495 Introduction

Hello everybody! My name is Michelle. I am 22 years old and live in Quartz Hill/Lancaster, which is about an hour away from CSUN. I am an English Literature major and this is my last semester (yay!). I work as an intern at Northrop Grumman, an Aerospace Engineering company. I currently work in a manufacturing environment as technical support on tooling activities. My career goal is to get into technical writing and editing, proposal writing, or even public relations (writing press releases and articles, etc). However, if I follow a more technical route (engineering) I'm sure I'll be happy there as well…it will definitely pay better. When I graduate from CSUN this spring with my BA, I'm going to take some time off of school to work. After gaining more work experience, I plan on heading back to get my MBA and even possibly a second Bachelor’s degree in an engineering related field.

While I don’t plan on being a teacher, I think this course can still help me. Learning ways to teach individuals can be beneficial for running meetings and also for writing manuals. Running a meeting involves preparation of materials and then presenting that information in a logical manner, similar to teaching a classroom full of students. So, again, while teaching isn’t my career goal, learning the skills of a teacher can still benefit me in the future.

As an engineering intern, I deal with technology all the time. I believe integrating technology into the classroom is a must these days, however, I don't think classes should be run solely on technology. Strictly PowerPoint lectures can be monotonous, and students worry more about writing down what is on the PowerPoint than what the teacher is saying. I think my teachers at CSUN have done a great job on balancing the lecture with PowerPoint or movies, however; there are times when technology can be ineffective. On many occasions I have witnessed teachers who do not possess the knowledge to operate the controls for the computer, DVD players, projector, etc. Because the teacher cannot figure out how to use the equipment, valuable classroom time is lost. I've never had a class with a blog before, so it will be an interesting experience. I think using technology can give the students a refreshing break during a 3 hour lecture. Honestly, after 3 hours of lecture it can be hard to continue paying attention.

Preferred email: michelle.rehberger.527@my.csun.edu

And here is an adorable picture of my cats when they were kittens... :)