Because the state funded MECC at this point in its history, profitability and popularity were not the driving forces of its mission. MECC was originally conceived in 1973 to coordinate and produce software for the time-sharing system in Minnesota schools, both for instruction and administration. So they established MECC as a publicly funded organization.” “After a couple years of planning, the state was prepared to set up its own public agency that would assist schools in starting to offer computing activities. “That outlook seeped into the Minnesota legislature,” says Don Rawitsch, former MECC employee and co-creator of The Oregon Trail. This access helped computers proliferate into businesses, and many in the computing industry saw schools as the next point of expansion.

A time-sharing system allowed organizations (and individuals) to remotely connect to computers via telecommunication, using the power of the technology more efficiently and opening it up to a broader audience. In the ‘60s and ‘70s, before the advent of personal computers, people didn’t have ready access to computing technology. Thanks to its focused mission and talented staff, the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC) used exceptional software like The Oregon Trail to engage and educate a generation of students – and establish an unforgettable legacy. Modern schools are filled with computer-savvy teachers and students who make this integration possible, but that foundation didn’t form automatically.ĭecades ago, as computing migrated from research labs and universities and into the mainstream, one company in Minnesota was instrumental in bringing technology into classrooms. Students write pa pers on laptops, use the internet for research, and supplement tra ditional lectures with interactive learning tools. Today, education and technology go hand in hand.

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