What is a Rhetorical Analysis? (NEW narration in 2025) Kyle Stedman 2025-07-23 | In 2014, I recorded a simple video for my rhetoric & writing students at Rockford University with a simple goal: to help them understand what I mean when I talk about "rhetorical analysis." I talked quickly over a PowerPoint, added some Creative Commons-licensed music, and moved on.Since then, a few things happened: 1) it racked up a bunch of views, 2) one of the musical artists asked YouTube to remove the music from the video, resulting in my not-great audio getting even worse, and 3) I got better at recording my voice. So even though I like the ideas in the original, it was cringey for me to watch.This new version of the video solves the audio problems by replacing the original voice-over with a new recording (though I'm saying almost exactly the same thing as before) and by leaving the music out (since many people commented about how much they didn't like it anyway). The visuals are still just an old PowerPoint, so they're just as cringey as ever. Oh well. (Call it a rhetorical failure?)The original is still up at youtu.be/9s0LqAdqkV0, but I'll be directing my students to this version now. You do what you like.Thanks for watching! It means a lot.
Audacity Basics (NEW in 2023): Recording, Editing, Mixing Kyle Stedman 2023-07-10 | In 2015, I recorded a popular intro to the free audio editing program Audacity, but a few things have changed in the program, so I made a new one! It's for brand new Audacity users who have never used this software before.This video shows some of the most common and simple tools in Audacity, especially if you're recording your voice and layering it with music. I cover the basics of recording, adjusting the hotness of the mic, audio compression, splitting clips, importing music, adjusting the volume of multiple tracks, saving, and exporting.00:00: Intro00:20: Mic selection & levels01:49: First recording & zooming03:06: Selecting audio & compressing05:26: Importing music & deleting08:42: Sync-lock, splitting clips10:30: Mixing volume with the envelope tool13:48: Saving project, exporting, metadataRecorded in July 2023 with Audacity 3.3.3 on Windows 10.
How to Fix a Recording Error in Audacity Kyle Stedman 2021-02-19 | How do you fix little mistakes in Audacity, like when you accidentally record the wrong word in your narration? This video shows you how I re-recorded a flubbed line and edited it seamlessly into my podcast episode.You'll see me mark the problem spot with a label track, adjust recording settings, record the line correctly, adjust the compression and equalization of my new recording, use sync-lock to keep all the tracks aligned, and edit tiny bits of audio to make the new recording sound seamless.I'll admit that my mic was turned too loud when I narrated this video, so you hear all sorts of annoying little noises, like when I click the mouse on my laptop and when my headphone cable bumps the mic. Sorry to be so unprofessional!To hear the full podcast episode that I'm editing, check out episode 26 of Bad Ideas about Writing, available at https://anchor.fm/bad-ideas-about-writing/episodes/26-The-Passive-Voice-Should-Be-Avoided--by-Collin-Gifford-Brooke-eqktm3This was recorded in Audacity 2.2.2 on Windows 10 in February 2021, with a Blue Yeti mic (that was too hot).
English 364 trailer (Spring 2021) Kyle Stedman 2021-01-08 | Rockford University students can still sign up for English 364, a seminar in writing creative nonfiction (creative essays about your own life)! Two books, entirely on Zoom (T & Th 2-3:15), lots of informal writing, lots of peer review, revising early drafts for a final portfolio, and more. Email Dr. Kyle Stedman at kstedman@rockford.edu for more info.
RHET 101: Why this class has rhetoric in the title Kyle Stedman 2020-08-04 | An exercise for my RHET 101 students in Fall 2020, designed to get us thinking about what kinds of choices we make when we want to affect our audiences in particular ways.
Oceania, Full Solo Gameplay Kyle Stedman 2020-03-26 | Oceania is a 1- or 2-player tile-placement board game. Check out the solo version! See boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/14017/oceania for more info and reviews.
The Island of El Dorado, Full Solo Gameplay Kyle Stedman 2020-03-23 | A full game of me playing the solo version of the popular Kickstarter game The Island of El Dorado, by El Dorado Games (http://eldorado.games). My video quality isn't great, with a bad camera angle and some glare (and the audio is worse), and I know this isn't really what my channel usually shows, but hey, we're quarantined from coronavirus, so we've got to spend our time doing something, right?Solo mode was made available in the first expansion, which is where the thieves and titan and wolf pieces come from in this playthrough.If y'all like this, I might tape myself playing some more solo games (with a better camera setup).
RHET 351: Welcome to our online class! Kyle Stedman 2020-03-20 | This video introduces my RHET 351 students to how we're organizing class in the age of coronavirus.
