Increasingly, the question of impact on learning, standards, achievement or general happiness is being asked, when people quote the investment (ICT in schools) that has been made in recent years.  An increasing number of teachers (learners generally don't need much convincing) are becoming aware of what ICT can do for them.  They point to specific examples, of how ICT has made their life easier or allowed them to work more efficiently.  The enthusiasts are still there, enjoying the flow of new and innovative technologies, even where it is less about hardware and more about social networking technologies and web 2.0.  Trying to embed the use of ICT firmly into many aspects of teaching, learning and school life for all members of the school community seems to make a lot of sense, if you look at the recently published Final Report of the ICT Test Bed Evaluation.  As it is yet another lengthy document (5 separate sections) which is added to the pile of 'exciting summer reading for the beach', I'm always grateful for the executive summary provided.  Some of the highlights include:

Extracts from Key findings:

Learning and teaching

As technology was embedded, schools' national test outcomes improved beyond expectations.

Effective use of presentation technologies led to greater interaction between teachers and learners.

Effective use of ICT personalised learning by enabling greater learner choice within the curriculum, improved assessment for learning and more learner-directed teaching.

Leadership and management

Institutions that were more e-mature improved their performance levels significantly more quickly than those which were not. However, there was a dip in performance until the ICT became embedded and staff developed the requisite skills.

Managing the implementation of large amounts of ICT required a strong vision, an extended planning phase, staged investment and support throughout.

Schools needed to build sustainability - of both resources and pedagogic change - into their change management strategies from the start.

Ready access to databases, which enable better analysis of data, made assessment and planning more systematic. However, there was a need to ensure that the amount of analysis required was not over-burdensome.

Management information systems (MIS) enabled leaders to better identify the particular needs of their school community through improved data analysis.

Workforce development

Well co-ordinated and sustained professional development opportunities were important in developing ICT skills and confidence of all staff and embedding the use of ICT. Informal, on-the-job training was very effective when supported by in-school champions.

Where new technologies were introduced into all of a school's classrooms at the same time, a culture of sharing and mutual support developed as the whole staff faced the task of embedding the technology into their pedagogy. Collective need led to collective solutions being found and shared.

Shared server areas and virtual learning environments made it easier for teachers to find, store, share, create and reuse resources and lesson plans. This ensured long-term value from the initial high investment by the workforce.

Home and community links

The majority of students in ICT Test Bed schools, as in other schools, now have access to computers at home. Loaning ICT equipment to learners helps to bridge the digital divide.