Welcome!
Michael Vanderpool's portfolio tells the captivating story of how he harnessed the power of gaming to enrich education during his time as faculty at Northwest State Community College. What began as a project to design a game room quickly evolved into a transformative journey. Engaging in Super Smash Bros. battles with his students within the game room solidified connections and sparked shared gaming passion. This led to a vibrant on-campus game conference that attracted over 200 enthusiasts. At this conference, Vanderpool introduced groundbreaking esports scholarships, opening doors for students to pursue higher education while nurturing their love for competitive gaming. Notably, one student who hadn't initially considered college became a vital part of launching the esports program, graduated on time, and even started their own business, underlining the transformative potential of education and gaming.
The portfolio also delves into podcast discussions, documentary filmmaking, and various community-centered projects. Vanderpool's work showcases the profound impact of storytelling and innovation in education, leaving a lasting imprint on learner experiences and educational advancement.
eSports and Game Club
Improving Learner Experiences Through Gaming
While faculty at Northwest State Community College, I connected with students through games. What started as a class project to design a game room led to getting beat at Super Smash Bros. by students in it. That led to a game conference on campus that brought over 200 people to play and have fun at NSCC from over 2 hours away! At that game conference, we announced esports scholarships - thank you, Dr. Thomson! - and a kid who wasn't considering college became my student, helped us launch the esports program, graduated on time, and started their own business.
“The connections made, and the diversity of the eSports and the corresponding Game Club were the highlights of my time in higher ed.” - M Vanderpool
eSports celebrating Chili Cook-off success and Game Con!
Podcast Host
A colleague of mine, Eric Ward, and I love talking about education. We've convinced some very cool people doing very cool things to come hang out! Topics vary but tend to trend to the nerdy :)
#OhioLeads Virtual Summit
Introducing the #OhioLeads Virtual Summit
Covid had a major impact on education. We wanted to make sure that we captured the lessons learned. That's why I produced the #OhioLeads Virtual Summit.
In this video, Mike Jacobs and I gather for coffee during Covid to discuss some of what is going on around the college community.
The first session of the #OhioLeads Virtual Summit
So proud of the student group behind the scenes who helped make this happen!
Listening to the Learners!
This was my favorite session. Students gave us tremendous insight into their learning experience during Covid.
Documentary Film Maker
When he was born, I had to ask myself,
"Do I want to raise my son to be a Lions fan?"
Produced and Directed by Michael J Vanderpool
My Journey as a Fellow-Learner
I taught Visual Communication Graphic Design in the "heart of the Heartland." My time there was amazing. Lot's of great pics and stories
Talent Incubator: Project Allura
Project Alliura was a pilot program to help graudates collaborate on community projects. The goal was for them to gain practical experience that would give them stories to tell in an interview.
This program was envisioned as a certificate program in applied innovation. Our pilot program produced three businesses and help participants find local work in the field of their degree.
Find out more about Project Allura.
"Some people see cornfields. I see opportunity."
Walking Tour of Downtown Whitehouse, Ohio
Part I
I shot this with Bud Bauman over the course of a few months. We walked down Providence St. in Whitehouse. We spent time sorting through photographs and scanning them for the documentary.
Part II
This project was used to raise money for the Whitehouse Historical Society. The film debuted to a packed house at the Legion in downtown Whitehouse, Ohio.
Learning Series: Small Biz and Social Media
This was the pilot episode of a series of learning videos. This was one of the first big projects that Project Allura put together. I served as producer on this project with a group of recent college graduates making it happen.
Eyes of Freedom Exhibit
I had the pleasure of producing this video for the Eyes of Freedom exhibit at the Fulton County Museum.
Pilot: Learning with Lisa
I produced this pilot for a construction management learning series of videos.
Proof of Concept: Whitehouse School
In this video, I served as producer. While the project wasn't fully funded, we were very fortunate to capture some great stories before the school was replaced and torn down.
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