RHET 101: Welcome to our online class! Kyle Stedman 2020-03-19 | This video introduces my RHET 101 students to how we're organizing class in the age of coronavirus.
What to Know Before Watching The Rise of Skywalker Kyle Stedman 2019-12-31 | A summary for people who think they probably might have seen the recent Star Wars movies but don't really remember them? I summarize the ending of the original trilogy, The Force Awakens (2015), and The Last Jedi (2017), all with a focus on the things you need to know to help you understand the newest film: The Rise of Skywalker (2019).
How to Design Flyers in Publisher Kyle Stedman 2019-06-14 | This video introduces Microsoft Publisher as a way to design simple, attractive flyers that imitate strong samples. I cover choosing and downloading fonts & images, inserting and editing images and text boxes, and all the little details along the way.I designed this video for my students at Rockford University in Summer 2019, but it could be helpful for anyone getting started with basic design.Recorded with Publisher 2016 in Windows 10. Sample flyer from Canva. Photo from Freepik.com.
Audacity Effects: Speed, Echo, Volume Kyle Stedman 2018-11-07 | I show you how to use three kinds of effects in your digital audio projects with the free audio-editing program Audacity:Speed effects:1. Change Speed: 2:232. Change Pitch: 3:433. Change Tempo: 4:31Echo/Reverb effects:4. Echo: 6:265. Reverb: 9:05Volume/Loudness effects:6. Fade in/out: 11:217. Amplify: 12:558. Compressor: 16:57Recorded in November 2018 with Audacity 2.2.2 on Windows 10.
Remixing Sounds from Freesound in Audacity Kyle Stedman 2017-08-17 | This video is designed for my ENGL 371 class at Rockford University, but maybe it's helpful for others, too. It shows me downloading sounds from freesound.org, editing them together in the free audio editing program Audacity, exporting a wav file, and uploading to Soundcloud.Help us caption & translate this video!http://amara.org/v/905p
Advanced Audacity: Sync-Lock and Labels in Multitrack Editing Kyle Stedman 2017-08-07 | In this video, learn how to use the audio editing software Audacity for large projects with multiple tracks. It covers lots of ways to edit without accidentally moving around things you've already timed perfectly: silencing, using sync-lock, and using label tracks.For the basics, see my video "Audacity Basics: Recording, Editing, Mixing" at youtu.be/8ClwSNm362E. The video was recorded using Audacity 2.1.0 on Windows 7 in August 2017. Besides my own voice, you briefly hear two other tracks: cdk's song "Sunday" (http://ccmixter.org/files/cdk/53755) and Analog Bleep Ten's "Tape Rewind.wav" (http://freesound.org/people/Analog%20Bleep%20Ten/sounds/75827/).Help us caption & translate this video!http://amara.org/v/9Kzk
Phillip Stedmans Memorial Service Kyle Stedman 2017-04-04 | If you weren't able to make it to Phillip D Stedman's beautiful memorial service on March 25, 2017, you can watch it here. It was held at University Presbyterian Church in Orlando, FL. Thanks to Adam Jones for recording and to the whole church staff for making it such a memorable day.During the service, we streamed a video for Laura Story's "Blessings," which you can see at youtu.be/1CSVqHcdhXQ.Help us caption & translate this video!http://amara.org/v/5is2
Understanding MLA Style (8th edition, 2016 updates) Kyle Stedman 2016-06-03 | In 2016, MLA style changed again (to its 8th edition). This video uses lots of examples to show the logic of the new changes and to explore some of the most noticeable new details.Of course, it's no replacement for actually reading a copy of the MLA Handbook yourself or looking up those little details when you need them. Think of this video as a first look at what's changed, whether you're a teacher or student.Help us caption & translate this video!http://amara.org/v/KfQ8
Library Databases: A Super-Simple Intro Kyle Stedman 2016-03-31 | This video quickly explains the basic definition of library database, contrasting the content you find there with content you find through simple web searches. It's designed for students in my rhetoric classes at Rockford University. Recorded in March 2016.Help us caption & translate this video!http://amara.org/v/IIKM
Copyright or Wrong? A Brief Guide to Finding and Using Online Images Kyle Stedman 2016-02-19 | We use images all the time that we find online, whether in our flyers, videos, websites, or adademic work. What does that have to do with copyright? How can I know what I can use or not use?This video gives a (non-expert, non-legal-professional) answer by walking through 3 kinds of images: those in the public domain, those protected by copyright, and those licensed by Creative Commons. Along the way we talk about where to find images (hint: Flickr) and what fair use has to do with anything.Help us caption & translate this video!http://amara.org/v/HtIP
