I'm happy to report that Chinswing has made some changes to their service in the new year. You can now record directly from your browser (no installations!) and it works on both Mac and Windows. I have been in touch with the people who run this service (they are great, BTW) and they are working on password protecting channels and the ability to edit or delete posts. 
 
Also, I learn 2 really cool things after trying this service. First, when you play a post, it automatically moves to and plays the next post - modeling a real conversation! Second, there is a RSS feed and an iTunes button on each channel, so you can listen just like any other podcast.  
 
Below are a couple of classroom ideas we brainstormed. If you think of any others, add a channel and tell us about it.  
 
- Create a story starter for students 
- Book review(s) 
- Foreign language practice and conversations 
- Globally connect with other classes and start conversations about culture.  
- A place to connect with parents and others in the community  
 
Finally, we have started a few channels in the Education category - one about blogs and wikis in education and the other about using technology to differentiate instruction. Please take a look and add to our conversations.