Technology and the everyday of teaching in times of pandemic. Mexico, 2020–2021

Abstract

The Covid–19 pandemic abruptly transformed the way in which human beings throughout the world used to understand the course of their everyday activities. In the academic field, the sanitary emergency brought about the closing of the schools and thus, the implementation of distance education systems. This forced both teachers and students alike to rethink the meaning of notions such as teaching and learning. Beyond statistics and official statements, what was the experience of all those involved in the process like? Particularly, how did teachers live the rupture of their quotidianity and their entry into an everyday life governed by the use of information and communication technologies? Based on information provided by middle and high education teachers, obtained by means of Oral History interviews, this article attempts an answer at these questions in order to throw light on the implications that leaving temporarily classroom based education between March 2020 and June 2021 had on the field of education and to offer elements to reflect upon the feasibility and relevance, along with the shortcomings, of the distance education systems.