By JOSHUA BERLINGER, Associated Press
Some educators and politicians, including Gov. Sean Parnell, want to even the playing field for students in Takotna and every other of the state’s approximate 500 schools by giving each student a tablet computer and establishing a unique digital learning infrastructure. It’s part of a push for digital learning initiatives as a way to improve the classroom experience, better engage students, and help teachers become better instructors. Takotna is one of the smallest communities in the Iditarod Area School District, which covers nine schools situated along the famed Iditarod Trail Sled Dog Race in Interior Alaska about 225 miles northwest of Anchorage. There are no roads leading in or out of the village; planes come in twice a week to deliver mail or groceries. McGrath is the closest community to go grocery shopping. It’s only 18 miles away, but a round-trip flight costs upward of $200. Takotna’s school is very much like those throughout rural Alaska.
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