A Critical Response on an Academic Text:

An Effective use of ICT for Education and Learning by Drawing on

Worldwide Knowledge, Research and Experiences:
ICT as a Change Agent for Education ( A Literature review by Syed
Noor Al Amin)
Introduction
One of the most important aspects of academic writing is making use of the ideas
of other people. In fact, this is an essential skill for every student. Spack (1988, p.
42) has pointed out that the most important skill a student can engage in is "the
complex activity to write from other texts", which is "a major part of their
academic experience." For this reason, any academic text we read or write will
contain the voices of other writers as well as our own.
An academic text is a tool to develop a theory although through facts and
arguments by using expository rules. It could be presented under certain typical
characteristics of most common types of academic texts like essays, specific
academic books (mathematics or sciences ones) etc. This characteristics are:
impersonal voice but there are certain academic texts written in first person,
authority quotes,explanation or/and analysis.
Since it is classified inside a scientific frame, academics texts are well structured
passages or articles containing literary, historical and cultural references. When
talking about an essay, for example, those references can be used as arguments
to persuade a person. But not only essay can be classified as academic texts;
poems, diaries, pamphlets and of course books can be taken as academic texts
since they transmit knowledge in the case of books, a message in the case of
pamphlets and feelings in the case of poems.
There are many features that can make a text an academic one, for example,
and probably the main feature that every text has is the purpose. It is said that
if a text has a purpose, it becomes an academic one, but the text needs other
components that support its definition as an academic text; the structure, the
enunciation system, the vocabulary, the references, the research, are those
components that bulid and support the definition of an academic text, and all
those features have to be mentioned through the text in a formal way taking
into account the type of audience and the purpose. Its objective is to inform

rather than entertain. As well as this it is in the standard written form of the
language.There are eight main features of academic writing that are often
discussed. Academic writing is to some extent: complex, formal, objective,
explicit, hedged, and responsible. It uses language precisely and accurately.
Complexity
Written language is relatively more complex than spoken language. It uses
more noun-based phrases than verb-based phrases. Written texts are
shorter and the language has more grammatical complexity, including
more subordinate clauses and more passives.
Formality
Academic writing is relatively formal. In general this means that in an essay
you should avoid colloquial words and expressions.
Precision
In academic writing, facts and figures are given precisely.
Objectivity
This means that the main emphasis should be on the information that you
want to give and the arguments you want to make, rather than you. For
that reason, academic writing tends to use nouns (and adjectives), rather
than verbs (and adverbs).
Explicitness
Academic

writing

is

explicit

about

the

relationships

int

he

text.

Furthermore, it is the responsibility of the writer in English to make it clear

to the reader how the various parts of the text are related. These
connections can be made explicit by the use of different signalling words.
Accuracy
Academic writing uses vocabulary accurately. Most subjects have words
with narrow specific meanings. Linguistics distinguishes clearly between
"phonetics" and "phonemics"; general English does not.

Hedging
In any kind of academic writing you do, it is necessary to make decisions
about your stance on a particular subject, or the strength of the claims you
are making. Different subjects prefer to do this in different ways.
A technique common in certain kinds of academic writing is known by
linguists as a hedge.
Responsibility
In academic writing we must be responsible for, and must be able to
provide evidence and justification for, any claims you make. We are also
responsible for demonstrating an understanding of any source texts we
use.
However, the main voice should be our own and it should be clear what our point
of view is in relation to the topic or essay question. The object of academic
writing is to say something for ourself using the ideas of the subject, to present
ideas we have learned in our own way. The emphasis should be on working with
other peoples ideas, rather than reproducing their words. If our view is not clear,
you will be told you have not answered the question or something similar. It is
essential therefore that it must always be clear whose voice is speaking.
It will always be assumed that the words or ideas are our own if we do not say
otherwise. When the words or ideas we are using are taken from another writer,
we must make this clear. If we do not do this and use another person's words or
ideas as if they were your own, this is Plagiarism and plagiarism is regarded as a
very serious offence.
The ideas and people that you refer to need to be made explicit by a system of
citation. The object of this is to supply the information needed to allow a user to
find a source. We need to acknowledge the source of an idea unless it is common
knowledge in our subject area. It is difficult sometimes to know whether
something is common knowledge in the subject or needs acknowledging.