Response to the Job Search Project Kyle Stedman 2016-02-18 | This video is for students in my Rhetoric 351 (Rhetoric of Professional Communication) class in Spring 2016. It's my big-picture response to their job search projects.Help us caption & translate this video!http://amara.org/v/Hriy
Announcement: Interactive Faculty Workshops Kyle Stedman 2016-02-10 | All Rockford University faculty are welcome to attend 2 interactive workshops led by Drs. Tara Wood, Kyle Stedman, and Carl Lehnen:Designing Effective Research Assignments: W, Feb 17, 2016 at 3 p.m. in Scarborough 16Preventing and Responding to Plagiarism: W, Mar 16 at 3 p.m. in Scarborough 16.Help us caption & translate this video!http://amara.org/v/HpU1
Designing Reports in Microsoft Word Kyle Stedman 2015-10-29 | Covers page breaks, section breaks, page numbers (including multiple types of page numbers in a single document), headings, automatic table of contents, and adding captions to images.I designed this for students in my rhetoric classes at Rockford University, but it could be useful for anyone. I used Word 2013 on a Windows 7 PC in October 2015.Help us caption & translate this video!http://amara.org/v/HSve
Putting Together the Research Map Kyle Stedman 2015-04-09 | This video shows the steps I went through to actually create a sample research map, following the guidelines of the assignments I give in rhetoric classes at Rockford University.Help us caption & translate this video!http://amara.org/v/G0Uq
Research Maps: How to Begin Kyle Stedman 2015-03-31 | I made this video for my students at Rockford University to model the exploratory, playful research style that will help them succeed at their research map assignments. (It cuts off quickly at the end so I don't cross YouTube's 15-minute maximum time!)Help us caption & translate this video!http://amara.org/v/GWbT
Teaching Writing in Any Class: Brown Bag Promo Kyle Stedman 2015-03-24 | Rockford University faculty and staff, you're invited to an informal conversation about teaching writing on Monday, April 6 from 12-1 p.m. in Scarborough 12, led by Dr. Tara Wood and Dr. Kyle Stedman. We want to hear what you're already doing, spark new ideas for using writing across the curriculum, and share yummy resources for the future.Help us caption & translate this video!http://amara.org/v/GUTV
Test in class Kyle Stedman 2015-02-26 | Help us caption & translate this video!http://amara.org/v/GLQK
Audacity Basics (OLD/ORIGINAL): Recording, Editing, Mixing Kyle Stedman 2015-02-25 | UPDATE 2: This video was recorded in 2015, so it's showing its age. I completely remade it in 2023, covering the same content but with a modern version of Audacity, making this older video obsolete. Check out the newer one here: youtu.be/Im2W7pokfpwUPDATE 1: Wow--over a million views! Thanks to everyone! For more Audacity tricks, see my newer (better?) videos:-Advanced Audacity: Sync-Lock and Labels in Multitrack Editing: youtube.com/watch?v=-FHr1Q9xKW8-Audacity Effects: Speed, Echo, Volume: youtube.com/watch?v=iQ_d4wlM4REThis video shows some of the most common and simple tools in the free audio editing program Audacity. I cover recording, adjusting volume, audio compression, selecting and deleting clips, importing music, splitting tracks, and adjusting the volume. I made it primarily for my students in writing and rhetoric classes at Rockford University, but it could be useful for anyone! Recorded in February 2015, using Audacity 2.0.3 in Windows 7.
Approaching the first essay in RHET 102 Kyle Stedman 2015-02-16 | Some basic reminders and encouragement for my Rhetoric 102 students in Spring 2015, as they prepare their first short essay.Help us caption & translate this video!http://amara.org/v/GJF4
Editing a Podcast: Plugs, Play, Pedagogy Episode 5 Kyle Stedman 2014-12-22 | This is an unedited (but sped-up) screencast of the hour it took me to record the main narration of a podcast, edit it, and layer in 3 large external interviews (that had already been edited) and some music. It shows a bit of how I use Audacity and Google Drive.It's showing me put together the final product of Episode 5 of Plugs, Play, Pedagogy: "Grumble, Grumble: The Pitfalls of Gaming Pedagogy": plugsplaypedagogy.podigee.io/5-grumble-grumble. Music is Disco Dan's "Blue Lightning" from OverClocked ReMix: http://ocremix.org/remix/OCR00464.Help us caption & translate this video!http://amara.org/v/FqzL
Posting an Image from Flickr on Wix Kyle Stedman 2014-10-02 | This video is designed for students in Dr. Kyle Stedman's Rhetoric 351 (Rhetoric in-of Digital Spaces) at Rockford University. It shows how to get an image licensed by Creative Commons on Flickr and then post it on Wix.com.Help us caption & translate this video!http://amara.org/v/FUAx
Mix Preview: Where Were Going, We Dont Need BPM Kyle Stedman 2014-08-23 | Just fun playing around in Audacity with music, mixes, and beats-per-minute. The two tracks are "Sun Hands" by Local Natives and "Inside/Out" by Lusine--check them out!
