Now with the widespread of web technologies, more and more environments for authentic learning have been created. Think of the virtual learning communities or what James Paul Gee called affinity spaces. These are ideal places where learners become "cognitive apprentices" to experts in the field. In this sense, to learn Math, for instance, students need to apprentice themselves to mathematicians. Not only that, they also need to take on another identity different from theirs which is that of the mathematician, the same applies to learning in other content areas.
Learning researchers have distilled the essence of authentic learning down to 10 design elements, check out this wonderful white paper to learn more.