CDM Progress Report
Hi CDM Trainees,
This thread serves as progress reports for CDM Program.
We would love to hear how you are doing!
Each week, we would like you to reply to this thread answering the following three questions:
- Which discussion was the last you completed?
- What are some things you struggled with or didn't quite get right the first time around?
- What went well? Share some tips you find helpful to help others.
If you require support, please let us know and we'll reach out to you.
@ouiCherie
Week 2 was completed, and it was filled with meeting fellow CDM trainees and hard work. I have completed the course work save two discussions: About the Writer: Writing Effective Writer Biographies & Reviewing and Promoting Current Articles. I am happy with my progress, especially since I've completed a rough draft of my article. I would really suggest to fellow CDM trainees to give themselves a lot of time to find a title. It was a challenge to get it right and others have expressed this as well.
I'm happy with the ongoing support provided by the mentors and even feel confident going into the next weeks of the program. I submitted my trial completion form this morning and thanks to @azuladragon am on top of my deadlines.
@broadfemmelovelive
Great work on week 2!
@broadfemmelovelive yay! Happy to read your update 😊
I get the picture. For many people, choosing a topic, title and writing the article usually the toughest part in the program. But, the problem is the path. Here is a 7cups article about How to Turn Problems Into Opportunities
I'll share a bit in hope this can be a motivation 🙏🏻 When I was taking cdm, writing the first 1000 words article was so hard. Yet I chose article writing again for elective 😅. And English isn't my native language. After that two, I asked for an opportunity to write a topic (not article) and wrote this weight loss counseling and treatment topic. Passed plagiarism check. It was rough!
But, recently I got a side hustle (off 7cups) to write 10 english articles. When they said, minimum 300 words per article, without hesitation I said, "Bring it on!" 😄 and they're happy with the articles.
So, I truly hope the tough journey will be rewarding for everyone too.💕
For everyone whose English is not your native language, and found this part challenging, feel free to PM. Where there's a will, there's a way!
All the best, everyone!
@ouiCherie
I totally agree. It's definitely going along way with my confidence. Also thank you for sharing your experience. I'm truly inspired by your story of success. I'm thinking about the next 7 Cupsprogram already 🤗😅
This week felt like I did a lot less than I planned. But I still feel like I'm on top of things since I got so far ahead. I struggled to find and article title (it took almost a week to get an approved title) but I have written a draft of my article and need to re-read/proofread. I'd like to have other eyes look at it too in order to get feedback, though feedback makes me nervous because I can be very sensitive to criticism in my writing, especially since it's the one thing I've never had anyone comment negatively on (except for when I was trying journalism and ultimately ended up quitting because I couldn't remember all of the rules that differed from regular writing and got really frustrated with myself).
I have been working on a growth path, hoping it gets approved. I've put a lot of time into it so far but didn't make as much progress this week, but I'm proud of what I've gotten done with it.
I'm also working on the time management course for my elective. Last weekend I made a schedule for Sunday-Monday to see how I did with it. I did pretty good. I got everything I needed to done, there were only 3 things on my schedule I didn't accomplish, which for an entire week is pretty amazing.
I think my biggest struggle is citations and knowing how to cite my research properly. I'm putting that off to the end and I feel like I may regret that.
@ouiCherie
- Which discussion was the last you completed? The last discussion I completed was the Community Questions and Answers: The Basis of Mental Health Awareness and Support. I also already finished the one before that. I could not check in last week due to a family emergency, so I will check in twice this week because I am going to finish the rest of the coursework one this week so I can submit my trial completion form.
- What are some things you struggled with or didn't quite get right the first time around? I struggled with writing a solid response for Discussion 2 because it was a very open-ended question that could be talked about in so many ways, and there was not much to restate as an active listener.
- What went well? Share some tips you find helpful to help others. The keywords did help create an anchor to my question and help me out with starting to reply. I also enjoyed learning about all that we do here on 7 Cups in terms of Content Development and Marketing. I already read through discussion three but have yet to have complete yet, but it reminds me of how important it is to have a foundation and analytics mixed with creativity.
Week 3 Check-in
- Which discussion was the last you completed?
I completed all of the discussions in week 1.
- What are some things you struggled with or didn't quite get right the first time around?
I struggled to get a title approved, but I did, I got my article submitted and waiting for feedback, and then I'm also still waiting to hear back if my growth path idea gets approved.
- What went well? Share some tips you find helpful to help others.
Despite starting a new job I feel like I still got a lot accomplished. I got the article turned in. I got nervous about submitting it but I proofread and wanted to get feedback sooner rather than later so that if I need to make changes I have plenty of time. I'm also working on the growth path despite it not being approved yet. I'm doing so because I know that if I wait for approval I might not have enough time to get it done. I think if you know you may be crunched for time that sometimes starting to work on things, but not putting more than necessary work in is okay before approval. I feel confident that my path should be approved, even if I have to tweak it a bit but making a few changes is a lot quicker than having to wait to start and risk not getting it done on time.
Hi @InvaderStitch noted for Growth Path. I'll get on that today. Have you got the Path Builder badge?
@InvaderStitch
Hi Stitch, I couldn't find your elective (FPE) submissions. Perhaps I misunderstood. May I ask, what do you mean by waiting for approval?
@ouiCherie
I remember filling it out maybe it didn't save. That would explain why there's no response. I'll try to submit it again. :)
@ouiCherie
I'm sorry I didn't update my first week's progress, I actually forgot 😶
End of Week 1 :
- Which discussion was the last you completed? = Discussion 1) Intro to Content Development & Marketing at 7 Cups.
