Solen Feyissa (Ph.D.) is a learning technologies practitioner and scholar, a passionate advocate for social change, and a creative. Born and raised in Ethiopia, his journey has taken him from the heart of Addis Ababa to the forefront of educational and community empowerment.https://solenfeyissa.com/en-ushttps://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2024/01/the-matthew-effect-in-education-understanding-the-compounding-of-inequality/https://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2024/01/the-matthew-effect-in-education-understanding-the-compounding-of-inequality/The Matthew Effect in education, its amplification by technology, and its societal impact in perpetuating inequality.Sat, 20 Jan 2024 21:41:04 GMTCompounding of InequalityDigital DivideThe Matthew EffectThe Matthew Effect in EducationSolen Feyissahttps://solenfeyissa.com/ethiopia/2023/10/bale-mountains-national-park/https://solenfeyissa.com/ethiopia/2023/10/bale-mountains-national-park/The Bale Mountains National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, by all accounts, is gasping under the weight of neglect.Wed, 04 Oct 2023 17:12:47 GMTConservationEthiopiaSolen Feyissahttps://solenfeyissa.com/technology/2021/05/what-is-carceral-pedagogy/https://solenfeyissa.com/technology/2021/05/what-is-carceral-pedagogy/Carceral pedagogy is either a solution to a specific problem or a problem all by itself. Depends on who you ask. This article offers a short explanation.Sat, 15 May 2021 19:57:06 GMTSolen Feyissahttps://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2021/05/charismatic-technology/https://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2021/05/charismatic-technology/A charismatic technology derives its power experientially and symbolically through the possibility or promise of action.Sat, 01 May 2021 21:07:00 GMTBook ReviewOLPCSolen Feyissahttps://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2021/04/1957-2021/https://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2021/04/1957-2021/COVID-19 is killing a great many people in Ethiopia. My dad became one of its victims last week. He was 64.Fri, 16 Apr 2021 22:05:33 GMTdeathEthiopiaSolen Feyissahttps://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2021/03/network-effects-in-education/https://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2021/03/network-effects-in-education/Within an educational setting, network effects regard how value can be created by educators, change agents, and learners.Tue, 30 Mar 2021 17:14:00 GMTthe Network EffectSolen Feyissahttps://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2021/01/ethiopias-murderous-new-era/https://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2021/01/ethiopias-murderous-new-era/The Ethiopian state was the primary force behind the killing of Ethiopians in the past, but the current wave of violence is perpetrated by other Ethiopians.Tue, 19 Jan 2021 09:12:00 GMTdeathEthiopiaEthiopian PoliticsimpermanenceSolen Feyissahttps://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2020/12/unsplash-2020-photo-awards/https://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2020/12/unsplash-2020-photo-awards/Unsplash announced their 2020 photo awards last month. I was pleased to see a photo I voted for win the "most impactful photograph of the year."Fri, 11 Dec 2020 21:03:07 GMTSolen Feyissahttps://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2020/11/mai-kadra-preliminary-findings/https://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2020/11/mai-kadra-preliminary-findings/The EHRC's Maikadra Preliminary Findings says it was local police, militia and Tigrayan youth group named "Samri" that perpetrated the attackTue, 24 Nov 2020 23:00:34 GMTEthiopian PoliticsSolen Feyissahttps://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2020/11/podcast-the-journey-of-reinvention-hakim-tafari/https://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2020/11/podcast-the-journey-of-reinvention-hakim-tafari/Crawl, walk, or run towards the light at the end of the tunnel, even if the light is just a pinprick, is going to end up being the size of the sun sooner or later but you have to know that that journey is worth it.Mon, 23 Nov 2020 12:50:00 GMTSolen Feyissahttps://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2020/11/november-2020-books/https://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2020/11/november-2020-books/Each month I read four to six books on a range of topics. Generally, these include fiction and non-fiction books. October is no exception.Tue, 03 Nov 2020 14:15:00 GMTSolen Feyissahttps://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2020/09/commentary-published-on-addis-standard/https://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2020/09/commentary-published-on-addis-standard/The spillover effect of the increasingly toxic debate has had a negative impact on the lives of Ethiopians and continues to destabilize the country.Thu, 01 Oct 2020 01:11:19 GMTSocial MediaSolen Feyissahttps://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2020/09/the-pitfalls-of-ethiopian-elites-war-of-narratives/https://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2020/09/the-pitfalls-of-ethiopian-elites-war-of-narratives/The current political conflict in Ethiopia has its roots in disagreement among the elite on how to narrativize Ethiopian history.Wed, 23 Sep 2020 19:36:53 GMTEthiopiaEthiopian PoliticsNation-buildingSocial MediaSolen Feyissahttps://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2020/08/law-of-amplification/https://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2020/08/law-of-amplification/The law of amplification argues technology simply amplifies human intent. Like a lever, technology amplifies people’s capacities.Mon, 03 Aug 2020 18:04:16 GMTlaw of amplificationreinforcement modelThe Matthew Effectthe Network EffectSolen Feyissahttps://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2020/07/instructional-design-approaches/https://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2020/07/instructional-design-approaches/Short courses based in instructional design can be effective for short-term knowledge gain in an low- and middle-income countriesFri, 03 Jul 2020 05:25:00 GMTSolen Feyissahttps://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2020/01/advice-from-a-legend-be-still/https://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2020/01/advice-from-a-legend-be-still/Be still and let your imagination run it’s course.Wed, 29 Jan 2020 19:55:29 GMTimpermanenceSurrenderSolen Feyissahttps://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2019/12/death-is-not-the-enemy-snakes-are/https://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2019/12/death-is-not-the-enemy-snakes-are/Anne Lamont's interview with Anna Sale is funny. Anne says, The more time you spend in the presence of death the less you fear it.Fri, 20 Dec 2019 19:47:41 GMTdeathSolen Feyissahttps://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2019/11/what-do-academia-and-drug-gangs-have-in-common/https://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2019/11/what-do-academia-and-drug-gangs-have-in-common/Gangs have no real difficulty in recruiting new members. The reason for this is that the prospect of future wealth, rather than current income and working conditions, is the main driver for people to stay in the businessFri, 22 Nov 2019 00:34:05 GMTSolen Feyissahttps://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2019/11/all-of-life-is-impermanent/https://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2019/11/all-of-life-is-impermanent/Everything is impermanent. Contemplating death seems like a crazy thing to do, but WeCroak app is here to remind you why that is not so.Mon, 18 Nov 2019 01:15:03 GMTimpermanenceSolen Feyissahttps://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2019/11/a-guide-to-professional-skills-for-ph-d-students/https://solenfeyissa.com/blog/2019/11/a-guide-to-professional-skills-for-ph-d-students/As a grad student you are in charge of your career, and the best way that you can take charge of your career is to build a community around your research.Mon, 11 Nov 2019 19:38:13 GMTSolen Feyissa