Technological homeschooling experiences in the Mexican context

Abstract

In Mexico, homeschooling began to be practiced in the last part of the 20th century, and still does not have a legal framework for its existence, so there is a great lack of knowledge about the methods and resources used. In this article, the main theoretical foundations of deschooling and the execution of this socio-educational phenomenon in the country are exposed, showing a brief synthesis of the academic literature that addresses the intersection of home education and the use of technology. The information is contrasted with the data recovered in this study carried out in 2019-2020, with surveys applied to 92 homeschooling families from 12 states of the Republic, and interviews with five of the main educators. The results show a dual use of technological tools: while parents hold a critical stance towards technology, in practice they act as avid users who have found in the various devices and virtual services the possibility of making time/space more flexible of learning, and the opportunity to provide their children with a more personalized and self-managed education. To conclude, the role of technologies in educating children and adolescents at home in Mexico, its scope, and limitations in a context in which it has been shown that the classroom is no longer anchored to the school, is discussed.