Jonathan
Finkelstein, CSTP, is a pioneer in the design and use of synchronous
teaching and learning tools. Few people have spent more time in real-time
online learning environments facilitating and working with others to create
effective learning experiences worthy of the live online medium. Jonathan
created the first certification
program exclusively designed for educators and trainers teaching live
online. He also co-founded one of the industry’s first companies
creating platforms for live teaching, learning, interaction, and collaboration
over the Internet. Jonathan is a frequent speaker at industry conferences
and serves on several editorial and advisory boards for journals and online
communities of practice that serve education professionals.
Jonathan is the founder and Executive Producer of LearningTimes.org and
the President of the LearningTimes
Network. He has been designing and producing
online learning conferences, communities, events and collaborative technologies
for all of his professional life. Jonathan has worked closely with a wide range
of learning-focused institutions – such as the New York City Department
of Education, the University of Hawaii, The Ohio State University, the Smithsonian,
Columbia Teachers College, the World Bank, Intuit, MetLife, and the American
Library Association – to grow and maintain online learning communities
and to foster human interaction live online. Many of his online programs and
applications have been recognized with industry awards.
As the Executive Producer of LearningTimes.org, a free, worldwide community
for education and training, Jonathan helps craft a wide variety of online forums – both
live and asynchronous – in which education professionals collaborate
and learn from peers and industry leaders. Jonathan has also led the formation
and growth of the LearningTimes
Network, a rapidly growing series of interconnected
online learning communities, all of which feature opportunities for both formal
and impromptu live online interaction and collaboration. The LearningTimes
Network connects education-minded organizations of all kinds, fostering partnerships
between educational institutions, associations, corporate entities, museums
and other groups whose missions include reaching a global audience of learners.
The son of two New York City public school teachers, Jonathan is a Certified
Synchronous Training Professional (CSTP) and received his AB degree cum
laude from Harvard University.