I have been as busy as a busy thing lately, and my blog has suffered for it. I know that nobody really reads this thing, so this is just a personal admonition. I truly believe that writing is something that needs to be used, or it will evanesce quicker than a Hummer burns gas. Anyway, I’ve been working on a couple of important projects lately that have been taking all of my waking life. However, I do try to browse, and apropos to that, Google Reader has made some significant updates. More options are a good thing, including a feature to share certain news items on a specialized page with its own feed. Nice. So, now those people who don’t read my site have something else to ignore, too. Don’t you just love the Internet?

Since my reader is all new, I have been reading a bit more. I’ve discovered a couple of sites worthy of mention.

The first is Solution Watch, a site that “surveys the new generation of the web, reviewing and providing in-depth walkthroughs of today’s best products and services.” Great idea. A current entry addresses educational solutions for tech-savvy educators and students. Many of these I knew about (and some I use), but I am happy to see that inroads are being made into an online grade book, something I’ve been wanting for a while, not just for my own use, but as a place where students can view their progress at any time.

Chalksite looks like an excellent solution, with one huge drawback: apparently the creators do not understand that teachers (including most professors) make next to nothing, so making us pay for this service seems a bit ridiculous. Teacher! looks like it has potential, but is still apparently in the beta phase, and they are not presently taking new accounts. I might try Engrade.

Also linked off of Solution Watch’s report is Emurse, the web-based résumé creator with an unfortunate name. I got an account so I can post my vita. I mean, who knows when having an online vita might come in handy? Emurse allowed me to create a cv from scratch, and when I’m finished, I’ll be able to post it online. It even allows me to password protect it, if necessary. I’m right in the middle of porting my cv, but so far Emurse is working well. I may even pay the few bucks to get more templates.

It seems like Emurse would be great for teaching professional or technical communication, too.