East Meets West Parent Education Club (EMWPEC) sponsored another successful and fully attended parenting conference with the topic “Is Your Child Ready for the Digital Future — IQ EQ DQ” at Crowell Public Library on October 15. A panel of experts provided practical advice to help parents manage their children and themselves on use of computers and mobile digital devices.
Annie Brassard, Marilyn Fritz & Dr. Lawrence Fritz, Ron Gunnoe, Eugene Sun, Sophia Chan
Mr. Quoc Hoang, a technology media specialist from San Marino Unified School District, advised parents must not allow Internet-capable devices in the bedroom, particularly at night. He urged parents to eliminate all charge cords from bedrooms and instead of using a centrally located charging station for all handhelds. Mr. Quoc provided information on how to set up parental controls on smartphones and desktop computers and how to set up safety mode on YouTube. He also demonstrated on his cell phone on how to turn off privacy mode to protect privacy information for cell phone holders.
Sandra Chen, Dr. Lawrence Fritz, Marilyn Fritz, Quoc Hoang, Annie Brassard, June Song, Ada Chun
June Song, Queenie Ng, Desiree Gunnoe
Marilyn Fritz and Dr. Lawrence Fritz addressed the importance of building soft skills – the social and communication skills that are far more essential than learning new technology. They both talked about the proper way of using technology with moderation. Marilyn has over 25 years of professional consulting and project management in information security with leading global enterprises including Sony and HP. Dr. Fritz has an extensive academic career. Most recently he served as Dean of Graduate Studies and Research at California State University, where he is also a tenured biology professor. The Fritz said that all children need to remember that cell phones belong to their parents and that parents have the right to take away the phone if it is not used appropriately. For example, children should not be on the device during family mealtime. Dr. Fritz urged parents to do whatever is necessary to limit screen time and encourage children to do more book reading. In spite of many challenges, it will greatly benefit the child in the future.
Sandra Chen, Marilyn Fritz, Dr. Lawrence Fritz, Annie Brassard, Paul Brassard, Yvonne Taylor, June Song, Queenie Ng
Scott Kwong, Annie Brassard, Dr. Lawrence Fritz & Marilyn Fritz, Quoc Hoang, Sandra Chen, Sophia Chan
EMWPEC will host another important parenting conference on Sunday, November 12, from 2-4:30 pm at the South Pasadena/San Marino YMCA. The topic will be “Effective Parenting from Educators Point of View” with featured speakers including, Ivy Sun (an educator in San Marino and Congressional Woman of the Year 2017), Ron Gunnoe (from La Crescenta with over 25 years of teaching experience), Grace Jeong (executive college counselor, Gradomain LLC from Arcadia). At this special parenting conference, EMWPEC will provide simultaneous and professional Chinese translation, free child care activities, and serve an East Meets West holiday meal. RSVP by November 8 at www.emwpec.org. East Meets West Parent Education Club
Quoc Hoang