TY - JOUR AU - Herman, Lee AU - Mandell, Alan PY - 2000/10/02 Y2 - 2024/03/28 TI - The given and the made: Authenticity and nature in virtual education JF - First Monday JA - FM VL - 5 IS - 10 SE - DO - 10.5210/fm.v5i10.798 UR - https://firstmonday.org/ojs/index.php/fm/article/view/798 SP - AB - In virtual reality, everything that seems to be authentic can be made up. The currency of virtual reality is knowledge. Thus, in virtual reality, knowing easily becomes a struggle for power over things to be known and over knowers. The exchange of ideas and information becomes a battle of wills, a futile and dispiriting activity. This problem is especially serious in distance learning conducted in virtual reality. How can authenticity be restored? By nurturing collaborative inquiry rather than competitive hierarchy among teachers and students. ER -