The Use of Podcasts in Higher Education: Communication, Innovation, Education and Knowledge Management

Abstract

The sociocultural and economic scenarios being shaped by the knowledge society are forcing the structural foundations of higher education to be reconsidered. The methodological change resulting from the necessary incorporation of ICTs may represent an opportunity for innovation, change and improvement. A new environment for lecturer-student relationships is needed to strengthen a series of concepts: communication, freedom, choice, protagonism and engagement. Teaching is constructed on the basis of innovative principles and original projects in the classroom. Social transformation depends on the commitment of lecturers and students in this respect. Now more than ever before, the opportunity for students to intervene in important issues relating to teaching-learning processes is possible thanks to the use of 2.0 tools. Podcasting is a new form of constructing, generating and managing knowledge on the basis of collaborative networking. Experience tells us that the only way to learn is through a personal quest for knowledge; one that will make us competent to carry on learning throughout our lives. We consider podcasts from a teaching-pedagogical perspective and reflect on the educational potential that they offer for the development of educational projects.