- What are some things you struggled with or didn't quite get right the first time around? = I didn't have any struggles because the question was easy to answer 😊
- What went well? Share some tips you find helpful to help others = Not yet ...
End of Week 2 [This week] :
- Which discussion was the last you completed? = Discussion 4) Team Lightship : Tweeting Empathy.
- What are some things you struggled with or didn't quite get right the first time around? = I struggled with synthesizing my answer for Discussion 2 ... All points I wrote seemed so important, but I think it would be better to have a concise answer, people may or may not read a long answer.
- What went well? Share some tips you find helpful to help others = I think it's an amazing idea to even provide constructive feedback to others (and receive them too), so I liked that analyzing activity for all discussions. I also liked creating the tweets and graphics (there are many good websites with helpful templates to use). A helpful tip to anyone who may want to revisit their answers - after you make a post, immediately copy the link. With that link, you will be able to get your exact answer anytime in the future 😊
Week two
-
Which discussion was the last you completed?
The last discussion I completed was Team Lightship. I also completed social media graphics before that.
-
What are some things you struggled with or didn't quite get right the first time around?
I think in terms of TeamLightship, when responding to tweets, the character count is smaller than a forum post, so there is a certain mindset you have to get in when writing. It takes time to start. Every word feels like it has to count and be impactful. I also forgot to add any emojis on my tweets. In terms of Social media graphics, playing around with different font sizes took time and cutting the amount of words I wanted to use. -
What went well? Share some tips you find helpful to help others.
For Team Lightship, I use links and keywords. I was empathic and used questions. I think that went well. In terms of the social media graphics. I think my use of two different fonts were good. Also adding the 7 cups website. It was my first time using Easil. I recommend others try out a different creation tool than you are used to. I am used to Canva. Also I learned that you can use a combination of tools. Now I am going to do my trial completion form and I am so excited!
Week 3 CDM Progress report:
What a great week, I’ve completed all the discussions and moved on to the final CDM Coursework Completion Quiz. I have written my article and submitted it. I am so grateful for the check-in I had with @aliothwyou; this was very helpful (https://www.7cups.com/forum/ContentVolunteerTeam_198/CDMSupport_2288/CDMHonorsOption_296500/). I guess that would be my tip as reaching out can be difficult for some. When I’ve reached out for support there have always been great mentors to help me with the challenges I face. Also, as someone who needs accommodations with remembering all the deadlines, I’ve appreciated this program's flexibility and understanding.
@ouiCherie
Im sorry I been behind on my weekly reports :< my house was being remodel so I was off my pc to do anything but I can do this weekly report.
Week 1:
- Which discussion was the last you completed?
I finished all of my first 4 discussions and I did all the feed back and trail week quiz.
2. What are some things you struggled with or didn't quite get right the first time around?
I think discussion 3 was a bit tricky as I didn't receive feedback on what worked and needed improvement.
3. What went well? Share some tips you find helpful to help others.
I enjoyed the feed back sessions as it help me help get some tips on how to write better. I encourage to share feedback on anyone to say what works as it can highlight a strength.
Week 2:
1. I managed to finished all of the assignments of all discussions. I got my headline approved and I brainstormed on what sources to use in my article. I have been going to my check ins as best I can.
2. I struggled with keeping up with my dates and time management so I can keep track of my program due dates as the house remodeling was stressful :<
3.
Using the headliner website to help rate your article headline and sub headline is extremely useful to see where your headline stands.
Week 3
1. Atm I'm trying to get my room back so I can write my first draft of my article and complete the quiz work 2.
2. Again my time management needs some help :<
3: I would recommend people using the time management course here on 7cups. It will help with the time management and be able to get stuff done.
Again I'm sorry for being behind *bows*
@Vivikun9
Vivi, I am glad you could get so much done despite your house remodelling. I am sure that does take up a significant amount of time. I am not a mentor but a fellow CDM trainee/active listener.
Glad the time management course here is helpful. I am considering taking it as an elective.
Also, I think you being mindful, enjoying the learning process and doing your best is all that matters :)
@ouiCherie
I am completed all of the required coursework/quizzes and have submitted my essay. This week I focused on applying for an honours project and this was about it. I have progressed so quickly and I’m very proud of my achievements thus far. I think it’s imperative that all program attendees have the link to the content guide. Using this guide from the beginning would have guided me to much higher-quality work. Things that went well were attending the orientation to meet fellow program participants. This really made it feel supportive and helped me with my self-motivation.
@broadfemmelovelive
You're doing so great! I think that link is a great resource also!
Week 4 (I Think):
I felt really stressed out like I may be running out of time to complete my growth path but then realized I'm only about half way through my program and still have 4 weeks to go and all of my other course work and requirements are complete. I added 3 steps to my growth path today, I may have added a couple since last time I posted as well the time is sort of blurring together. I pretty much only have the capacity to work on my growth path on Sunday and Mondays at the moment, so I'm hoping to add more steps tomorrow. I have 14 steps so far, and have exceeded the requirement. One thing I'm nervous about with my growth path and article is making sure that I am citing my sources appropriately. I've always been nervous about making sure I cite things in the right way because I don't want to plagiarize someone else's work. I do a good job at summarizing and not taking the words directly, but the ideas are not my own, I'm getting them from somewhere and want to make sure that source gets credit.
I am contemplating doing a second article for my honors project, but I believe I have until February 13 to make that decision and it will depend on how my growth path is coming along. I've been working on it since the beginning of week two and have put a lot of work into it, but feel like there is so much more work to do.
@InvaderStitch
Amazing so glad to see your progress is supporting you feeling a little less stress.☺️