Inputs: A Concept Video for Computers and Writing 2014 Kyle Stedman 2014-05-23 | This glitchy, noisy little thing is a concept video of some ideas that will be delivered live, with audience participation, at the 2014 meeting of the Computers and Writing conference. Yes, it was recorded on a computer too slow to manage everything--but that's part of the point.
Hamlet: Prince of Tatooine Kyle Stedman 2014-05-14 | Anakin Skywalker plays Hamlet, Prince of Denmark in this silent version of Shakespeare's play. Produced in 2003 with no computers, only dual VHS recorders and a CD player manually mixed in. Everything shown is the first take (obviously).
10 Tracks, 40 Seconds Kyle Stedman 2014-05-08 | I had 10 tracks on my computer that lasted 40 seconds each. Naturally, I put them together.In order, you're hearing:1. "A Giant Mysterious Bird Attacks" from The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker2. "Shooting Range" from Duke Nukem II3. DragonAvenger, "Nom! (Enter Fat Chocobo)" from OverClocked ReMix's Final Fantasy IV album Echoes of Betrayal, Light of Redemption4. Camille Saint-Saens, "Wild Asses" from Carnival of the Animals5. Hugh Grant, "Love Autospy" from the Music and Lyrics soundtrack6. Sufjan Stevens, "It Came upon a Midnight Clear"7. "Sheik's Theme," Zelda Reorchestrated's Ocarina of Time album8. "Warlike Nations" from the Lewis and Clark: The Journey of the Corps of Discovery soundtrack9. Beethoven, Mvt. III from String Quartet No. 14 in C# minor, op. 131, played by Brooklyn Rider10. Sufjan Stevens, "Let's Hear That String Part Again, Because I Don't Think They Heard It"
Playing with the Studio 4 Sound Mixing System Kyle Stedman 2014-05-04 | This, my friends, is why I go to garage sales.
Playing with records Kyle Stedman 2014-04-17 | Just me playing around with some old records in preparation for the 2014 Computers and Writing conference.
Class Replacement Video, 1/27/14 Kyle Stedman 2014-01-27 | This is a video for students in Kyle Stedman's RHET 351 class in Spring 2014, explaining things missed in class after cold weather closed Rockford University.
What is a Rhetorical Analysis? (original, worse audio) Kyle Stedman 2014-01-16 | 2025 UPDATE: I've rerecorded the narration for this video with a better mic and with no background music (but with the same visuals & script). The new one is up at youtu.be/briea0LAfqI. I'll leave this one up too as an archive (or for a rhetorical analysis-type comparison???).ORIGINAL DESCRIPTION: This video gives a quick explanation of rhetoric and how to analyze the rhetoric of a text. It was designed for Dr. Kyle Stedman's rhetoric classes at Rockford University.Originally, the music in this video was "Rubber" and "Raining at the Crescent House" by Williamson, an artist who licenses his music with CC-BY-SA licenses and graciously allows you to download it for free at jamendo.com. However, the copyright owner asked me to remove it, so YouTube tried to take the music out of the end of the video while leaving my voice over it, resulting in not-the-best sound quality. Sorry about that.This video is licensed by a Creative Commons BY-SA license.
Citing Images from Flickr Kyle Stedman 2013-11-19 | This video shows how to find the author and title of images on Flickr, information that you'll need if you want to cite them in formal academic citations. The video is designed for students in Dr. Kyle Stedman's sections of Rhetoric 351 at Rockford University, but it could be useful for anyone else.
Introduction to Wix Kyle Stedman 2013-11-11 | This video is designed for Dr. Kyle Stedman's RHET 351 courses at Rockford University. Though it may help anyone using the tools at Wix.com, I'll leave out a lot of things that others might want to know, and I'll focus on things that are particularly useful for my students. I'm not affiliated with Wix in any way; I just think they're cool.
