I have been looking at an RSS reader called Netvibes with the view to use it in a class situation. Netvibes differs from Bloglines in that it displays the RSS feeds, and other widgets such as weather, flickr photos, del.icio.us tags, etc. in the form of a desktop or noticeboard.

Netvibes

I think it is far more user-friendly than Bloglines, and am about ready to introduce it to one group of students to see how they get on with it.
Here is the way I envision using it with students:

i) Set up one account for a class and arrange the page to display links to resources you want the students to be able to read (blogs, newspapers, other sites) and listen to (links to podcasts).

ii) You have to login to Netvibes to be able to use it. I have tried logging into the same account simultaneously and it works. So, you can have one class login. I would ask the students to use this from home - it could be used as a class online noticeboard, and the students could be encouraged to listen to podcasts, read blogs, and also leave notes for people using this system.