Types of Informational Texts
Types of Informational Texts
Informational technology is a generic term that can mean different things to different people. Some refer to it as the process of communicating ideas and concepts in an educational context while other use it simply refers to the processes used in making information. Informational technology, in a broader sense, is structured, processed and organised data. It gives context to unprocessed data and allows effective decision making through information. For instance, a single customer’s sale in a particular restaurant is highly relevant data-it becomes informative when the company is able to associate the most preferred or least preferred dish with its place of origin.
Informational technology is found everywhere in our day to day lives and can be described as anything that makes information more accessible and user-friendly. Informative texts, web pages, videos, sound files, images and other types of digital content are an integral part of our communication systems and, as such, can be called Informational technology. In an educational context, Informational technology is used in the teaching of science, technology, engineering and math (STM) at universities and colleges. Informational text include research results of scientific studies, textbooks and similar textbooks for teaching, curriculum and assessment purposes.
Informational text is created by presenting facts and supporting details in an entertaining manner so as to bring out the maximum knowledge of a person to whom it is being presented. In fact, a good deal of research in fields like medicine, engineering, computer science, cognitive science, etc. has been borne out of the need for entertaining readers, increasing their curiosity about these areas of study and eventually their willingness to delve into them. Informational text is written for multiple audiences-for the professional, the student, the teacher and even for the general public who can benefit a lot from such materials. The purpose of educational texts is to present reliable information from diverse disciplines and to do so, they must be written clearly, professionally, effectively, and efficiently.