Drawing on data from a major survey on the impact of information technology initiatives on Scottish schools, we assess the extent to which the outcomes resemble those that have already been reported by Larry Cuban in his study of schools in Silicon Valley. We find a large measure of agreement. Scottish teachers and school students mostly have access to computers in their homes and classrooms. The home computers appear to be frequently used. The classroom computers, however, are encountered by students only seldom and when students do use computers in the classroom the activity is often peripheral to the learning process, such as word processing of essays. We discuss some possible explanations for this state of affairs and suggest some implications for policy-making.

At the beginning of a series of ICT initiatives in Scottish schools by the Scottish Executive and again, two years later, a survey of teachers and pupils provided evidence of the impact that these strategic investments had made on the classroom. The findings indicate that while there are innovative and enthusiastic teachers taking advantage of the opportunities afforded, a number of practical and cultural obstacles remained. While practical shortcomings, such as access to suitable hardware and software, might be fairly readily overcome if the financial will were there, the culture and practices of the school may prove more stubborn. The focus in this paper is on the views, hopes and expectations of the primary and secondary teachers who participated in the surveys and how they will influence the implementation of the ICT initiatives

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The staff of teacher education institutions in Scotland are under increasing pressure to ensure that teachers in training acquire a range of Information and Communications Technology skills. This paper reports a study of current skills and attitudes of some Scottish training institutions and students' related experiences. Ways of ensuring effective development of skills are discussed.

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