came to me with an idea.  He wanted to take equipment that was not being used in the district and re-purpose it somewhere on campus.  With students in grades 6-12 issued a Chromebook, the computer lab equipment has not been utilized for a few years at North Moore.  Thomas shared an article with me about uses for LCD monitors which led to the discovery of a blog entry that documented step-by-step instructions for creating a decorative mirror with a heads-up display (HUD).  The Smart Mirrors use double-sided acrylic mirrors placed over LCD monitors to display information programmed into Raspberry Pi computers. 

After discussing with Thomas, we reached out to another North Moore student, Josue, for help further developing the idea.  We assessed our material needs and found out we were going to need some things we did not have at our disposal.  Looking for a way to fund this idea, I talked with North Moore Media Specialist, Johnna Davis and we found a Bright Ideas Grant Opportunity through Randolph Electric Membership Corporation.  After discussing with Josue and Thomas, we decided that this was the way to go.  The grant proposal was written almost entirely by the students and was submitted before the September 22 deadline. 

This endeavor will impact lots of students at North Moore.  The Smart Mirrors themselves will be constructed and programmed by Thomas and Josue.  The wooden framed case for the Smart Mirrors will be built by Career Technical Education students at North Moore.  These student-designed and student-assembled Smart Mirrors will be on display throughout he North Moore campus as decor but also serve a dual purpose of providing a place for information that high school students need to know.  Besides, it is rare people walk by a mirror and don't at least glance to check how they are looking.  If we can capitalize on that quick glance in the mirror with a short announcement/important information blast, students will be more informed. 

We are waiting patiently to hear back if we received the $2000.00 we requested for materials. 

Tyler Callahan
Digital Integration Facilitator
Moore County Schools
@STEM_TC