Sad News...Drop.io Removed Voice Recording Feature, but There Are Some Good Alternatives!

I was incredibly sad to read that as of Oct 1st, Drop.io has removed all voice recording on their site. Drop.io was by far my favorite site for easy podcasting, video and image storing and that has now come to an end. However, I would like to pose some nice FREE alternatives to Drop.io below:

Google Voice
I am a big fan of Google Voice for their recording feature. First when you create an account, you can get a local area code number (so that students could call from a land line). In addition you can set up the number so it goes right to a unique greeting in voicemail. All the messages are stored in a private space on Google Voice as MP3 files.

iPadio
This is a free podcasting site and can be used internationally. The phone number is not toll-free but you can use cell phones. The bad news is that you have to register your cell phone number so you can only use a couple different numbers at a time to connect with the site.

Yodio
This a free audio recording/podcasting site. Your phone does not have to be registered with the site to use the site (which is nice) and you can create one teacher account for all the student's to record into.

Tumblr
The Tumblr blog allows anyone to post images, video, text and audio directly from their basic cell phone to a Tumblr blog. The only thing I don't like is that I can only have one phone number associated with the blog at a time.

Geograffiti
Leave an audio voicemark from you cell phone in a specific location on a Google map.

Google Map Mashup
Post audio from a cell phone on a specific location on a Google map.

UhaveAudio
You can record up to 60 seconds at a time with the phone to web recorder and it is a toll free number.

Cinchcast
You do not have to be registered with the site to make a podcast. You simply call in to the Cinchcast number and record your podcast that is then posted to a space in Cinchcast.

Phonecasting
Once you create an account, you can use a phone (any phone) to call in and make a podcast. The podcasts are housed on the Phonecasting site but do have ways to post on other sites or download the files.

iPadio: International Phologging

Wisconsin educator Katie Titler introduced me to a free resource called iPadio about 5 months ago. Ever since I have been playing with the resource. iPadio is created in the UK and works globally! It allows anyone to use their phone to record "phlogs". Which are really just audio files posted to the Internet and given an RSS feed. iPadio also allows for cross-posting to just about any website or blog! This means that you can call in to the iPadio number (any phone will work), record an audio post, and have it immediately show up on your blog, wiki, or other website (without having to copy and paste embed code). Therefore it works in a similar fashion to my old favorite cross-posting site Gabcast (which is no longer free). It can also work with multiple phone numbers. I have recently used it with my students to do homework reflections that post directly on their blogger blogs. While it does take about 10 minutes to set up, once it is set up, you only need to make a call when you want to record an audio post. Besides oral reflections, this is a perfect tool for doing school-related podcasting!