My Response

After reading a selected a literature review by Syed Noor Al Amin, an PhD scholar
on a article entittled An Effective use of ICT for Education and Learning by
Drawing on Worldwide Knowledge, Research and Experiences that emphasised
that ICT as a Change Agent for Education, I found that the review was very
informative and has covered a vast area of knowledges reagrding the usefulness
of ICT. The authors has read, disgested and brought forward various ideas,
findings and comments from numerous authors about the subject.
This article is written after a pain taking task. The authors has successfully
studied, analysed and cited numerous journals, study reports, findings from
acredited researchers. This review content not less than 70 works pertaining to
ICT across the globe ranging from the year 1986 to 2005; making it very
informative and val;uable to readers, teachers and students. Indirectly, this p[iece
of review is teaching and demonstrating to us the way academic writing or report
should be done and fit for publishing. It is very imformative, comprehensive and
clearly written for better understading.
The review touches on important critical and outstanding issues; mainly the
influences and the importance of ICT in education and learning and how ICT had
effected the techniques (technology), skills and the development in doing
reasearches in all fields of academic world. The review is very comprehensive
which discussed on th uses, types, history and the future of ICT in the field of
educaton and learning; mainly on its effects.
I fully agree with the writer when he quoted and cited some important articels
and research papers regarding the effect of ICT in enhancing teaching and
learning process where it was clearly mentioned on the effect and the
importances of ICT in innovations, enhancing creative culture not only amongst
sudents, but teachers alike. In fact ICT has conqured the world of education in
all aspects of learning and teaching; not only its improve the quality but the
speed of attaining knowlegde.
This review also touches on how, when and where ICT can enhance the quality
and assessibilty of education. The review came to the fact that some
researchers found out that ICT make learning and studies easy and speedy
access to informations required. Education become much easier and faster to
attain. There is a great future in education providing the opportunity to face

future challenges and solving foreseen obstacle with more confident. Thus, ICT
has encourage lifelong learning and continouse education. ICT too, has enable
us to keep pace with the latest development in education across the globe in
real time and ICT has removed most of the barriers or obstructions and
intrasections in learning.
The work of of the authors in this review also reveals the importance of ICT in
enhancing motivational behaviour, encourage self-study or self-learning, and
most importantly ICT create colloborative and collective learning atmosphere.
Turning to the part pertaining to ICT can enhance learning environment, the
authors has rightly picked up some literatures which decribes various findings
and facts about the need for change in learning environment that benefits both
students and teachers. There are abundant of information available and with
ICT and these information can be captured and stored at a speedy pace, thus
saving time and resources. ICT also facilitate the issues and guide on career
development, health and socioeconomic needs.
References to the main content of this review is anomouse, touching on a wide
range of ICT issues, making the authors work a valuable one. The autor
succeed, in my perspective, to convinced readers that ICT is really and
undoubtly the most influential technology that stands high as an important
agent of change, not only to the way we learn, the method we teach or the
way we communicate but generally the way we live. This is supported by the
fact placed forward by the authors through this review that ICT has enhanced
performances of students and teachers, thus improving our capabilty and
competency in all aspects of living.

Conlusion
In conclusion, I feel that this review is awesome, the author has pointed out
clearly the way to

write an academic text correctly. There might be some

mistake soime where I ( at the moment) is not in the position to clarify the little
short coming in this review. My aim is to learn, and to read the best example
available. This review has not only given me the technique of academic writing
but had imparted abundant facts on ICT, its effects and influences towards
learning and teaching processes.

I could disagree either, looking at the

capacity I am in, niether can we wholly swallow all the facts, but looking at the
vast and the credential of the citation and quotations, the review is convincing,
and therefore can be treated, respected and treasured as a learning tool.
At this juncture I have learnt the object of academic writing is to present ideas
in our own way. This literature review, in one way or another has help me how
to use the ideas of other people in order to make an impact. As a writer, we
need to do more than make statements conversation with others and that our
fact must be logical, well supported, and consistent when entering an
arguments put forward in a professional and academic manner.

References
Gerald Graff and Cathy Birkenstein, "They Say/I Say": The Moves That Matter
in Academic Writing, 2nd. ed. W.W. Norton, (2010)
Alister H. Cumming, Goals for Academic Writing. John Benjamins, (2006)