Decksters’ Lab is the brainchild of two Filipino speech-language pathologists, who are also certified AAC specialists in the Philippines. Both of them mostly cater to pediatric clients.
What do you bring to curriculum design and educational technology?
As publishers in the field of speech-language pathology, we create Boom Cards designed to facilitate speech-language learning and development in a fun and engaging way. We aspire to turn therapy sessions into entertaining moments that children would look forward to. In order to achieve that, planning and developing fun and engaging activities is of paramount importance. We aim not only to digitize readily-available tools but also introduce new materials maximizing the functions of modern technology.
What inspired you to start creating digital learning experiences for students and teachers?
Our journey into creating began a few years ago when the shift from face-to-face to online intervention posed challenges in finding teletherapy resources. Initially, we developed decks that directly benefited our students, but we eventually recognized the broader potential to share these activities and help our fellow educators and therapists.
Could you share a story about the most significant impact you’ve witnessed from your Boom Cards?
Positive feedback from co-therapists validates our resources’ efficacy and drives us to continue what we are doing. But the best feedback will always be our students asking to play a particular deck despite having played through the same deck in previous sessions. It even reached a point wherein the said deck became a reward for doing a good job on our other activities.
The most rewarding aspect of our work is knowing that we’re creating something useful for others, and the best evidence for that will always be unrehearsed reactions of our students.
How do you leverage your expertise in curriculum design to create Boom Cards?
With over five years of experience in speech therapy, our design is grounded in a deep understanding of language and speech goals. This allows us to tailor decks to meet the specific speech and language needs of our students.
How do you ensure your materials meet the high standards required to qualify as Premier Publishers?
We maintain a feedback loop by cross-checking among ourselves, applying our decks in our own practice, and continuously improving them for different contexts. Knowing our goals and understanding our students are key in resource development. This knowledge empowers us to create materials that are truly effective.
What opportunities do you see for publishers to collaborate and innovate together in the Boom community?
Publishers can collaborate effectively by creating shared decks with a common theme, similar to a collaborative novel with multiple authors. This approach encourages a variety of activities targeting the same goal, leading to unique trials and skill mastery.
What role do you play in supporting teacher self-care and preventing burnout?
As educators ourselves, we know how prone teachers are to burnout, especially with the amount of demands and responsibilities we have to meet. Other than promoting healthy time management and taking breaks, we believe that we, as publishers, can help lessen our colleagues’ workload by providing fun and quality materials. Doing so will not only greatly reduce prep time, but it will also make teaching fun and exciting for our colleagues, as well.
Any final motivational words for educators looking to make a difference?
Embarking on a journey as a publisher is no easy feat, demanding significant time, effort, and creativity. It can be challenging, especially considering that results may not manifest immediately. Yes, it can be nerve-wracking. Instead of fixating solely on the numbers, redirect your energy into crafting engaging, high-quality decks that you’d genuinely use to educate your students.