Recording and Embedding Audio Kyle Stedman 2013-09-06 | This video shows a few ways to get audio into Soundcloud.com and then embed it into a post on Wordpress.com. It's designed for students in Dr. Kyle Stedman's Rhetoric 351 class at Rockford University, specifically to help them with this assignment: http://rhet351stedman.wordpress.com/2013/09/06/audio-version-of-ra1
How to Print a Draft from Wordpress Kyle Stedman 2013-09-03 | This video is designed for students in Dr. Kyle Stedman's sections of Rhetoric 351 at Rockford University. It demonstrates the two best ways to print a draft of a post that was started in Wordpress.
Introduction to Rhetoric 351, Fall 2013 Kyle Stedman 2013-08-19 | This video introduces students to Dr. Kyle Stedman's sections of Rhetoric 351, "Rhetoric of/in Digital Spaces" in Fall 2013 (http://rhet351stedman.wordpress.com) at Rockford University.
Review of Aural Rhetorics and Multimodal Composing (Longer Version) Kyle Stedman 2013-07-01 | This is the longer version of a review of Session F7, "Aural Rhetorics and Multimodal Composing," as presented at the 2013 Computers and Writing conference (http://siteslab.org/cwcon/2013/). (The shorter version is at http://youtu.be/fBxuuP8szgQ.) The presenters were Jessica Corey (Kent State University) and Valerie Robin (Georgia State University), and the review is by Kyle Stedman (Rockford University).The review is part of a larger body of reviews of Computers and Writing hosted at the Sweetland Digital Rhetoric Collaborative at the University of Michigan. Learn more at http://www.digitalrhetoriccollaborative.org.Help us caption & translate this video!http://amara.org/v/C0pw
Review of Aural Rhetorics and Multimodal Composing (Shorter Version) Kyle Stedman 2013-07-01 | This is the shorter version of a review of Session F7, "Aural Rhetorics and Multimodal Composing," as presented at the 2013 Computers and Writing conference (http://siteslab.org/cwcon/2013/). (The longer version is at http://youtu.be/np-V04PhKTI.) The presenters were Jessica Corey (Kent State University) and Valerie Robin (Georgia State University), and the review is by Kyle Stedman (Rockford University).The review is part of a larger body of reviews of Computers and Writing hosted at the Sweetland Digital Rhetoric Collaborative at the University of Michigan. Learn more at http://www.digitalrhetoriccollaborative.org.Help us caption & translate this video!http://amara.org/v/C0aD
Bill Wolff at Computers and Writing 2013 Kyle Stedman 2013-06-12 | This presentation is part of the panel "On the Digital Rhetorics of Fans and Fan Communities" at the 2013 Computers and Writing conference, held at Frostburg State University in Frostburg, Maryland. For more information, visit http://siteslab.org/cwcon/2013/content/%EF%BB%BF-digital-rhetorics-fans-and-fan-communitiesHelp us caption & translate this video!http://amara.org/v/C0pv
Fandom Panel Q&A at Computers and Writing 2013 Kyle Stedman 2013-06-12 | This Q&A session is the end of the panel "On the Digital Rhetorics of Fans and Fan Communities" at the 2013 Computers and Writing conference, held at Frostburg State University in Frostburg, Maryland. For more information, visit http://siteslab.org/cwcon/2013/content/%EF%BB%BF-digital-rhetorics-fans-and-fan-communitiesHelp us caption & translate this video!http://amara.org/v/C0pu
Kyle Stedman at Computers and Writing 2013 Kyle Stedman 2013-06-12 | Listen to a new, final version of this project in Technoculture, vol. 7, retitled "Listening Like a Fan": tcjournal.org/drupal/vol7/stedmanThis presentation is part of the panel "On the Digital Rhetorics of Fans and Fan Communities" at the 2013 Computers and Writing conference, held at Frostburg State University in Frostburg, Maryland. For more information, visit http://siteslab.org/cwcon/2013/content/%EF%BB%BF-digital-rhetorics-fans-and-fan-communitiesHelp us caption & translate this video!http://amara.org/v/C0pt
Tekla Hawkins at Computers and Writing 2013 Kyle Stedman 2013-06-12 | This presentation is part of the panel "On the Digital Rhetorics of Fans and Fan Communities" at the 2013 Computers and Writing conference, held at Frostburg State University in Frostburg, Maryland. For more information, visit http://siteslab.org/cwcon/2013/content/%EF%BB%BF-digital-rhetorics-fans-and-fan-communitiesHelp us caption & translate this video!http://amara.org/v/C0ps
