Minnesota's Early School-Connected Computer Network

How a shared mainframe and teletype terminals brought interactive computing to classrooms across the state

Apr. 15, 2026 at 7:23pm

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A highly detailed, glowing 3D macro illustration of the mechanical components and paper feed of a vintage teletype terminal, with neon cyan and magenta lights illuminating its inner workings, conceptually representing the early digital infrastructure that powered Minnesota's groundbreaking school computer network.Minnesota's pioneering school computer network connected classrooms across the state to a central mainframe, foreshadowing the digital revolution in education.Minneapolis Today

In the 1960s, Minnesota schools formed a cooperative called TIES to share the costs of a Sperry-Rand UNIVAC 1110 mainframe computer, allowing students across the state to access interactive computing through teletype terminals connected by telephone lines. This early school-based online community laid the groundwork for Minnesota's transition to microcomputers in classrooms in the 1970s.

Why it matters

Minnesota's pioneering work in establishing one of the nation's first school-based computer networks in the 1960s and 1970s demonstrates how shared computing resources and early digital infrastructure can democratize access to technology in education, paving the way for future innovations.

The details

Using standard telephone lines and acoustic modems, multiple school districts established dial-up connections that allowed them to share the Sperry-Rand UNIVAC 1110 mainframe's computing power for both administrative tasks and classroom teaching. The teletype terminals served as both input devices and output printers, allowing students to type commands and receive responses from the remote mainframe on paper. By late 1967, the TIES cooperative was serving more than 130,000 students across Minnesota.

  • During the 1965-66 school year, teachers at University High School in Minneapolis installed a Model 33 ASR teletype.
  • In early 1967, 18 school districts around Minneapolis and St. Paul formed the TIES cooperative to share the Sperry-Rand UNIVAC 1110 mainframe.
  • By late 1967, TIES was serving more than 130,000 students.
  • In 1971, Minnesota student teachers created the classic educational game 'The Oregon Trail'.
  • In 1973, the Minnesota Legislature created the Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC) to expand computer access for students statewide.

The players

TIES (Total Information for Educational Systems)

A cooperative of 18 school districts around Minneapolis and St. Paul that shared the costs and computing resources of a Sperry-Rand UNIVAC 1110 mainframe.

Minnesota Educational Computing Consortium (MECC)

Established by the Minnesota Legislature in 1973 to expand computer access for students across the state, MECC installed a UNIVAC 1110 mainframe that became the heart of its statewide time-sharing network.

Don Rawitsch, Bill Heinemann, and Paul Dillenberger

Minnesota student teachers who created the classic educational game 'The Oregon Trail' in 1971.

Teletype Corporation

An AT&T subsidiary that manufactured the Model 33 ASR teletype terminals used by Minnesota schools to access the mainframe computers.

Sperry Rand

The company that manufactured the UNIVAC 1110 mainframe computer that was the centerpiece of Minnesota's early school-based computing network.

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The takeaway

Minnesota's pioneering work in establishing one of the nation's first school-based computer networks in the 1960s and 1970s demonstrates how shared computing resources and early digital infrastructure can democratize access to technology in education, laying the groundwork for future innovations.