Sphere

I read the other day that people don't really want search engines, they want answer engines. Right, we search to find answers to learn more about certain topics and since learning is a social activity in which "we learn from the company we keep" it's only natural we search the web to find out what others are saying about what we want answers for.

Today I found Sphere and it seems that search engines have shifted into that direction. Simply type in a word to search and Sphere will produce results showing what bloggers are saying about it.

For example, I typed in ESL and got back 347 blogs that Sphere found today that had posted information about ESL. I scrolled down and found EFL:Geek's post about "Vocabulary Learning Through Roleplay" which is a great activity to share with ESL Instructors to use in their classes.

To make your 'sphere' simpler you can even add The Sphere It! Bookmarklet on your toolbar to make it easier to find blog posts that relate to what you're reading on the Web.

It's social learning in a new Sphere.