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ANWSU Technology Director Receives Frank Watson Outstanding Technology Educator Award

photo by Photo Provided Front: Bob Owens, Frank Watson. Back: L-R Steve Haney (VUES), Beth Adreon (VUHS) and Melissa Brooks (VUHS)

Tuesday November 17, 2015

By Cookie Steponaitis

ANWSU Technology Director Bob Owens attended the VITA-LEARN Vermont Conference and was quite surprised to find himself the eleventh recipient of the Frank Watson Outstanding Technology Award. The award was created in honor of Frank Watson and honors a person who has many years of devoted service, vision and leadership and has significantly advanced technology at the local, regional and state level.
    Frank Watson continues to be involved in education passing the fifty year mark of active service as the Executive Director of the Vermont Institute for Science, Math and Technology, the Executive Director of VITA-Learn and directed the University Of Vermont College of Education Information Technology Program. Watson is now retired but continues to advocate for change and Best Practices.
    Owens joined the Addison Northwest Supervisory Union district in 1999 and prior to that worked as the Technology Facilitator at Winooski School District and early in his career worked as an Apple Education sales representative. During Owens’ tenure the two biggest projects for the Addison Northwest Supervisory Union have been creating a Student Profile System in the elementary schools and the implementation of Power School and Google for Education. Parents and students now have daily access to current assignments, grades and progress. “Our student management system allows for parents and students to view assignments, attendance, grades and other information online,” shared Owens. “Since the start of the school year 84% of student accounts were accessed. The average length of a visit was more than twenty minutes.” While technology continues to change education at a rapid pace, Owens looks to the use of mobile devices as a constant that will shape education long into the future. “Students will be able to individualize their learning based on their skill level and their interests,” remarked Owens. “The use of technology and the introduction of Personalized Learning Plans are two other areas that will work well together. While we need to expect change we also need to remember that basics like Internet safety and effective training are ongoing needs.”
    Another change in educational practices occurring as a result of the technology boom is the sharing of ideas and techniques. Owens was invited to visit a school in Bangkok, Thailand in 2002 that had seen his student profile system through a contact at UVM and invited Owens there to help them implement a similar program with their staff. “It was a wonderful experience to see how education works on the other side of the world,” concluded Owens, “a world that is more accessible to this generation of children than ever before.”  The Valley Voice salutes Bob Owens on his award and all those who strive to merge the newest in technology with Best Practices in education to provide a 21st Century approach to learning for all students.

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